off topic

[king4wd2]

Originally posted by sarah
i don't like crawling things. i also hate killing crawling things - i can't stand the *squish* sound. good thing the dog like to kill them. *phew!*

The sound just grosses me out. Speaking of crawling things, I helped my daughter clean her bedroom and I found a scorpion (I think it was?) about the size of my pinky finger. It took several attempts to kill that thing. I don't mind spiders, but I hate Black Widows and Tarantulas (sp?).

That's why I have 2 cats and no creepy crawlies!!

[qwiksilver]

Originally posted by mikeythefireman
So, Crickett, what do you do for a living?

I don't know why so many people don't like spiders. The vast majority are completely harmless and actually kinda pretty.

Legal Secretary on the weekdays, but tribal dancer and magician on the weekends (sometimes...when I feel like it).

I don't like spiders because I have been bit. I have a small scar on my right index finger. I am told that I am lucky to have the index finger.

[mikeythefireman]

Oh. Just curious. Magician, huh? Neat.

king,
funny thing about Tarantulas (one of my favorite "spiders"), everyone puts them in the same category as Brown Recluses and Black Widows, but there's no such thing as a poisonous tarantula. There as toxic as a bumblebee, the only time people get sick or die is if they're allergic. 'course I wouln't wanna mess with a 13" Bird Eating Spider, not poisonous, but they have inch long fangs. Owie. I want a tarantula, but they're notoriously hard to keep alive and I'm not good with small pets. I tend to forget about them for too many days in a row.

[qwiksilver]

Originally posted by mikeythefireman
Oh. Just curious. Magician, huh? Neat.

king,
funny thing about Tarantulas (one of my favorite "spiders"), everyone puts them in the same category as Brown Recluses and Black Widows, but there's no such thing as a poisonous tarantula. There as toxic as a bumblebee, the only time people get sick or die is if they're allergic. 'course I wouln't wanna mess with a 13" Bird Eating Spider, not poisonous, but they have inch long fangs. Owie. I want a tarantula, but they're notoriously hard to keep alive and I'm not good with small pets. I tend to forget about them for too many days in a row.

Didn't expect that eh? I can truely say I ran away and joined the circus...at least the sideshow. The troop is performing this weekend without me. I got a little testy about not being paid last year and had to fight for my paycheck the year before. I guess they don't like being held to their word.

I am ok around tarantulas. They are fuzzy.

[king4wd2]

Originally posted by mikeythefireman
Oh. Just curious. Magician, huh? Neat.

king,
funny thing about Tarantulas (one of my favorite "spiders"), everyone puts them in the same category as Brown Recluses and Black Widows, but there's no such thing as a poisonous tarantula. There as toxic as a bumblebee, the only time people get sick or die is if they're allergic. 'course I wouln't wanna mess with a 13" Bird Eating Spider, not poisonous, but they have inch long fangs. Owie. I want a tarantula, but they're notoriously hard to keep alive and I'm not good with small pets. I tend to forget about them for too many days in a row.

I really don't put the two spiders in the same category. I don't like Black Widows because they are potentially dangerous and tarantulas, I don't like because they are just too BIG and FUZZY. I don't mind the fake tarantulas though, you know the ones you find during Halloween? Give me a Daddy Long Legs any day!

[mikeythefireman]

Most Daddy Long Legs aren't really spiders. Thats your completely useless fact of the day.

Crickett, no I didn't expect that. Sounds cool, though.

[king4wd2]

I had to post!

When Chris (Dukes69), Tammy, Rick, Sarah, Ron (rmagoo and nephew John), Tom and I (and offspring) were at Stoddard Valley 11/02 I came upon a Tarantula! However, (though I don't like them) thought wow a Tarantula! Look! The poor thing was half dead or even dead. Tammy picks it up and Chris about freaks! I've never seen a guy go absolutely bizerk over a spider before! I've got pics of the poor little thing (yuck!) on Tammy's arm. Any ways, I just had to post about it. Sorry Chris!! I'll make sure not to do that again.

[Guest]

When I was a teenager, I had a pet tarantula named Gustav. He was pretty easy to keep alive until he got out of his terrarium while I wasn't home, and my mom "Hoovered" him with the vacuum. Gustav was robust for a spider, but he couldn't stand up to the "beats as it sweeps" action of the Hoover.

Then, while I was in infantry training school in the San Onofre mountains north of San Diego, the tarantulas would come and curl-up with us at night while we were sleeping. Occasionally, I would awake to the tickling feeling of one of the little guys walking across my chest in the night.

They really have a bad reputation; as long as they aren't riled-up, they are quite benign and non-threatening (when it stops what it's doing, and raises it's front two legs in unison, put it down right away. It's a good indication it's angry, and prepared to bite)...

[qwiksilver]

Originally posted by PRegner
When I was a teenager, I had a pet tarantula named Gustav. He was pretty easy to keep alive until he got out of his terrarium while I wasn't home, and my mom "Hoovered" him with the vacuum. Gustav was robust for a spider, but he couldn't stand up to the "beats as it sweeps" action of the Hoover.

Then, while I was in infantry training school in the San Onofre mountains north of San Diego, the tarantulas would come and curl-up with us at night while we were sleeping. Occasionally, I would awake to the tickling feeling of one of the little guys walking across my chest in the night.

They really have a bad reputation; as long as they aren't riled-up, they are quite benign and non-threatening (when it stops what it's doing, and raises it's front two legs in unison, put it down right away. It's a good indication it's angry, and prepared to bite)...

Tarantulas were "encouraged" as a matter of policy at Ft. Huachuca to keep down cockroaches. Unfortunately, in our room, we had a loose python named Damien who thought they were tasty.

I used to feel sorry for them in the spring. They would migrate by the hundreds at night and get run over on the roads.

You are right about the feet thing. If they like you - all eight stay on the ground.

Cobras are that way about their hoods. Flared hood is an unhappy cobra. Snake with hood down and curled up asleep equals an angry movie director.

[king4wd2]

Originally posted by qwiksilver
Cobras are that way about their hoods. Flared hood is an unhappy cobra. Snake with hood down and curled up asleep equals an angry movie director.

But a curled up snake wouldn't make Steve Irwin happy! He has to get one of those little twigs to pick them up and say, "Crikey!" Then the snake gets all grumpy and the next words out of Steve's mouth are, "Crikey, he's grumpy!"

That's dedicated to all of you Crocodile Hunter fanatics like my husband! He does an awesome Steve Irwin, well New Jersey style.

[mikeythefireman]

The worst thing about tarantulas for me are the hairs on the back of their abdomen. They're called urticating hairs. It just means they itch like crazy. Particularly aggresive tarantulas can launch those hairs in a spray several feet out. I think that's worse than being bit by the smaller ones.

[king4wd]

I don't get it... what does a curled up cobra have to do with Otto Preminger?
Now a reared up Rattlesnake, that's scary! I've been scared, and I mean change-your-shorts scared, biking in Sycamore canyon when I suprised (and really, really pissed off) a big fat diamondback!

[qwiksilver]

Originally posted by king4wd
I don't get it... what does a curled up cobra have to do with Otto Preminger?
Now a reared up Rattlesnake, that's scary! I've been scared, and I mean change-your-shorts scared, biking in Sycamore canyon when I suprised (and really, really pissed off) a big fat diamondback!

The snake is probably telling his buddies the same story about you. "Man, I was just lyin' there sunnin' myself and this big ol' human came along and nearly stepped on me. Nearly scared me right outta my skin. We are talkin' early sheddin' time."