Just so you know, roach spray does not work on hairy
tarantula-like spiders.
I found this out at 4:45 this morning having woken up
early--my sense of timing all out of whack due two
11-hour flights and three time zones in the past 2
days? 3 days? The calendar does not help. (London/Los
Angeles/Tokyo...how cosmopolitan does that sound?
Funny, after flying that much, the LAST thing one
feels is savvy and on top of the world! All I could
think was, "Boy, this just ISN'T NATURAL!")
Since I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed already, I
figured I might as well get up and unpack. But upon
flipping the light switch in my little living room
area, lo and behold, paralyzed on my wall was one of
the those hairy, 4 inch-in-diameter spiders I had oft
seen strolling around outside in the humid Japanese
summer. Ooohhhh, YUCK!!!!!!!!! Not being a noise
maker in the morning, I didn't scream. All I could
think was, "Too big...for shoe...too big...for
shoe...too big..." So I quietly tiptoed to the
cupboard for the once-in-two-years-used can of roach
killer. I figured anything formulated to knock out
the "gokiburi" would surely penetrate the knobby furry
knees of this creature. But oh no. By the time I'd
returned, Mr. Hairy Spider was already on the run. I
must have sprayed him/her 6 times while chasing it
around my little living room. Fortunately, s/he must
have been aware of its size to the point that it
really didn't bother to hide, it just RAN! I kind of
just stood in the middle of the room pointing and
shooting at it when it appeared. S/He never even
slowed down!! So much for the spray.
I was still thinking, "Too big for shoe..."--at least
with me holding the other end of one. I thought
briefly about which pair of shoes I had that would be
best for throwing, then of course, it finally occurred
to me. A BROOM!!
Speaking of brooms, let me just insert here that I
fell asleep last night on the last page of Harry
Potter, Book 5. You know, that children's book about
things like HUMONGOUS SCARY SPIDERS that WRAP YOU UP
IN ITS HAIRY ARMS AND BITE YOUR HEAD OFF...stuff like
that.
So I grabbed my magic broom and after a second go
round the room, managed to annihilate my furry
opponent. (You know, they REALLY SHOULD make this an
Olympic sport! If so, would one be disqualified for
being too scared to pick up its guts in the first five
minutes or so?)
I had a celebratory glass of water...then went back to
bed, exhausted.
It's have past six now. I am up again having my usual
morning cup o' tea. I've noticed that I'm a bit
jumpy. Any sensation on my skin, such as a single
strand of hair, an itch, and I about manage to hit the
ceiling. Feeling a bit wussy at the moment.
As for you people who live in the wild and battle more
dangerous creatures like West Nile virus carrying
mosquitoes, Black Widow Spiders, real Tarantulas, and
snakes (thanks for the pics, Lara!), etc. on a more
regular basis, hats off...and a broom to ya!
* * * * *
Adventures, Part II will feature my holiday
highlights, though, frankly speaking, nothing in my
holidays made my adrenaline rush quite like my Welcome
Home.
Peace--even to the furry multi-legged creatures! So
long as they are not INSIDE my house.
