QotD: Neurotic Behavior

What's the one thing you're most neurotic about?

A picture speaks a thousand words:

I hate snakes.  Hate 'em, hate 'em, hate 'em.  One of my all-time favorite movie lines:  "I HATE snakes, Jock.  Hate 'em."  (Look, if a big, tough, and damn good looking adenturing archaeologist can hate snakes, I don't feel so bad.)

They are perhaps the one flaw in this (to me) otherwise near-perfect state.  Too damn many snakes.

I won't go anywhere near a lake during the spring or summer.  I do NOT go hiking or near rocks during those times, either.  As far as tall grass, there is no. way. in. hell.  I have a path where I run that goes over a waterway.  Frankly, I give myself another few weeks before I stop running there. 

I would add (and now I'm jinxing myself) that I have yet to see a snake in Texas after living here for almost three years.  If I did, you'd find me either on the top of the nearest building or breaking my PR for a mile.  Or two.

I'm really afraid of very little else.  Oceans?  Heh.  I'd take a shark any day over something that slithers.  Big dogs?  Never met one yet that scared me.  Horses, including unbroken stallions?  Even better.  They might be edgy, but if they see a snake you'll be picking bits of snake off their hooves.  Horses will stomp a snake to death.  Even crazy humans I'd take over snakes.

TheMaureenCorps tells stories of meeting up with some sort of venomous snakes frequently while growing up.  Can't remember if they were cottonmouths or copperheads or what, but they apparently liked south Texas.  She, her sister, and her mother would drop large rocks on them in order to kill them.  Their dad would be running in the opposite direction and screaming.  To me, he sounds like the only sensible one of the bunch. :P 

So, if you hear a piercing screech from my neighborhood some summer day, you'll know why!

I. Don't. Do. Snakes.