scared of the strangest things

"Write about orange. Tell them about the orange file."

I had been discussing my blog and how difficult it was to think of new things to write. Photocopy Guy Geoff felt I should write a blog entry all about the colour orange. Why? Well, you see Geoff has a terrible fear of orange. Anytime he sees me with the orange file I use to bring down my photocopying he visibly cringes.
I sometimes wonder if it is the contents of the file that worries him more than the actual colour but the fact remains that he just doesn't like it when he sees that file. Whether the fear is rational (extra work on top of the 3 million exam papers he already has to copy) or irrational (orange just doesn't work for him) is beside the point. We all have fears and worries. I'm sure Geoff has others - he just thinks they're too weird to mention in polite company.

Working in education I come across a lot of odd phobias. Fear of adams apples, fear of cellophane, fear of polystyrene, fear of loud noises, fear of rubber bands, fear of bananas, fear of being poked... These are all genuine phobias that I have had to deal with in one school or another. I'm sure they all have scientific names and anyone with a day to spend on wikipedia is welcome to provide me with the correct terms.

I think I suffer from Caligynephobia myself - the irrational fear of beautiful women. They terrify me. I never know what to say when I am within a few yards of them, my breathing become erratic and I start looking all round the room to avoid eye contact.

Luckily I am not alone - and there is help out there. Dozens of websites offer solutions. One in particular caught my eye. It suggested that other solutions often required months, even years.

To add insult to an already distressing condition, most caligynephobia therapies take months or years and sometimes even require the patient to be exposed repeatedly to their fear.

This website promised that caligynephobia can be eliminated with the right methods and just 24 hours of commitment by the phobic individual.

But when I stop to think about it the other treatments start to appeal more and more. I'm thinking I may only be cured by prolonged exposure to beautiful women - I am prepared for it to take years if necessary. Anyone know where I apply?