phobia

Wake up and smell the carbon

2008-05-13T08:13:00.000-07:00

The world is coming to end! Well…that’s what scientists, media, and politicians are telling us. The big question in our society right now is, “Is global warming going to kill us all.” Yes, eventually that seems to be true. But, many across the globe think it is all a big hoax, that the media is just making it up and everything is ‘all good.’ I call these people green-o-phobic.

There’s evidence all across the world that something isn’t right with our planet. Dead zones in the ocean where oxygen has been decreased by carbon dioxide have been found. Holes in the ozone layer are apparent over New Zealand. Ice caps are breaking off the size of California. And, crazy, traumatic weather is happening all over the planet.

People have come up with a ton of different ways to stop global warming including using fuel that emits zero or less greenhouse gases, inventing giant vacuums to suck the carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, and requiring every human being to plant 10 trees to hold their carbon dioxide in. And, that’s just the tip of the iceberg! (There’s a little global warming joke for you.)

The topic of global warming has consumed our society today. It’s on the news, it’s on TV, and it is even in music videos. Why would they make such a big deal about it if it weren’t happening?

To all the green-o-phobics out there - wake up and smell the carbon.

The day the music died...

2008-05-11T22:23:00.000-07:00

I ran out of shampoo this morning. Because I have been a hair dying addict for the past 10 years, I've used the same Aveda Color Conserve shampoo for, lets just say, a long time. Suddenly, I was confronted with a dilemma - to use my roommate's Herbal Essence shampoo or not wash my hair at all. What if I use her shampoo and I get an allergic reaction, or what if my hair completely falls out. Maybe I'll develop an uncontrollably itching sensation throughout my entire scalp. Or the case worst scenario, what if the Herbal Essence shampoo causes me to have a bad hair day! After my very dramatic hair washing quandary, I realized I was a victim of kainotophobia – the fear of change.

Every day when I get back to my dorm, the first thing I do is turn on my TV and press play on my VCR. The familiar faces of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore jump off the screen. Their witty remarks such as “Oy, with the poodles already!” and “If there was a ‘You’re Crazy’ team, they’d make you captain!” give me a sense of comfort and stability as a sit at my computer or do my laundry. They have always been my background noise and the thought of ever changing that is just unthinkable. As Rory Gilmore would say, “Change sucks!” Therefore, my compulsive Gilmore Girl watching continues.

I own a 2000 Ford Sports Track truck that likes to jam. When I come to a stop, my truck bounces uncontrollable as if I had subwoofers in the backseat. I’ve become pretty used to its shaky behavior and enjoy making jokes to my friends that my truck likes to dance to my music when we’re sitting at a stop light. My dad took my truck away to “fix” my jamming truck. Today the music died.

Moving out of my dorm at the end of the year is always depressing to me. I’ve come to love my small space, bunk beds, and moldy vents. I now have to move back home which is a change that I’m not too thrilled about making. I’m going to miss my bathroom light that takes 30 to 45 seconds to turn on and my wall dedicated to my all time favorite punk songs.

I have entered a whole new world.

A world without Aveda shampoo.

A world without a truck that likes to bust a move.

And a world without mold.

What will be thrown at me next?

Are you afraid of the dark?

2008-04-05T15:25:00.000-07:00

There was a television show on Nickelodeon when I was younger called Are you afraid of the dark. The show consisted of a group of kids sitting around a campfire in the forest at night telling ghost stories. It seemed like whenever I watched it, rather than be scared of the story they were telling, I was terrified of the thought of sitting around that campfire in the middle of the night. Something about being in the forest in complete darkness except with only a small campfire providing the light terrified me.

Sadly, I was a girl scout and probably shouldn’t be scared of the forest, but it wasn’t just the trees and grass that gave me the chills. It was the feeling paranoia knowing that anyone could be watching me from the darkness.

I read this survey online that said that 41 percent of the people polled were either very or somewhat afraid of being in the forest alone. The statistic didn’t surprise me at all. In a society that relies on television greatly, in the movies it seems like something bad always happens when a person is in the forest alone. There is always a psycho axe murderer around the corner or a serial killer waiting for someone behind the upcoming tree.

I also found in the same survey that 14 percent of the people polled were afraid of being alone in their home at night. That’s a scary thought, feeling fear in your own house.

It sort of makes me happy knowing that I live in a building occupied with more than 90 people.

I guess I am afraid of the dark.

"Do you like scary movies?"

2008-03-17T13:48:00.000-07:00

I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was in the 6th grade at my cousin’s house for a sleepover when I was first introduced to the scary movie industry. We watched the classic horror flick, The Shining, and Urban Legends in one night. It scarred me for life. From this day on, I will forever be considered an obsessive compulsive, paranoid person due to scary movies.

Obviously, I am not 12 years old anymore and do realize that movies are not real; but something inside of me cannot get rid of the images that I see on the big screen. No matter how many times I tell myself that the Candyman is not standing on the other side of my shower curtain, I still make the effort to verify that he is not there. My roommate even played a joke on me and whispered, “Candyman, candyman, candyman” in the mirror. (If you’ve seen the movie, this is how the Candyman appears.) She laughed while I checked every nook and cranny of the dorm to make sure he wasn’t creeping around.

And, no matter if it is dusk or dawn, I still check my backseat just incase the Urban Legends killer isn’t waiting for me to turn on “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” and butcher me. I recently saw Sweeny Todd, the musical about the insane barber. I, now, am not able to eat a piece of pie without thinking I could be eating a scrumptious human high or a tasty forearm.

While thinking of movie references that I could site for this blog, I only came up with the few that I’ve already mentioned because I, pathetically, do not watch scary movies. The few that I have seen have traumatized me enough to make me withdrawal from a casual scary movie night with my friends. Okay, I may not be that dramatically affected but I would still rather watch You’ve Got Mail over Scream. And, I don’t think I will ever go a night without checking under my bed to see if there’s a psycho killer lurking around.

The Sidewalk Grilles of Indianapolis

2008-03-11T06:34:00.000-07:00

Walking downtown on the square, it is common to see large masses of people make sharp detours to the left or right somewhat resembling avoiding a pothole on the highway. Why do these people swerve walking on a paved sidewalk? Cue the dark, scary music – the sidewalk grille.

I recently had an internship in Indianapolis and discovered this fear that many people share downtown. You might ask what is a sidewalk grille? This is the metal grid-like structure found on the sidewalk that you usually see steam come out of. It took me quite a while to figure out what to call these metal pieces found on the sidewalk. I discovered that they can also be called metal grates or sidewalk grates.

But, why do some people avoid these structures that so many people walk on a daily basis? I mean they are not exactly small, and there are quite a few of them downtown. Therefore, it takes a great deal of energy to keep an eye out for these grates. I guess some people are just scared that they could give way. There was a case in Manhattan where a woman fell through one and barely missed hitting an electrical transformer on the way down. But, other than that, it does not happen very often.

I, myself, have never been scared to walk on the sidewalk grilles. Trying to be cool, I would strut myself right across them on my way to Giorgio’s Pizza, calm and collected, and then get my heel stuck in one coming to a sudden halt. Being a girl, there’s a justification for the fear of sidewalk grilles – heel immobilizers.

I guess even the professional people of downtown Indianapolis can be scared of something. I thought it was worth the sacrifice of drudging across these sidewalk grilles to get to all the fabulous restaurants and cafes on my lunch break. It would always entertain me to watch the men and women of Indianapolis avoid these large metal gates as I ate my cherry danish.

The BIGGEST fear of them all...

2008-03-03T22:31:00.000-08:00

When I was in the 6th grade I refused to go into my bedroom for a week. It wasn't because I didn't like it or that I was too lazy to climb the stairs. It was because of one terrifying, horrific, hideous... spider.

I know it’s cliché to write about people’s fear of spiders but I feel it is my obligation to throw in some obvious phobias of the common person. Why is it that so many of us are petrified of these little, harmless creatures. No matter how ridiculous I know that I am for being terrified of these little insects, I still instantly scream and jump as far away as possible when a spider strolls my way.

Imagine this – taking a walk down the street just looking for some grub when a monstrous being the size of a skyscraper screams in terror then jumps on the nearest rooftop in fear of you. I would have some high self-esteem if something 100 times bigger than me was that intimated by my threatening physique.

A horrifying experience for me involving one of these retched creatures was when I was driving my car one afternoon. It was a sunny day so naturally I pulled down my visor above my head when a spider suddenly fell from the visor straight onto my lap, causing me to scream for dear life and nearly give me a panic attack.

The Big, Bad Real World

2008-02-27T18:19:00.000-08:00

A fear that I have realized that college students seem to share is the big, bad, real world. I’m not talking about the television show; I’m talking about life after college, the big step toward becoming an adult. This phobia is definitely on the top of my list. It consists of getting a job, paying bills, and not mooching off my parents. Who wouldn’t be scared of that?

I’ve had this fear for quite some time now and I just can’t seem to shake it. People tell me that the get closer I get to graduation, the more prepared I will feel. But, as my junior year comes to an end, I’ve still got many worries. While looking through some discussion boards online, I realized that others do as well.

I’ve become pretty accustomed to my day starting at noon and ending at five. In the real world, I’m going to have to rise before the rooster crows and drive home on a highway of non-moving cars. Maybe college life spoils us too much. In college, I get to do something different each day of the week. Also, the pressure to do my homework and studying only results in a bad grade if not completed, whereas, the real world has no mercy. And worst of all, this one breaks my heart, the real world would not accept my snazzy style of apparel (jeans and a t-shirt), and would probably make me wear heels and a pants suit, otherwise known as “real world” attire.

Most people would be excited about moving out of a dorm and into an actual apartment, but not me. I like being around my friends all the time, and my two couches I bought at Goodwill would probably not suffice in my new, big girl, apartment.

I’m sure it does have its advantages, one being I will hopefully be making more than $6.50 an hour, that is if I find a job. But, the pressure of the unknown still weighs heavy on my shoulders.

I vote for pulling a Van Wilder and staying in college for another three years.

Maybe we should all be a little Germaphobic

2008-02-18T15:29:00.000-08:00

When thinking about what phobia to write about for my weekly blog, my roommate, lets call her “Mildred”, immediately popped into my head. Is there such thing as a germaphobic, because if there is, Mildred is definitely one of them.

Some people may be scared of snakes or spiders, but Mildred’s worst fear is being enveloped by a hundred billion microscopic germs like a pack of ants engulfing a cookie crumb. Having a fear such as this involves an obsessive amount of hand washing, cleaning supplies, and definitely staying away from sick people as much as possible.

Commonly, when someone sneezes next to you, all that’s noticed is a “God bless you,” immediately followed. When my roommate sees someone sneeze, she is known for holding her breathe for five seconds then deeply exhaling to be sure no particles have entered her immune system.

When the epidemic of colds and the flu hit our small community, students dropped like flies. Clinging to their life support of tissue rolls and DayQuil, sick students outnumbered the healthy. But, who was left standing strong? That’s right – Mildred. I was a part of the majority, making sure not to leave my dorm without my cough drops and tissue rolls. Needless to say, Mildred quarantined me in my room until I was healthy again.

Living with a germaphobic does have its benefits. Not only do we have our carpets vacuumed twice a week but a stocked supply of Lysol wipes to use as we please. We should probably all have a little germaphobia in us. In my case, it keeps my room spick and span plus germ free.

I'd rather take the stairs

2008-02-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

They don't look all that scary. I mean what's wrong with a small, six square foot compartment that travels from floor to floor to satisfy the lazy. I will admit that after a long day, that elevator looks like a slice of heaven compared to the bitter, seemingly never-ending number of stairs. But, to some, including myself, elevators are a fish tank size death trap that at any second could plummet to dark despair.

When you think about it, why would you want to be in a small confined space with, most of the time, a group of strangers who exchange an awkward silence for the 60 seconds in which you ride. Rather then say a, "Hey, how's it going," or "Nice weather we have out there today," to the person next to you, most riders tend to stare at the oh-so-interesting light that flashes when another floor has passed. As for me, I'm one of those riders that stares at the light and cringes at every little noise the elevator makes hoping that the few wires that hold my life suffice.

Maybe it's all the movies that incite the fear in us. No one wants to be Joe Fox in You've Got Mail, stuck inside an elevator with his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend. It wouldn’t be great to be Mr. Smith either, when he’s about to be blown up inside an elevator by his wife, Mrs. Smith.

It might be somewhat ridiculous but I doubt I’m the only person afraid of those scary metal boxes. I’m not sure how I came about having the fear. It’s not as if you hear on the news about elevator incidents very often, except for the incident earlier this month in Florida when a man got stuck between an elevator door and a safety gate. For the most part, it just doesn’t happen. But, I do know one thing. I’d still rather take the stairs.