a bug story

While I live only 4 miles from downtown Columbus, I have this little park-like-area behind my place. There are trees and nature-stuff, which also means animals and bugs.

I have this weird relationship with living creatures. I think they are mostly gross, dirty, and smelly and I don't want to be anywhere near them. I also respect the lives of animals (even though I eat some of them) and cannot bring myself to physically harm them - I won't even step on a spider - I'll usher it back outside to gross-nature-land where it belongs.

Tonight when I returned from a grocery run (which oddly consisted of water, ice cream, light yogurt, healthy cereal, and pudding) there was a giant bug-thing on my door. I tried to distract it, and it buzzed around for a second, but as soon as I tried to open the door the stupid thing tried to fly under the door and subsequently got a little smushed.

So the creature was lying belly-up in the doorway. I wasn't about to touch it because it's gross and dirty and probably has a disease... I was thinking I'd just leave it for Silver Turtle Boyfriend to dispose of, because that's why God gave us boyfriends.

Except, the thing wasn't actually dead. It was just faking. Now it is stuck in the ceiling light in my kitchen. I know this because every 10-15 seconds I hear the zapping sounds of bug-skin being fried against a 60watt lightbulb. This has been going on for almost an hour. The stupid thing is still alive, and it still keeps flying into the light. It would have been less cruel to just step on it.

this is not freedom

Over 500 stories about Airline Security

This is getting ridiculous... I used to love the convienence of flying over other forms of travel. Cars, trains, bikes, and even segways seem like a much better option these days.

Here's the thing: if someone is determined to get a bomb or weapon on a plane, or in any other public place, they are probably going to succeed. So I don't want to deal with not being able to take toothpaste on a plane (which I usually do in case the airline looses my luggage). In fact, whenever I can I don't check anything, and take it all as carryon. I'd much rather take my chances.

Admittedly, I'm a fatalist in that way - if it's my time to go, and it happens to be in an exploding plane, I'd at least like to have some refreshing cool water to drink and my ipod on while I'm playing my gameboy and going down.

Being made to stand in 2-3 hour long lines, test baby formula, pour out drinks, take off my shoes (and touch the ground where other naked and possibly diseased feet have been), and subject my camera to scrutiny... all while wondering what items the airline employees are stealing from my checked baggage and praying that what they don't steal arrives on time to the same city as me... that is not freedom.