why i hate the internet

Ok. I don't really hate the internet. There are a lot of good things about the internet. But being a hypochondriac, the internet is sometimes bad for me. WebMD is possibly the worst site I've ever encountered. You see, they have this symptom checker type thing whereby you put in what hurts, what aches, and what twitches, and it tells you what could possibly be wrong with you. Inevitably, whatever I put in, it always comes back that I have some sort of cancer or other incurable disease that will ruin my life (and/or end it). There's probably some disclaimer on the site somewhere that warns you about making your own diagnosis or some crap, but when I type in headache it shoots back brain tumor - I'm freaked out.

You know what's kind of like hypochondria? OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder, for those not in the know). How do you know if you have OCD? Here's my checklist:

• Do you check whether the doors are locked multiple times before leaving the house?
• Do you check whether the oven is off multiple times before leaving the house?
• Do you check whether the garage doors closes multiple times before pulling away from the house?
• Do you turn around at the end of the street to go back home to make sure either (a) the garage door is closed, (b) the oven is off, or (c) the doors are locked.
  

Check. Check. Check. All of the above.

Other things I obsess about? Water coming in the basement. My daughter suffocating because she sleeps on her stomach. What that sound was that I can't identify. Anything WebMD tells me. Why nobody likes me :( (Ok - that one's not true - how can you not like this?) For some reason, I worry all the time about what could happen even though that thing probably won't happen. Miraculously, I have no problem getting on planes. Even when the worst stuff happens, it's not so bad. We had some electricians hit the sprinkler line at our house in MD (on the second floor no less) causing water to flow onto the carpet/walls on the second floor and into the first floor ceiling. 3 days later, you couldn't tell it ever happened. Do I still obsess about it happening at my current house? Yep.

Ramble On...