Saturday, August 9, 2008

In which I reveal that I really dislike bugs

Yesterday at work I was alone in the office for a while. Lynne and Sean were out for the day and David had left for lunch with Russell. I was busily toiling away when I began to sense -- a presence. A malevolent, horrible presence.

It's a small office and I was the only person in there, so I knew I was being ridiculous, but I couldn't shake it. The strange feeling went on for several minutes until I had to get up from behind my computer to get something out of the printer. It was then that I saw it.

It was a bug. A pretty big bug. And it was headed straight for me. There was really only one thing to do.

I called David.

You'd think that all these years of living by myself would equip me for these sorts of things, but nope. I just hate bugs in a way that paralyzes me. Hate hate hate. It's completely irrational and the bigger they are, the worse it is, with the exception of swarming ants, which completely skeeve me out for reasons I can't quite understand.

I blame this on having grown up in the Gulf Coast, where bugs the size of kittens were the norm and people and their exterminators were on a first-name basis. I am not kidding when I say I saw two-inch-long cockroaches on a daily basis when I lived there, and that's just not right. I think something in me just snapped, and bug-wise, I'm done.

Anyway, back to yesterday's bug. He basically had me pinned in a corner of the office. He was waving his little antennae at me while I clutched the phone receiver and asked David how long he thought he'd be at lunch.

David wisely suggested I see if the office building maintenance guy might help me out, which hadn't even occurred to me. Because apparently I don't care if David thinks I'm crazy, but I do care if total strangers think I am. In the end the custodian was very nice, saved me from the bug (which was a cricket, as it turned out) (but a very BIG cricket), and then told me all about how crickets come out in August and if I ever needed to be saved from another bug just to call him and it would be no problem.

I must have looked really terrified. Of a cricket.

5 comments:

Christina said...

Yay for nice custodians!! =)

I'm funny with bugs - they completely freak me out (David has saved me from many!!) -- unless I'm around someone who is more freaked out by them than I. Then, I am very brave! =)

And I spent four years in Louisiana. I know what you mean about the cockroaches. *Shudders*

Stacy said...

rodney kills anything in the house with more than 4 legs...my hero!

Anonymous said...

With more free time than I need at the fire house, I've read all your blog entries. Some are very entertaining and others are so boring they are funny... I love Alison Krause and Cold Mountain would be in my top 10 movie list if I had a list. Keep the blog going!!!! Andy Mullen

Nora :) said...

Yeah, bugs. There are fruitflies in the house right now, too, and I'm so not please. And, um, thanks, Andy. I think.

Anonymous said...

Did you know that fireflies are real? They're not just made up things in children's books. There actually are little flying things that buzz around and glow. I saw one just a second ago out by my car! So many wondrous things in New Jersey!