One Buggy Evening

I’m going to show you this picture of my “fat-bug” prototype for the sole purpose of tying it in with what I really want to talk about. So, here it is, it’s too far from my original design, so I’m going to try to make it more like my drawing. Okay, glad that’s over. Anyway, moving on to what’s really important, most of you have been following my adventures of finding millipedes in my studio bathroom and stuff like that (for you newcomers; I just moved up to the mountains to animate and there are certain aspects of country-life that a San Franciscan like me just isn’t used to). So until yesterday I had only seen three millepedes up her (giant ones), two of which were in my studio bathroom. Yesterday night though, as I was walking home I saw four more, from large to baby-size. In one night I more than doubled my millipede count. Well, tonight there were two tiny baby ones on the studio wall, way smaller than the tiny babies I saw last night. Then, on my way home tonight I saw 12 more! They were all out and about having a grand ol’ time, they must like night walks like me. One of the twelve was distinctly different than the others, it was white with bubbly red stripes. Very pretty. I thought I saw a thirteenth one, but it was just a slug. Okay, before I go into the second half of my story, I would like to preface it with this: I am not afraid of bugs. I like bugs. I don’t get scared when yellow jackets attack me at a picnic, just annoyed, I’ve had ants crawl in my bed during the rainy season and have been too sleepy to care. Today I even walked through a swarm of mating stink bugs and didn’t flinch, but I am deathly afraid of spiders. My arachnophobia is pathetic. Well, tonight I got pretty shaken up when I met my first pair of wild scorpions. Scorpions have never bothered me because I’ve only ever seen them in captivity (pet shops, aquariums, etc.). But these two freaked the crap out of me. I debated stepping on them, but I thought I had heard that scorpions can sting you through your shoes, so I kept my distance. I couldn’t believe how shook up I was. My legs got really weak and I found the rest of my ten minute uphill walk home harder than usual. So needless to say, I have the heebie-jeebies, and I’m seriously rethinking this whole work until the middle of the night thing. Maybe I should start earlier so I can come home while it’s bright out. Anyway, now that you all think I’m so pathetic, I’ll say good night. Good night.