There’s a dead cockroach in the shower and I am trying to convince myself that I can easily get rid of it using the dustpan so that I can have a shower, but so far the phobia is stronger than my rational mind.
- It’s dead. It’s not moving so it is highly unlikely to spring out of the dustpan while I sweep it up.
- Even if any part of the cockroach touched me (eg due to my clumsiness, dropping it while sweeping it up), it’s dead and cannot scuttle.
- Even if any part of the cockroach touched me (eg due to my dropping it because of extreme discomfort at the thought of holding an implement that is holding a cockroach) my skin is not going to be seared off, permanently scarred or infested by cockroachness.
- Baubles the Cat can’t help, although she is very interested in the fact that I keep going to the bathroom and pondering the carcass in the shower.
- M’s fast asleep and it would be very cruel to wake him up just to dispose of a cockroach. Especially because it is dead.
- I am an accomplished professional who speaks and reads three languages, is widely read, proficient on the computer, writes two blogs, and hosts dinner parties for twenty. And it’s a mere cockroach.
- And it’s dead.
Sigh. Damned phobia.
There have been a few Cockroach Incidents already this year. It’s going to be a long cockroach season summer.
45 minutes later, after breakfast and a strong cuppa: I did it! Picked up the dustpan and marched into the bathroom. Prodded the cockroach once – no movement. Scooped it in and straight to the bin. WOOOOT!!!!1
8 Comments
Aaarghhh! Cockroach!!! Eeek!
I know! Horrible horrible creatures!!!!!
Well Done! Or Bravo Zulu in Navy speak lol… my wife (the XO) has much the same phobia. And we have us some BIG cockroaches over here yeah?!
You must have read my mind – well… almost. I’m tying with a post on fear, I just haven’t got it completely sorted in my head yet!
At least you did it… the XO will gladly drag my sorry bottom out of bed at three in the morning, to do battle with cockroach scouts roving through the house. Does my head in every time… lol
The things we do… 😉
Baubles isn’t earning her keep. Cats are supposed to eat cockroaches.
Belongum when I told M what I’d done (he was still in bed) he gave me a big thumbs up (literally) which quite made up for the gutwrenching anxiety beforehand 🙂 The true test will be whether or not I can sweep up a cockroach corpse next time. (Notice I am not saying anything about live beasts – I’m sure nothing’s changed there.) Good on ya for taking on the cockroach tasks for your XO. I’m sure M will be relieved (?) to know he’s not the only one on cockroach duty. I don’t know if the big bush cockroaches would scare me as much but I’m sure I don’t want to find out…
Lucy, Baubles is the only one in our household who is completely indifferent to cockroaches – and by completely, I mean completely. M and I will be in a complete state when we get invaded, and Baubles will just sit there quite unperturbed. It’s very strange and very aggravating because she is quite dependable when it comes to crickets, moths, slaters and other bugs – all the insects that I don’t mind at all, she EATS.
euuuuw!
One of the worst labs I did during my BSc was a cockroach dissection!
I nearly puked.
No way, Penny! I would have cited medical reasons and refused! *my skin’s crawling just thinking about it!!!!
ohhh my goshh i am soo deathly afraid of those dreadful creatures! i compulsively clean just 2 ensure they don’t inhabit my home esp. room! i’ve had some .. well odd and traumatic encounters with those damn things… doesn’t help to have had my immature younger brother have thrown one in my hair ahhh that damn thing was huge oh my god jus getting chills thinking of it…