Today’s lunch was a bowl of secret sauce with whole wheat ziti, broccoli and meatballs (no picture since I assume you guys are over all the saucy pics and I was feeling lazy).
Instead I thought I’d present you with a new smoothie recipe since I made myself a delicious smoothie for a snack around 10 a.m.
In the mix:
- 2/3 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup milk
- Splash of half & half for creaminess
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 1/2 packet vanilla Instant Breakfast
- 1/4 pint raspberries
This one was a winner! Definitely not substantial enough to constitute a meal, but it was a great snack.
Bob Barker
It’s no secret on this blog that Sadie cracks me up every day. Her antics never cease to amaze me.
A lot of my laughter stems from Sadie’s lack of courage. She’s easily spooked by the most random things.
Her current arch nemesis is this little guy that’s floating around in our pool.
She hates him and is convinced he is going to cause her serious harm.
We named the sunglasses-wearing shark thingy Bob Barker, in reference to Adam Sandler’s line in Happy Gilmore where he says, “I hate that Bob Barker,” since we’re pretty sure that’s what Sadie says every time she sees him.
Occasionally I’ll let Sadie out on the porch when I’m right inside the kitchen and inevitably, within five minutes, she’s barking up a storm, clearly trying to rip Bob Barker apart with her nasty words and trash talk.
Apparently I should put her in a Thundershirt every time I let her on the porch.
Irrational Fears
Sadie’s fear of Bob Barker got me thinking about some of my irrational fears.
I am claustrophobic.
I’ve never particularly liked small, enclosed spaces, but I didn’t realize just how much enclosed spaces affected me until a trip to Epcot with Ryan a couple years ago.
(Throwback pic! Tram ride to Epcot in 2007.)
The first line we waited in at the park was for Mission Space, a motion simulator thrill ride. I saw signs warning riders about motion sickness as we waited, but nothing about small spaces.
We got into the little “cabin” (I don’t what what you’d actually call it) and were strapped in as the screens came in close to our faces (closer than in the below picture).
The side doors locked us in completely.
The ride didn’t start. I started to feel trapped. I couldn’t get out of my seat and I began sweating and breathing heavily.
“I want to get out,” I said to Ryan.
“It’s okay. It’s going to start in a second,” he said.
It didn’t. It was delayed.
“Seriously, I need to get out of here. How do I get out?” I said, my voice becoming breathy and more panicked.
Ryan knew then that I was serious. He told me there was an emergency exit button he could press.
“PRESS IT!” I yelled.
“Okay, there isn’t a button, I just told you that so you’d feel better. I don’t know what to do.”
(We laugh hysterically about this now, but at the time I was freaking out.)
Right after that, the ride began and air started blowing in my face. I closed my eyes and breathed my way through the experience.
I honestly couldn’t shake the feeling for the rest of our day at Epcot. I knew I was acting completely irrationally, but I just couldn’t stand feeling trapped in such a small, enclosed space with no way out.
I now really hate most small, enclosed spaces and really dislike elevators. When they take too long to start, I feel incredibly antsy. (It doesn’t help that my sister and I got stuck in one for a few minutes during our trip to Europe.)
I think this fear is similar to the ones certain people have with heights or flying in an airplane. You know in your head that your fear is irrational and logically you know you have no reason to be scared, but you just can’t talk yourself out of your panicky feelings.
Question of the Afternoon
- Do you have any irrational fears?
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I’m a little weary of sharing because no one else has said this yet!! ( I can’t believe that either)…but, I’m still afraid of the dark. Like when I’m running up the stairs in the dark I am certain someone is behind me. Also, when I’m washing my face I’m afraid that once I rinse off and open my eyes, someone will be standing there. Seems so silly when typing it, but you can’t shake that physiological response!
Me too!!!! Whenever I wash my face I want to open my eyes and risk getting soap in them to make sure noone is behind me
i always close and lock my bathroom door when i wash my face for this exact reason!
I am really afraid of driving in the city. I get really panicked!
I also have an irrational fear of being late!
Mine are definitely more social anxiety issues than phobias, I get.
I LOVE small spaces though! And snakes and bugs and things.
Oh, but i am afraid of sharks – in the pool! hahah I guess Sadie and I have something in common!
not gonna lie, i had a similar panic attack on the same ride, but i was trying hard to keep things together since the little 9 year old kid next to me was all into it and i thought i shouldn’t freak out when there was this brave kid next to me (his mom opted out of the ride right before they went in)….but in my head i kept thinking, “must.keep.it.together. breathe. must.not.freak.out”
lol
This is going to sound ridiculous…but, I’m scared of trees. Not the actual tree 🙂 but the tree falling on me. Probably has alot to do with being from Alabama and seeing all the tornado damage. My parents, husband (who’s a forester!), and I were driving back from a park and a storm hit. Trees were falling down everywhere (it wasn’t a tornado just strong wind). Horrible! Anyway, I’m scared of ’em!
I was a therapist so this is going to sound ridiculous…but I’m afraid of going to NYC. I don’t know if it’s b/c of all the 9/11 specials or just powerful memories of that day or what but I’ve got a trip planned in Oct w/ some of my girlfriends and I am terrified of going. terrified.
Loved this post Julie! All the comments are great! haha
I hate elevators!! Ugh, if I even know that there’s a chance I’m going somewhere (a hotel, or parking garage) where I might have to take an elevator I start sweating and my palms get really clammy and I have a hard time catching my breath. I feel like such a nerd! I’m always taking the stairs if they’re available…which surprisingly their not everywhere…for anything five floors and under! I really can’t handle the claustrophobia!!
Oh, and also does thinking that someone is breaking into your house count as an irrational fear? I think it does…because who breaks into a house with people in it? Trust me, our stuff isn’t that nice! haha, it’s good to be able to laugh at our craziness, right? =D
Oh my gosh I have several irrational fears. Snakes, germs, sick people, everything that has to do with puking (my worst fear), touching things in public places (like door knobs, shopping carts etc.) & my husbands driving. He kills me. Haha!
i’m very clausterphobic as well.
I’m also totally freaked out by roaches and driving through real small towns in the middle of nowhere. I get all wrong turn freaked out.
I am claustrophobic too! I don’t like going on enclosed rides like that because my head definitely plays tricks on me! I dislike elevators too…I go on them but the whole time I think about what I would do if it stopped and I was trapped.
I also have a fear of caterpillars….a boy in 2nd grade put a handful of them down my shirt and now I get freaked out when I see one!
I have an irrational fear of pipes. I think it’s because I had a nightmare when I was little that involved my friends getting sucked down the drain in a bathtub. Either that…or I am a complete weirdo!
I’m claustrophobic too! I actually started to feel panicky just reading your description of the ride!
My dog doesn’t like gourds – which is really bad because my inlaws have a craft business where they decorate gourds so they’re everywhere. He will bark his furry little head off at them. We wonder if it is the smell or the shiny finish on them.
Ok, this is really weird. But I have a fear of seeing people vomit. I hate it! It makes me afraid, sad, and horrified. Every since I was a little girl I had this fear. I would hate to go to school fairs because there was always some kid that would barf on a ride. So if you haven’t seen bridesmaids yet, watch out because there is a very disgusting scene in there with vomit! ewwww! I hate it I hate it! It totally ruined the movie for me! 🙁
not weird! im so scared of vomit(and i work with children..smart).
I’m scared of whales.
I’m afraid of spiders. I had one trapped under a cup when The Boy was out of town a while back, and was hysterical because if I picked the cup up IT WOULD COME AFTER ME.
It didn’t. I took it outside and released it. I can now do that without freaking out, but the idea of a spider on me makes me want to hyperventilate.
I am extremely afraid of spiders…like, if you start talking about one, I will start crying. Its…often debilitating. I’m also afraid of butterflies and cockroaches, but that’s it for bugs.
I have this really strange fear of bikes. I hate them. If I’m going for a run or walking on campus or something and I see a bike coming my way I just stop DEAD in my tracks and can’t move. I have nooo idea where I got this weird fear.
Poor Sadie!! 🙂 Our dog is scared of the ironing board… My hubby and I did the whole Disney thing for our honeymoon and I VIVIDLY remember Mission Space. We picked the “intense” verison because thats how we roll (aka, we are idots apparently). I knew it was bad when I saw barf bags inside the little capsule. I pressed EVERY button on that board in front of me to try to hurry us up on our mission and was NEVER more excited to see planet EARTH!! Just seeing that picture gives me the heeby jeebies!! Oh… my fears are crunchy bugs, tight spaces, and spiders!
I know how you feel with the whole Disney ride thing. I’m terrified of heights and one of my so called friends (still mad at her for this even though it’s been 6 years) convinced me that the Triceritops Spin ride at Animal Kingdom was a little kid ride and nothing to worry about. Did I happen to notice part of the ride was high up in the air. NO!!! Only saw the entrance. Once we were high up I freaked out. Kept my eyes closed the whole ride and said a dozen Hail Mary’s that the ride would be over soon. My friend wasn’t even with me, another friend was. She decided to wait until I was done. When the ride was finally over my friend made fun of the fact I believed her when she said the ride was nothing to worry about. I decided to never trust her ever again when it came to amusement parks ever again.
blood or anything in a hospital. I legit just fainted to day from getting a TB shot…sp embarrassing
SEED CLUSTERS. Seriously. Even saying the words or typing the words starts my heart pounding and my skin crawling. Basically, the site of them causes me serious issues. My skin crawls, I irrationally want to cry and I get that “taste” in the back of my throat.
I’ve researched it and there are a few others that have it as well. Supposedly has something to do with our eye-brain connection and not being able to compute what it is we’re looking at so our brain basically focuses and re-focuses until we look away.
My husband has to cut up peppers for me because of the the insides….eeewww….must. stop. typing. about. it. now.
I have ridden mission space as well, and it wasn’t the tight space that got me… it was the motion sickness! WoweeKazow. I haven’t ridden it since! It sounds like we’d be good buddies at Epcot! haha
The same thing happened to me on that ride! It was beyond awful.
Yea, I have a really weird fear.
I have a fear of floating up off the ground and not being able to come back down.
So I’m afraid of… anti-gravity… I guess?
Practically this has only applied to two things in my life so far.
1) Hot air balloons. I will never, ever, ever get in a hot air balloon.
2) We did indoor skydiving once. Indoor skydiving is exactly like the opposite of actual skydiving. There is a bag fan on the floor that blows you up off the ground and supposedly simulates “falling”. That scared the crap out of me. I was convinced I was gonna be blown up the tunnel and never be able to come down.
All of this considered, you know how some people dream of flying? Like super-hero flying? NO. I do not approve of my body being able to fly through space all willy nilly.
That said, I am not afraid of flying in a plane. Because I know if the plane breaks I will crash to the earth. I am okay with the certainty of gravity and ground death, as long as the plane doesn’t break and then float off into space.
OH MY GOD.
im terrified of stupid or ghastly things…i’m nervous when people throw up or when i see bees(im not allergic, and theyre small, but ughhh so awful…and they fly so lazily, as if they know theyre scaring me and they enjoy it)and-this is gruesome-i watched a movie when i was a kid that made me HORRIFIED that there was a body hanging from the rod in my closet. to this day, i check my closet before sleeping and avoid scenes in movies when something is hanging that could even remotely resemble a person.
i dont comment very much, but i just HAD to after i read this post. i have a very irrational, “irrational fear”. i don’t even know why they scare me so much but i have never met anyone else with this fear and uh, everybody thinks i’m crazy when i tell them. so why not tell the whole world right now right? well, it’s…
cottonballs.
Girl this SAME thing happened to me on Mission Space!!!
I freaked out! My ex thought I was nutso while I frantically flopped around trying to find an exit button. And you know how you pretty much can’t move once those stupid seat lockers come down on you. Ugh!
Did you do the orange intense mission? I’ve only done the green. The subsequent times I’ve been on it have been a little better but…it was definitely horrifying.
XOXO
I had the SAME experience in that ride. It is terrifying. I start to get hot and feel trapped. Really I think that is my only fear at thi point. I have never jumped out of a plane either (but don;t really have any desire to)
I hate being in elevators too! I always get so scared.
I am also so afraid of bugs. It’s kind of funny because my brother and I are so similar. The family gets such a kick out of terrifying us.
That’s scary about the ride! Thank goodness you got through it.
I have an irrational fear of ghosts. I’ve posted about it on my blog just once but I’ve been terrified of them since my dad told me a true ghost story that happened to him when I was a kid- eeeek!
I’m extremely scared of heights and spiders…but I think my fear of heights is worse. Recently, my dad “forgot” how scared I was of heights and didn’t warn me when going down one of the steepest escalators at a DC metro stop. I clung to his arm for dear life as I cried and broke out in a sweat because I was in such a panic!
I have a fear of loud noises. Ever since I was little, I’ve always hated fire works, balloons popping or any loud special affects in big shows. To this day, I still can’t be around a ballon without freaking out a little.
Spiders. Some people say they have a spider phobia but I have yet to see anyone that has it as bad as I do. It almost reminds me of those episodes of Maury I used to see – people running shrieking because of mustard, cotton balls, or pickles. I don’t just get freaked out – I go mental. I SCREAMING at the top of my lungs and hyperventilating. If I am alone and have no one around to kill it for me – I will have a panic attack. I start crying, gagging, and panicking and pretty much almost pass out. It’s a real sight. If one escapes and cannot be found (AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!) I will NOT go back in the room until it’s found. As much as I hate them and looking at them, I have to see them dead to be convinced that the aren’t still hiding somewhere. They also make me feel very sick to my stomach, that’s why I start gagging. None of this logical in the least. I don’t think they are going to hurt me or bite me. I can’t even really explain it – they just gross me out beyond BELIEF. I also had this little run in with a scorpion a few weeks back…and while it was not as bad as if it had been a spider, it was bad. I had to call in to my work to tell them I would be late because I was in an epic battle with a scorpion (all said while crying and freaking out). I then had to call my husband for moral support while I sucked it up with a vacuum. Truly sad.
Birds. When I was in high school I was at a family friend’s house and over the years she has had several pets, including a couple Cockatoos. I had been to her house several times over the course of my life, and have even house/pet-sat for her before. But on this particular visit she had gotten a new Cockatoo, and wanted me to hold him, I didn’t want to for no other reason that I didn’t want him to scratch or poop on me. Long story short, while holding him he suddenly lunged/flew/attacked my FACE, bit down on my nostril (completely piercing it), and scared the ISH out of me!!! I screamed, grabbed him, pulled him off of my face, and threw him against the wall!! I stood there in shock, not crying, but blood was streaming down my face! My mom grabbed me and held me as Joey (the demon bird) climbed his way up the bar stool across the room crying, “Joey up-up. Joey treat.” I started crying, and ran to the bathroom.
That was 10 years ago, and to his day I will cross the street if there are too many birds in the trees, and completely avoid bird habitats at the zoo. There was a bald eagle (which I think is a gorgeous and majestic animal from afar) at an exhibit in the aquarium in Duluth, MN, and I TOTALLY didn’t expect it. I came around the corner saw him and immediately started hyperventilating! But I HAD to walk by him to get to the escalator to get out of there. I had to have my girlfriends shield me as I walked by without taking my eyes off of him, for fear that he would break out of his cage and eat me! I DON’T DO BIRDS!
my irrational fear is of drowning. I say irrational because i know how to swim and I’ve never had a near-drowning experience. But for whatever reason, I’m terrified of deep water and the possibility that I could drown. Well, they’re called irrational for a reason I guess. LOL.
I read through all the comments and no one has a phobia as bizarre as mine…seriously. I’m mondo terrified of it, so much so that it freaks me out to type it. I think I may have actually told you during our Holocaust discussion on the HLS walk? Anyway, yeah, it’s a weird one…
I am so terrified of snakes that I can’t even watch animated ones that pop up on the TV!
I’m afraid of… balloons. Like party balloons. Any time I see them or someone brings them near me, I’m afraid they’re going to pop, and for some reason, that really freaks me out.
I’m also afraid of escalators. I’m always afraid my foot will get caught in the side or at the bottom. I always make this kind of sad leap off of them to avoid it.
My dog is afraid of city buses. Not school buses, not fire trucks with the lights and sirens on, not dump trucks… just city buses. Good thing we live in the middle of a city. Walks are fun.
I have the exact same irrational fear as you. I am getting a little better with planes and elevators, but I used to take the stairs whenever possible and in a plane, I was okay during the flight, but as soon as we stopped at the gate, I would sweat, feel panicky and couldn’t breathe…. such a terrible feeling. I still would have problems in that ride that you just showed… I’m not good at being closed in or strapped in during rides either….
I don’t think your fear is irrational at all! I’m really claustrophobic as well. I can’t even stand to be under a blanket if I can’t find a way out. I also have a really hard time if I feel like I can’t move my arms or legs in any way.
Okay. I have a good (bad?) one. I have a horrible fear of earwigs. I swear, I totally think they will crawl into your brain and eat it. I can handle every other bug, spiders, all of that, but if I see an earwig, I have to go get my husband to get it–or I freak out and slam at it with the closest thing I have. 🙁
I loved reading this post and all the comments! I am extremely claustrophobic as well and hate elevators. I used to get panic attacks just thinking about having to get in one. I would run up and down the stairwell if I needed to be somewhere but not all starwells are accessible. I eventually realized it was hurting my life both personally and professionally and went to see a therapist. I still get nervous but its a bit more manageable. I’m going to Vegas next week and it will be the first time I’ve been on a plane in like 15 years. It should be interesting. Hopefully I dont have a panic attack on the plane!
I absolutely adore your blog!
I am slightly claustrophobic as well, but my biggest fear is having anything around my wrists. The cuffs on my sleeves can’t be too tight and watches and bracelets are totally out of the question. I don’t know where it came from; my mom says I’ve been that way since I was a baby.
I’m a freak of nature.
I think it’s so sweet of ryan lying about the button!
I didn’t realize i was claustrophobic until we went in to Air Force Museum in Dayton. They had five of the previous Air Force One planes and my husband was dying to go in them. So entering our first one, I found myself in a small narrow area with plexiglass lining the cabin. There were a bunch of people in front of me and I had already went too far in that there were people behind me as well. I was sweating and shaking, like I was on High Alert. Most embarrassing, I screamed at the top of my lungs when we made it halfway in. There was a plastic version of one of the presidents in the seat. I felt like such an idiot. Now, I try to avoid small enclosed areas.
This makes me feel so much better! I won’t even get IN elevators, I work in a tall building in DC and take the stairs constantly! I totally feel like less of a crazy person now knowing so many other people are claustrophonic too
I’m terrified of elevator doors so probably even more irrational. Then on the very odd occasion I’ve gotten in one I’m frightened I won’t be able to get out again as I’ll need to go through the doors AGAIN. Ugh. Even walking past the doors if I don’t know they’re there and they open, wow, sometimes I burst out crying. I am 29.
I’m claustrophobic too. Just reading about your experience practically sent me into a full on panic attack. Why oh why would they not have HUGE signs with warnings??
I get the same sensation when in public though. I know some people fear public speaking, but my major fear is awkward “chit chat.” Having to mingle and make small talk puts me into a panic. I never know if I’m going to say something silly or if some sort of awkward thing will happen. It’s totally ridiculous, but I’ll spend entirely too long after a function going over everything I said, everything I SHOULD have said, AND how ridiculous I’m being for overanalyzing!
Are you kidding? That ride is TERRIFYING and I’m not even claustrophobic! The tightness and the feeling of my face practically falling off was horrible. I hated that ride. 🙁
I watched part of this TERRIFYING Ryan Reynold movie last night that I do not recommend to anyone with claustrophobia. It is called “Buried”, and it takes place inside a coffin. The entire freakin’ movie. I had to turn it off after 15 minutes because I felt all panicky. I never should have watched it. I let my love for Ryan Reynolds cloud my judgement.
This post is so awesome, the responses are all so varied and (kind of) funny! Reading explanations and then hearing people make fun of themselves for being silly is so great… but who cares, what scares you scares you right? I am afraid of balloons popping, I can pop them myself because I know the noise is coming… but if someone is blowing one up and doesn’t stop blowing it up at the “normal” size and it starts to get really big I’ll beg them to quit because I’m afraid it’ll pop any second! I also agree about the washing face/worrying someone will be behind you thing.. it’s not so bad that I lock the door, but I have thought about it before and hate the possibility!!
I know two people with irrational fears that have tried/plan to try hypnosis… a friend of mine from college was terrified of birds and went to a hypnotist and it worked – she’s not scared anymore! Also, a girl I work with now is afraid of escalators and GLASS elevators… she doesn’t like being able to see the ground while moving up or down. She is fine with regular enclosed elevators, though. She went to the Mall of America with her family and was horrified to find they have a ton of glass elevators, and after having a breakdown she decided to make an appt with a hypnotist. He was booked two months solid so she has to wait, but apparently is it worth a try for fears that are really debilitating!
P.S. To whoever posted “cottonballs”… that was my favorite. I giggled…. (sorry, I feel bad. 😉 )
I think Sadie and I are both big scardy cats (or dogs should I say!). I’m quite scared of heights, flying, I hate spiders, sharks and clowns (they’re just creepy). I hate not having space too (being squashed in a huge crowd for example) but I didnt realise how badly until I got stuck in a packed glass elivator at my work on Monday, just hanging midway to the top floor! I literally couldnt move an inch, it was super hot & I just started freaking out, sweating and shaking straight away. It was only for about 5 mins but it left like a life time!!!