Ten on Tuesday: 10 Things that Scare You/Freak You Out

“F.O.” stands for Freak Out (Well, it does in this post anyway.) I can’t really think of anything that scares me. There were things that I was scared of when I was a kid, but I have either outgrown the fear or tried to tame it, so that they are now just a little freaky.

F.O. Leaning against a window/railing in/on a skyscraper. Not from the first floor! I’m talking above the 10th floor. It freaks me out. What if I’m leaning against it and it just “pops” out and I fall? Without my Bat-suit, I would be in trouble. However, if I think it is worth it, I will overcome my fear. Earlier this year, I was in New York, and was on the top of Rockefeller Center (70 Stories) and pressed my camera against the glass (and my face against my camera – it’s an SLR) to take pictures of the Empire State Building. What a view!

F.O. Bridges. I don’t trust high man-made structures. Maybe it’s because I have lived in earthquake-prone California all my life. In the past, I have just looked straight ahead while driving over bridges (just look at the road...just look at the road...). To help get over this fear, Florinda and I walked the entire Golden Gate Bridge. I would say that I am better, but not cured.

F.O. A dull (wooden) pencil writing on corrugated cardboard. The way it feels when it drags. It’s even worse when the wood at the edge of the lead catches on the cardboard and drags. I know this is really an odd one, but I was an Art major, so drawing and painting have always been a pleasurable experience. The feel of graphite on paper, or paint on canvas. The tactile feeling of the materials is part of what makes drawing and painting fun for me. Dull pencil on cardboard is just creepy.

F.O. Looking in the Mirror. Who is that guy? He’s really freakin’ me out. Dude, put on some clothes for cryin’ out loud!

F.O. Clowns. What are they hiding behind all that freakish makeup? Are the wanted by the law, so they get jobs as clowns to hide their true criminal faces while they plot their next crime? And what’s with the sad clowns?

F.O. Women with Adam’s Apples. Like clowns, I can’t help but get the feeling they are hiding something. They’re hiding what? OH, GOOD LORD!

F.O. Needles. More specifically, getting injections, or having blood drawn. Something about a sharp metal object piercing my skin (yet, I have an earring) and either putting something into my body, or taking something out. Does that even sound right to you? I just look away when I am being injected or drained of vital fluids.

F.O. My 14-year old daughter. If you are a man, and you have a 14-year old daughter, you’re freaking out. Why? Because you were once a 14-year old boy.

F.O. My 8-year old using a public restroom. For God’s sake, DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING!. Why is it that public restrooms are the dumping ground (sorry) for people with horrific personal hygiene? Do they leave the bathroom in their own home like this, or do they only act this way in public restrooms? I mean, how hard is it to put the paper in the toilet? Maybe these people need glasses, because they clearly have problems distinguishing the toilet bowl from, well, everything else.

F.O. That I cannot think of a number 10 for this list. Oh wait, I just did!