Eep!

I am not a mellow individual. In fact, I am generally quite tense -- some may even go as far as to call me "high strung." I like to think of it as being "ready for anything" or perhaps "hyperaware," but I guess I can see how some people might contstrue that as "jumpy" and "easily startled." I'm the kind of person who leaps out of her skin when the dryer buzzes or the doorbell rings. A cell-phone ring can launch me into orbit, and if somebody jumps out from around a corner or behind a bush, I will inevitably flip the fuck out. Mock me if you will, but my easily-triggered fight-or-flight reflex may come in handy someday if I'm about to be mauled by a cougar or cut off in traffic by a soccer mom in a minivan talking on a cell phone. I guess some people are just more evolutionarily fit than others.