Because I thought of a few more, after the first time I wrote about them.
1. The great big blue whale that hangs up in the Natural History Museum. I am seriously afraid of this thing. Like, just looking at this picture of it really creeps me out. I’ve been to the Natural History Museum a few times and seen this whale, but on a recent trip to the Museum with my boyfriend and his mom, I let out a yell as we approached the room where the beast lives. People turned and stared. My boyfriend’s mom turned and said to me, the way a person might speak to a 5 year-old child who just screamed after seeing a big plastic (not real) model of a whale, “You know it’s not real, right?” I look back on that situation and laugh, and my boyfriend’s mom probably looks back on the situation and thinks, “What the hell does my son see in that girl?”
2. Strangers thinking bad things about me. To hell with the people near and dear to my heart, but if an overweight, balding, 50 year-old man on the subway looks over at me and notices that my hair is flat, my day is ruined. A not-too-long ago conversation with my boyfriend about this irrational fear went something like this . . .
Boyfriend: You look really thin today.
Me: No, I don’t.
Boyfriend: You’re ridiculous.
Coffee cart lady to Me: Why do you want skim milk in your coffee? You’re so thin!
Me to Boyfriend: Guess what? the coffee cart lady told me that I looked thin today!
Boyfriend: I told you the same thing earlier this morning
Me: Yes, I know, but you’re my boyfriend and you’re supposed to say that. This lady is a stranger, so if she said it, she must really think it and it must be true!
Boyfriend: I give up.
3. Forgetting to set my alarm. This has never actually ever happened to me, probably because I’m OCD and check my alarm about 10 times before bed, but I have a paranoid fear that one day it will. And even if it does one day happen (gasp!), what’s the worse that can happen? So, I call in late to work. No big deal, right? Wrong. Knowing that I’m running late will give me anxiety all the way to work.
4. Being last. Being last to cross the finish line? Being last to finish eating? Being the last one out of your group of friends to hit puberty? It all scares/scared me. I’m not quite sure why, except that I’m crazy and should probably be on medication, but not only do I hate to be last, but I fear it. I think it’s a fear of what a last place standing means. It means that you’re a loser and people are better than you and that thought is just too much to bear! Now, I know that not everything, well, actually, most things, aren’t races, but I always seem to turn them into races. It’s part of the reason my boyfriend, and most of the people I have known in my life, think that I’m a teensey bit insane.
And I will leave you with that fun thought because even though there are probably a few more irrational fears I could think of if I really tried, I have an early call tomorrow, so off I must go for now.
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:42 am
SNAP! I fucking HATE THAT WHALE! Maybe it’s my fear of deep water or something, but being near that behemoth makes me dizzy and itching to get the fuck out of there.
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:00 am
OMG I hate that whale also!!! I also hate the idea of whales…like what if you wre just swimming along one day and looked down and there was one right below you…freaky!
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:05 am
I thought I was the only one who was OCD about alarms. I set my phone AND my alarm, checking both multiple times before finally dozing. I have also turned around many times after walking 5 blocks to the subway in the morning to go home and check to make sure that:
a.) I locked the back door
b.) I didn’t leave the coffee pot on (which I did do once during a week’s trip to NYC)
c.) I set the security alarm
d.) I locked the front door
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Thank you, Abe, Ponderings and Olivia for making me feel better about some of my irrational fears. It makes me feel a bit better to know I’m not completely crazy
And I can’t wait to tell the BF that I’m not the only one terrified of that damn whale at the Natural History Museum! Abe, special thanks to you for making me look much less OCD than previously thought! haha
December 3rd, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I thought you might like this if you haven’t seen it. This site literally makes me laugh out loud in my hella quiet office:
http://www.ihateyourfashion.blogspot.com/
December 3rd, 2008 at 1:09 pm
HAHA thanks, Abe! Speaking of funny fashion sites, have you checked this one out yet? - http://shirtordress.blogspot.com/ . It’s one of my personal faves.
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Hmmm…thinking things are races and hating to be last…what situation inspired that part of the post hmmm?
The Natural History Museum has several of your fears…you should tell people about your adventure with the butterflies….ah but tha’ts why I love you….
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:39 pm
the whale at the natural history museum instantly bring me back to childhood. my grandpa was a member and anytime family would visit from elsewhere in the country that would be the New York City day. I love that room, I go in there and feel eight again. Hell, that picture makes me nostalgic. I absolutely looove that place.
On an other, semi-related note. Every group of girls that I’ve heard laughing near me has actually been laughing about me, or something I did. I would say it’s an irrational fear, but its rational and true
December 4th, 2008 at 9:52 am
BF, the story of the butterflies is best left for another day. Don’t want to overload people on my crazy adventures.
Wishmewell, maybe the girls are just laughing with you. Wait, you’re not laughing? Hmmmmmmmmmmm . . . . well . . . uh . . . maybe they are laughing at you. JK!
It’s prob just a paranoid fear, like my fear of strangers who may be judging me.