Phobophobiac!!!!

I wish I could make up a quiz for this blog and have the answers upside down at the bottom. Alas, my techno-knowledge base barely rises above that of a kindergartener these days.....maybe I should take some tips from my niece. Hmmm. Anywhoo, I came across a most interesting article today. It is all about (cue Indiana Jones "Snakes? I HATE snakes." Yeah, ya need to see the new move to enjoy his ophidiphobia once more)....PHOBIAS! Do you suffer from politicophobia (fear of or intense aversion to politicians)? Scriptophobia (fear of writing in public)? Xanthophobia (fear of the color yellow or the word yellow)?

I can't blame you if you suffer from zemmiphobia (fear of the great mole rat).....because honestly, I'd probably suffer from it too if I had too many unexpected visits with one. And, even more honestly, if a great mole rat happened to cross my path, it might develop a phobia of baseball bats, after I tried to use a bat to shoo the rat out of my presence (in a very humane way, of course! Screaming, however, might be involved).

While fearlessly examining a website called The Phobia List, I came across a few that probably won't get mistaken for one another, but I like their definitions and they all start with "phil." Here is my little quiz, sans the upsidedownsy answers at the end. This is a matching game. Match the appropriate definitions to the words you think fit them best. If you get them all right, you win an all-expense paid trip to surf the intense waves of the World Wide Web, courtesy of Al Gore. Ready for the quiz? Wait for it.....wait for it....ok GO!

Philemaphobia or Philematophobia
Philophobia
Philosophobia

A. Fear of philosophy.
B. Fear of kissing.
C. Fear of falling in love or being in love.

Answers:
Philemaphobia or Philematophobia - B. Fear of kissing.
Philophobia - C. Fear of falling in love or being in love.
Philosophobia - A. Fear of philosophy.

BONUS QUESTION:
What is the definition of "phobophobia?" (Now put two large marshmallows in your mouth and say it ten times fast.)

ANSWER: Fear of phobias.

I would rather be afraid of philosophy than be afraid of falling in love. I wonder if someone who is afraid of kissing is also afraid of falling in love? Or vice versa? Or are they all about the NCMO?

Can I pick and choose my phobias? The arachniphobiac in me screeches NO! I hate spiders! I do my best to suppress that small bit o' my personality. Friends, for an intriguing five or ten minute break, I highly recommend visiting phobialist.com to peruse this extensive list of fears that I never knew existed.

The Healing Power of Christ

Need somewhere to go this weekend? I've got a suggestion for you. There is a sculpture exhibit called "The Healing Power Of Christ" at the Saint George Temple Visitor Center that is absolutely lovely. You can see photos of these sculptures created by Angela Johnson at sgvisitorcenter.com. The pictures don't do the sculptures justice, but they give you a glimpse. ;) It only takes about half an hour to go through the guided tour of the sculptures, but there are plenty of other interesting things nearby, as I learned on my last trip to Saint George. For example, my friend and I took a trip to the Jacob Hamblin Home in Santa Clara, shopped a bit at the Outlet Malls, and visited the Mountain Meadows Massacre memorial,among other things. It was a good trip.

DC

Things I loved about my recent vacation to DC:

1. Exit Row Seating. My friend Somer and I got exit row seating on the airplane because Somer is tall and has long legs. The responsibility of opening the door of the plane if it goes down in a flaming heap is definitely worth the extra inches of leg space.



2. Twilight. Somer brought the book with her on the plane so I could read it. Yay for mindless reading for entertainment at its girlie romantic best (or worst, depending on who you talk to).



3. Company. Somer and I went to DC to visit our old roomie, Melissa, who moved to DC a year ago. Our friendship is the type that doesn't require a lot of effort. We were content to do anything because it was great simply being in each other's company.



I also got to see an old friend, Kelli, who lives in DC these days too. So fun to visit with peeps!




4. Greenness. I love love love all of the trees and green foilage in Virginia and Maryland. Sigh. Being there fed my need for green!




5. Genealogy. I couldn't help myself. I visited a wee church in Fort Washington, Maryland, where my ancestors were married in 1790. Turns out that I lived a mere two miles away from it as a child. (Notice the sign....George Washington attended church there sometimes!)






6. Monuments Monuments Monuments! We saw lots of them, no more need be said.








7. Flashbacks. As I mentioned before, my family lived in Fort Washington for about four years during my infancy and toddlerhood. I have some vivid flashbacks from those years of my life. Here are a few: seeing fireflies at night, the Washington Monument, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (random, I know). While I didn't see any fireflies on this trip because it's too early in the year for them to come out, I did see lots of the Washington Monument, and I saw the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery. Now my flashbacks are backed up with more recent memories.....groovy.






All in all, the vacation was excellent.