Just when I thought it was safe...

So I had mentioned to my brother Tom recently how I have to check every corner of every room as I am entering it to make sure there are no spiders. Going into my closet in the morning can be sort of nerve-wracking as I really do pysche myself out about it. And with reason - there have been 2 in there that I have spotted since I moved in. Ick.

I know my fear is irrational but there is really nothing I can do about it, and I am not going on Maury, Elizabeth, so shut up.

Anyway, Tom suggested this: "Why don't you just go about your business as if there WERE no spiders?" Seems sort of simple, right? But really, it worked. I walked into dark rooms with no issue, sashayed into the bathroom like I owned the place, worked the closet like it was no big deal. It was great - I didn't look for anything so I didn't see anything.

Well all that changed this morning.

When I get up in the morning I turn on the lamp (and lately that hurts a lot), make my bed, turn on the bathroom light, and then the kitchen light. Then I go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, wash my face and put in my contacts. Then I turn to the bathtub, shake the shower curtain (just in case - old habit), and start the shower. I am telling you all this because it is the same EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE. Anyway, same same same today, then when I got out of the shower, whipping the curtain open like normal and standing there towelling off, etc, I went to the counter to get the lotion. And I spotted it.

In the mirror it looked enormous. It was on the curtain itself, on the outside curtain, so when I was in the shower I wouldn't have seen it. But how close had my hand come to it? Eegads. I raced (nekkid) into the kitchen and stood there, to regroup, figure out my plan (could I go to work with wet hair and no mascara?), and then decided I should probably do something since there are a lot of windows in my apartment (dark outside, lights on inside, you get the idea). I grabbed the Raid (always handy on the bar), grabbed my tshirt and put it on, then hosed down the entire curtain with it. The spider fell and pretty much died within a second or two, but still. I was shaking and sick and then I had to go get a paper towel and flush the carcus and I don't even like THAT part of it.

I managed to calm myself down enough to get ready and go to work, but when I left the house, as I walked out the front door of COURSE I walked through a web. Lord. I had to fight the urge to freak out and just went to the car.

After relaying my story to anyone bothering to listen, at around 10am Annette was standing at the copy machine outside my office, while I was on the phone. She motioned to me and started pointing at something, but I couldn't see what, and finally she held up a teal blue file behind a white spider dangling from its web. Right there in the middle of everything! I mean, what's to stop any spider from just dangling down and landing in my hair as I am walking around the office? And what the hell was Office Boy John doing?

The rest of the day was sucky but not because of spiders, and when I finally made it home and climbed the stairs to sanctuary and my houseclothes, what is on my front door? One of those dang mosquito hawks. A huge one. I managed to get in around and it and slammed the door so I think it flew away, but I have GOT to get these things out of mind or they will NEVER go away.

Fall: good sometimes, bad others.