Whole Lotta Nopes!

So, how was your day today?

Yeah, mine was fun ... once I survived my morning commute.

See, Tiekiatsu has this habit with the car. He likes to leave two windows cracked. He says it's to allow air to move, but I've never noticed it do much for the car other than let rain in overnight so that when I sit on the seat my butt gets soaked. Oh, well, it's one of his quirks. I know I have mine.

After this morning ... I am seriously, seriously questioning that.

He gets to work at home some days per week now, and this was one of those days. I got to head on in for my editorial happy fun time. Drive started out pleasant enough. I hit my little local coffee joint for my usual wake up. I've just gotten my reward card back from the drive-thru guy when I look down and notice a spider crawling across the arm rest toward me.

Completely forgetting where I was I gulp out, "Spider ... SPIDER!" while fending it off with the card in my hand. I succeed in flicking it off across the front seat to parts unknown. I figure it's successfully banished to where I won't be seeing it again, and I look back to notice the drive guy looking down at me with a big grin. He's witnessed the whole thing.

"Oh, sorry," I say with a sheepish grin taking my latte. "There was a, um, spider in the car. Have a nice weekend." (I'm pretty much a regular there, so there's no doubt he recognizes me as well I recognize him by now. Wee!)

Still, all things considered. It could have been worse. I might have had my cup in hand and flipped it all over the place.

I take off down the road to the highway. I'm scooting along, singing, enjoying my ride which is bumpy thanks to road work when I notice something.



Another spider dangling off my rearview mirror and swinging ever closer to my face with each bump. It might even have been this kind! At this point, I have to point out that these weren't huge spiders, but they weren't small either - maybe as big as the smallest knuckle on my ring finger. And at this point, I'm wondering how the spider I just launched off the armrest managed to climb back up onto the rearview mirror from wherever I launched it off to.

And I'm wondering how I keep it off my face where it seems hellbent to end up.

Finally, I hit a red light and fish around in my armrest compartment for a napkin all good parents keep stored in there for child emergencies. Then I'm grabbing at the stupid spider who seems to be fiendishly good at dodging. I do finally grab it and roll my window down to chuck it out, napkin and all. YES! I littered ... but, but SPIDER!! But not before the light changes and car behind me starts honking.

How'm I supposed to explain the situation?

By now, I'm thinking surely I'm home free. How many stupid spiders are going to wander into your car overnight anyhow? So I'm off onto the highway where the traffic is typical rush heavy.



Add a few more cars and picture them all at 70. Not bad, really.

And that's when I feel it ... the scuttling on my arm.



Yep! There is was. Another one climbing my arm while I am stuck in heavy rush traffic at 70mph. Just not what you really ever want to see. At this point, I feel like I am dealing with a brood of demon spiders bent on driving me off the road to my doom.



Again, I am lucky I didn't have my cup in hand or else we would have had hot coffee in the equation.

So here I am scrabbling around for a wad of Kleenex to trap spider #3, maybe only #2, while trying not to either run off the road or into someone else while trying not to let a freakin' spider run any further up my arm than it already has.

Oh and this time? I made sure I squashed it!

a reply to: ketsuko

1) I've turned on the A/C full blast only to have a spider hiding in the vent fly at me

2) I've been driving with a soda can in my hand and a bee flew in the little gap between my palm and my hand

3) I've woken up to hundreds of hatched spiders crawling on me

a reply to: ketsuko

Now we know the real reason Tiek leaves the window cracked!!

You're such a.....a.......a.....guurrl!!

a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

I have had a hornet smack me in the face when we were driving and the window was down. That was when I was a kid. Might be part of why I really, really don't like having the windows in the car down while I am in it now.

a reply to: ketsuko

I've developed a (dis)respect for wasps in the last couple years. Been bit on the cheek a few times.

originally posted by: Rikku

Why do this every time you post? If you know you're going to go off-topic and say something acidic why post at all?

originally posted by: NarcolepticBuddha
a reply to: ketsuko

1) I've turned on the A/C full blast only to have a spider hiding in the vent fly at me

My favorite thing to do when I turn my car on is to put the AC on full blast and put my face RIGHT up to the vent. I spent two summers commuting 40+ minutes to and from work, in the hot humid swamp of DC in the heat of day, without air conditioning (was gonna be $800 to fix and the car wasn't even with that much); also I love the smell of air conditioning. Yes, it has a smell. It smells like cool clean crisp freshness. Put your face to the vent sometime and inhale.

So you have just taken a little bit of joy away from me, with your spider-in-the-AC-vent story.

originally posted by: NarcolepticBuddha

originally posted by: Rikku

Why do this every time you post? If you know you're going to go off-topic and say something acidic why post at all?

I saw what he posted, before he erased it. He said "Why say something in one paragraph when you can use ten?"

a reply to: KansasGirl

They're perfect little hidey holes. Check your shoes too if they've been sitting around a while. Gardening gloves for sure.

Now I check any time I put my hands in the sink for dishes because I get sow bug hunters hanging around in there sometimes.

originally posted by: NarcolepticBuddha
a reply to: KansasGirl

They're perfect little hidey holes. Check your shoes too if they've been sitting around a while. Gardening gloves for sure.

Now I check any time I put my hands in the sink for dishes because I get sow bug hunters hanging around in there sometimes.

I don't do dishes, so I'm ok there. But now I've got an excuse if anyone ever asks me to do dishes. Thanks!

They are only spiders

Someone should invent a window channel with a small screen that goes down two inches and stops when you roll the window down a little. It could push up into the window top when you close the window. That way you can leave your windows open with very little rain or bugs coming in. It would keep the bees from bouncing off the mirror and getting into the window too.

Let someone else invent this and patent it, good luck.

I once left a moving vehicle, half way round a corner, due to a large huntsman (about 5 inches across) racing across the dashboard....down over the steering wheel, then under the dash in front of me. Yes I was the driver, yes I had a passenger.....he didn't know what the hell happened.

Car rolled up onto the kerb harmlessly enough and came to a halt, I was left standing in the middle of the road......


....I'd do it again *shudders*

a reply to: Artlogic

Ditching the vehicle while in motion. You win.



Still nope.

a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

True story, have had worse


to add, most Australians will have a Huntsmen tale to tell....

originally posted by: Artlogic
a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

True story, have had worse

to add, most Australians will have a Huntsmen tale to tell....

I know all about those little, well, not so little bastards.

At my old place id get at least a handful every late spring/summer because of the attic heat.

Absolutely horrifying to be totally relaxed in bed, only to look at the wall behind you, and see a 4 inch spider staring at you 3 feet away.

I know that they get HUUUUGE in Australia, like the palm of your hand huge. Theyre fast as hell, can jump, and when you crush them, it sounds like a bag of doritos getting stepped on.

No thanks.

I have been awoken by full grown one on my face, the adrenaline was unbelievable.....as was the ninja like swat I performed out of pure panic/instinct to remove it.

I don't live in that house anymore.

originally posted by: NarcolepticBuddha
a reply to: ketsuko

1) I've turned on the A/C full blast only to have a spider hiding in the vent fly at me

Sorry to laugh at your circumstances but that's hilarious.

Spiders are scary looking but most of them are harmless.
Huntsman spiders while large are not an aggressive species unless you are near the babies,but what critter doesn't protect its young? In Australia I'd be far more concerned with the Brazilian Wondering Spider and the Australian Funnel Web Spider both of which are the most deadly spiders in the world. The funnel web is easy enough to avoid but the Brazilian Wondering Spider is the most aggressive spider in the world while also being extremely venomous. The funnel web spiders are not aggressive unless provoked,however a bite can be fatal in minutes.

That said your chances of being bit by any venomous spider are drastically low,fatalities are extremely rare.

I find jumping spiders to be interesting to observe, if you put a finger near them they will track it's movement and stay away from it. They also have the best eye sight of any spider and for some reason they don't creep me out like most spiders do, tarantulas also do not scare me,they are large but are mostly gentle giants except for a few exotic species which are very rare and keep to themselves unless provoked.

The pillbug hunting spiders kind of scare me because I have read they can pierce your fingernails if they bite them,however they are not venomous. The only spider I really would be afraid of is the Congolese Giant Spider(Jba Fofi),it is a cryptid though so it might not even exist but if it does I imagine it could remain hidden for many years in large caves or in underground tunnels. Provided I had the funds I would venture out there to find out if it does really exist(with a armed escort preferably in case it were hostile), probably doesn't but we need to know for sure with that one.

Tis the season for the eight legged freaks. Opened the front door early yesterday morning to 4 fresh junebugs at my feet,and 6 spiders dangling from the porch roof above my head. Grabbed the broom and swept them all away before hubby got up because like you...spiders are his nemesis.
If it had been my guy in a car with three spiders on his daily commute,the poor car would have been skidded into the ditch, and passersby would have seen a raving lunatic running down the highway screaming about spiders trying to car Jack him. True story.