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Loxosceles Reclusa
May 22, 2008 — 1 comment
This is a Brown Recluse spider I caught in the basement of the studio where I work. As you can see, they are about the creepiest looking things you could imagine, and the fact that they’re always hiding means they could be anywhere at any time. When you consider the dermonecrotic ulcers caused by their bite, knowing that they are around is not pleasant.
Most people claim to be able to identify a Brown Recluse, but actually have no idea. People in California still think they exist out there, but they never have and still don’t. For future reference, the way to identify them is to look for three things: 1.The dark fiddle shape starting at the front of the head moving toward the back. 2. Instead of eight eyes like most spiders, they have three pairs of eyes spaced across the head 3. Their legs and abdomen are a solid color with no markings. Once you know what they look like you can identify them pretty much immediately. No touch!!
Sweet dreams.
Myriad
May 21, 2008 — 2 comments
I went to Washington, DC last weekend. These are a few of my pretty pictures. The city itself is sort of surreal; it’s a crowded, fully functioning city, with horrendous traffic, some nice areas and some horrible crime infested areas. But it’s also saturated with spectacular monuments, a shrine to the guys who created the foundation for the American civilization as we know it today.
Washington and Lincoln dominate the city, strong selfless leaders in times of overwhelming societal conflict. It’s interesting to see the mark left by these original badasses, non-politician leaders who actually led the people through difficult times in hopes of securing future peaceful stability, and it becomes pretty clear that basically every aspect of existence seems to be based on some form of conflict. Without conflict there can be no progress, and if one entity progresses another must decline, there isn’t room for everyone to win. Races, religions, siblings and people of different geographical areas hate, fight, compete. Plants fight for groundspace. Our bodies struggle with disease, ultraviolet light, cholesterol and time itself. We organize and schedule supervised and regulated conflicts every day, with the players dressed in colorful uniforms, guided and yelled at by guys in suits (unless it’s baseball, where the fat idiot managers wear player’s uniforms. Explain to me why that is a good idea). War, disease, Scrabble, arm wrestling, it’s impossible for us to be still, something must always change, everything’s on top of everything else, and everything’s moving. Friction is inevitable. No novel is interesting without a central conflict. Some people live in shelters made of plastic tarps and tires along giant sewage drainage ditches. Elementary school teachers insist otherwise, but we are not all the same.
