I was eating lunch today when a coworker of mine let out this bloodcurdling howl about six inches from my ear. No only did I choke on leftover enchiladas, I also probably shortened my life span by about 10 years. I would also like to add that this particular coworker was a very hardy 50 year-old woman, not your average teenage girl. The commotion, of course, was over a tiny black spider that had crawled up the wall, about 10 feet away. Scary? No way. I realize that lots of people react in a similar manner to arachnids. Sometimes I wonder if this is a person that is really truly afraid of spiders (arachnophobia) or if they've simply been taught by society that things like snakes and spiders are scary and that the proper response to seeing one is to scream bloody murder. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not particularly fond of snakes. However, I would also like to point out that this opinion was formed after quite a lot of contact with these reptiles in several situations. Probably it was due to the fact that while in Costa Rica I encountered a number of specimens that were very venomous and quite large. While working at the science center I had the opportunity to work and care for boa constrictors. I was very impressed with the speed and agility they exhibited while attacking their (dead) prey and I was thankful that I was not the intended target. I also had a bit of an unfortunate incident with a rattlesnake while searching for a place to pee while on a rafting trip my freshmen year of college. So, although I'm not particularly fond of snakes, I have a healthy respect for them. Can we please extend the same courtesy to spiders? Think of all the flies and mosquitoes that they eat. And if that doesn't help, think about the fact that you are never farther than three feet away from a spider. See? You can't yell for all of eternity. At the very least, it would save my hearing.
This guys sounded like a Harley when he buzzed into the house last night. Unfortunately, he was about as graceful as an elephant and he prompty rammed into a window. He recovered sufficiently to fly off after I had deposited him outside.
