Anthropomorphism and the Bungee Jumping Spider in the Cave

Such a small little spider - barely 1/8 of an inch from nose to backside. Of all the silly places for him to decide to make a web - on the outside side-mirror of my car.

I had started driving to work this morning before I noticed him there. He was crawling around on the mirror while I drove thru the subdivision. It takes me 2-3 minutes to get out of our subdivision, and I go pretty slow because there are lots of cats and kids around, not to mention teenagers shooting out of the alleys without looking carefully first. Perhaps the spider thought it was a nice fresh summer breeze...

Sitting at the stoplight before turning onto the main highway, the spider starts to dangle from the mirror - suspended some 4 inches down from the mirror itself.

Now, take a break here - let's describe my mirror. This isn't your stainless-steel latched-onto-the-door mirror. This is one of those Space Age New Technology Black Plastic Dome type mirrors - sort of like the letter D with the flat stick part being the mirror.

Back to the dangling spiderciple, already in progress. Perhaps we should give our spider a name. How about... Bob. Bob the Spider.

Ok, so Bob is lazily spinning his way down toward the ground, I suspect in an attempt to create a great BIG Bob-the-spider web on the mirror and door of my car. What Bob failed to realize was that my car was about to turn left and start travelling at 45 mph.

Vrooooooommmmmmmm

Bob begins to fly. I don't think Bob has ever flown before. I suspect Bob thinking something like this:

Bob: OH SHIT!! WTF??? HOLY... WHOAAAAAAAAHHHHHH.. OMG OMG OMG OMG... sSTOP!!! WHOAAAAHHHHH

The car slows down for the next stoplight.

Bob: Oh whew. Ok... back up to the mirror - I need a stronger anchor to deal with this wind. Ok, anchor set, now back down to... WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WHOAAAAAHHHH STOP STOP STOP STOP QUIT BEATING ME AGAINST THE MIRROR!!! OWIE OWIE OWIE OWIE STOP ALREADY STOP!!!!!!!!!!

Stoplight.

Bob: *pant**pant* Ok, this isn't working out so well. Maybe I can just strap myself down onto the mirror until this wind storm stops. Ok.. I feel the wind... the wind is strong... STOP THE WIND!!! STOP IT... I"M STILL BOUNCING OFF THE MIRRROR STOP!!! STOP!!!!! OWIE. OWIEEEEEEEEEE

Stoplight.

Bob: Must... Get... To... Safety... *Bob crawls into the plastic cover part of the mirror* A cave. A safe cave. I can wait here until the wind storm is over.

Stoplight

Bob: Ok.. safe now. Wind gone. I'll just crawl out and.. OH SHIT.. WIND.. Back to the cave...

Stoplight.

Bob: Ok, I'll just stick one tentacle out... just one... Wind.. Back to cave...

Stoplight

Bob: You ain't fooling ME!!! I'm in this cave, and I'm STAYING RIGHT HERE.

I pulled into work, gathered my stuff and opened the door - Bob was still huddled in his mirror-housing cave.

Bungee Jumping is NOT healthy for spiders, it appears.

Drugs and Herbs

So I got this book on herbs and herbal medicines. Very interesting read, particularly on the history of medicine from a pharmacological point of view. Considering that the Tyrant George Bush has just used his FIRST veto to condemn millions of Americans to suffer needlessly from potentially cure-able diseases based on his Xtian "pseudo-science", this is of interest.

Speaking of the stem-cell thing - First off - I would donate every remaining "egg" in my body - and any additional material needed - if it would bring back Mom and have her be happy and normal again. Secondly - the "embryos" that were about to be used to help find cures for such things as alzheimers and lupus and other horrible diseases, are going to be destroyed anyhow. There won't be any "babies" from them. But it seems Christians would rather see them DESTROYED than used to improve the health and lives of the POST-BORN.

The "heat wave" continues. Seems to me it's just "Summer" - but the news says it is a "heat wave" so I suppose they must be believed. It is hot and humid and muggy. Must be Summertime in Chicago.

The Thunderstorm

Oh, what a lovely, lovely thunderstorm last night.

Started around 10:30-ish, maybe 11. First the full-sky "heat-lightening" - then flashes, booms, crashing. Monsoon winds and driving rain. A gully-washer, in Denver it would have meant flash flooding. Torrential, primitive, wild and violent.

I loved it. Of course, the 20+ degree drop in temperature was VERY welcome indeed also. But the storm was the real attraction. Watching the treetops thrashing in the wind, the sheets of rain driving across the pavement, saturating the ground and turning the flowerbed into a mudslick.

It's been a while since we've had a really GOOD night-time thunderstorm.