Confidential to the person who found Blogatron by searching for "pencil phobia:"
Dude, do you have the same weird problem I do?? Okay here's mine: I have this strange aversion to some, but not all, pointy objects, where I cannot stand to have them pointed toward my eyes. It makes me twitch and cringe; it is related to an irrational fear of getting stabbed in the eye,* but it seems to have an almost physiological source and/or effect. When I have one of my little episodes, it sort of feels like my eyeballs are trying to crawl up into my skull, gibbering in terror. And I blink a lot. And, you know, the twitching.
I am sure it would be pure comedy to record the inside of my head while I am trapped in a meeting with a habitual pen-waver. Wouldn't it, you sick bastard?
It is very revealing of the human psyche to see the number of people who, when told of my phobia, need to test it by jabbing things at my face.
It gets worse in proportion to how sleep-deprived I am.
Partial list of things that aggravate the phobia, in approximate order of botheriness: pens/pencils, clear straws, opaque straws, dental equipment (you know how they put it all in a rack right near your head when you're in the chair? Sadists!), pins/needles, car/tv antennae, scissor points.
Partial list of things that do not aggravate the phobia: tree branches, knives, fork tines, bobby pins, most random non-shiny pointy wooden things.
So, yeah. E-mail me if you do not want to display your freakishness as much as I do, "pencil phobia!" Maybe we can start a coalition and get some government funding. That would be super.
*I mean, it's rational to fear getting stabbed in the eye, but it's irrational to think that your straw is going to leap out of your soda and attack you. Um, not that I've ever thought that.
Posted by hilatron at March 26, 2003 02:25 PMI can't be within a few feet of the front of a grocery cart at the grocery store.
If I'm at the store with anyone else, I'm pushing the cart.
I have this HUGE fear of my achilles tendons getting rammed by the bottom of the carts.
Whatever caused this fear, my memory has repressed it.
omg! i am the same way! i once had a pencil stab me in my leg when i was a kid and things have never been the same.
Posted by: cindy at March 27, 2003 09:36 PMyou know, i've had a sharp metal thing in my eye and it wasn't really all that awful. it was the getting out part that's really more painful.
Posted by: mike at March 28, 2003 09:53 AMI have eye issues. Stay away from my eyes. Do not point things at them.
Posted by: Punz at April 1, 2003 09:58 PMi kinda got that phobia..except its all places instead of the eyes
Posted by: at April 29, 2003 01:17 AMThe whole eye things,, yeah thats me 2.. same things set me off and same kind of reactions...its weird. everyone always doesnt believe me when i tell them..
Posted by: thomas at January 9, 2004 11:23 PM