"We Have Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself"

What a bunch of crap, Mr. Franklin D. Roosevelt.

I have come to the realization over the past few years that I have the most irrational fears of anyone I know. I can't pinpoint the cause of most of them. Really the only explanation is that I have completely lost my mind and should be committed to some kind of asylum. Since I will never be caught, I sit here writing this meaningless blog that a total of 2 people will probably read. It's difficult for me to dwindle my list down to only a few, but for your sake (and to a lesser extent, mine), I have done just that.

Ticks: These disease-ridden arachnids have always scared me. They are the reason that I don't like camping and avoid wooded areas whenever possible (that and I have a fear of being kidnapped. More on that later though). A few days ago was the first time in my entire life that I have ever had a tick on me and it's safe to say that I went into panic mode. They don't just crawl on you either. No, that would be too easy. They latch on you and suck the life out of you. It gives me the chills just thinking about it.

Costume Characters: I really have no idea where this fear comes from, I just know that I don't like them. Oddly enough, I did very well in Disney World. Maybe it's because we didn't stop and get pictures with a lot of them, but the ones that we did see didn't bother me. I loathe our school mascot. It's incredibly creepy. My school also does this promo for events on campus that involves someone dressing up as a gorilla. You can imagine how well that goes. The Underwater Adventures at Mall of America has a mascot that I run away from all the time. I swear, one time that thing chased me. They give me the creeps.

The Easter Bunny: Yes, I realize that the Easter Bunny is a costume character as well, but he (or she) freaks me out so much that it deserves its own spot. I remember when the fear really set in. I was shopping during the Easter season one day and, of course, there was an opportunity to get your picture taken with the Easter Bunny. I didn't get within 10 feet of the thing before I ran away. My freshman year, there was a band that played and the drummer dressed as the Easter bunny. I hate that band solely for that reason.

Being Kidnapped: Ever since I was little, this was a big fear of mine. When I was about 7 years old, I was at home and my grandma called. She had heard on her police scanner that there was a blue van that was trying to pick up kids in our neighborhood. At least I am pretty sure that's what she said. I didn't trust anyone in a blue van after that and I generally started not trusting people either. Especially people that drove something that looks like this.

This all explain so much that it's scary