Do you hate spiders?

[Armistead]

I'll take a snake over a spider any day.

[WernherVonTrapp]

I tend to like spiders. I usually refrain from killing them when I can, but if I find one inside my home, I have to destroy it. Spiders do bite, and some of them quite nastily at that.

[frau kaleun]

I used to kill them on sight but I've gotten more tolerant - usually now I go for the "catch and release outside" response. Unless they refuse to cooperate with the rescue mission, and then... well... I had a big one run up into my bedspread once and then it was on like Donkey Kong.

Have to say that my acquired tolerance has been somewhat affected by playing Skyrim, where spiders are bigger than you and want to have you for lunch. And not in the "would you care for some more tea, Dovahkiin?" way either.

I have a 'deal' with spiders and snakes.

1. Don't come near me and I won't kill you.
1a. "near" shall be defined as 'within visual range'.
2a. "kill" shall be defined as 'the most expedent method of terminateing any life forces by any means. Includeing Weapons of Mass Destuction (AKA RAID).

2. Should I kill you? The following acts are allowable.
1a. The remains 'May' become a food source.
2a. The remains ' May' become 'bait' for tempting further violations of Clause 1.
3a. The remains 'May' be used as desired by Me. IE.. A belt.

[vienna]

I have no fear of spiders and I actually find them fascinating to observe. When I was in elementary school, about age 7 or 8, one day I went to the neighborhood barber shop (not willingly, but on command from my mother). This was an old school barber shop that one would expect in 1958. It was a meeting place for all the males in the neighborhood and many of the problems of society and politics were discussed by the patrons. There were manly magazines like "Field and Stream", "Road and Track", etc., and a few "racy"magazines of the time like "Esquire". The barber shop was directly across the street from the Catholic school and church I attended. On this day, someone in the shop looked up to see one of the parish priests crossing the street (jaywalking, actually) and heading toward the door of the barber shop. Immediately, the various patrons began to hide away the more questionable reading matter, the converstaions became more dignified, and, when the priest finally did enter the shop, the place was a model of holy decorum. Being the custom at the time, all of the patrons deferred to the priest and offered to let him be the next customer (it was a one-man shop). The priest declined and sat down to wait his turn. While all this was going on, I had become enthralled by a fly that was being stalked by a spider in a corner of the shop window. The fly just sat there as the spider very slowly edged closer and closer and closer to its prey. At the very last moment, the fly seemed to sense the nearness of the spider and tried to move away. But the spider was quicker and grabbed the fly, subdued it and promptly began spinning a web cocoon around the fly's body. I was so intently watching all this happen that I didn't notice the priest, wondering what I was looking at, had taken a seat next to me and had seen the spider make its kill. The priest startled me when he spoke, saying, "That is a fine example of what happens when one is oblivious to the danger of evil around them." He then turned the situation into a sort of mini-sermon for the rest of the patrons...

I rather miss that barber shop and, to this day, when I see a spider, I remember that day in the barber shop...

<O>

Ahh....................
This could be envisioned as potential serial killer stuff.


We're gonna keep an eye on you!

[WernherVonTrapp]

I used to feed ants to the funnel-web spiders in my back yard when I was a kid. I was fascinated by their lightning speed. Then, one day, I watched a blue-tailed wasp chasing the spider around his own web. I was amazed that the wasp seemed to be just as adept at negotiating the web as the spider was.

[frau kaleun]

I vote that this thread be filed under the Nightmare Fuel category from tis point forward.

[Dowly]

Nobody loves me...

[Oberon]

[Dowly]

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by WernherVonTrapp

I tend to like spiders. I usually refrain from killing them when I can, but if I find one inside my home, I have to destroy it. Spiders do bite, and some of them quite nastily at that.

Yeah I had something like that happen to the back of my left thigh, just above the knee. Brown recluse bites suck. My leg was so badly swollen, i couldn't bend it. The doc's in the ER milked puss out of my leg for 20 minutes, and it was so badly infected local pain killers they tried to use didn't work. I felt every move of the scapel when they went to remove the necrotic tissue from my leg. I saw it when they put it up on the table. It was like they took a core sample out of my leg. It was oddly fascinating. I could see the skin, they layer of fat beneath it, and a chunk of meat below that.

Did i mention this was painful? I had a death grip on the gurney, and a big wad of gauze to bite down on. Kinda ilke some old john wayne western where they give you a stick to bite on while they start cutting.

It makes for a nice scar.

Oh yeah, the best part was, i was a study case for a bunch of AF medical "Clinical students". The doc was a full bird colonel. He finishes up with me, and says to the bunch of these guys just out of tech school, "Ok who wants to pack the wound!". Also, being face down on a gurney, reading the labels on the drawers, one of which said, "Misc implements for rectal torture". Joy!

[WernherVonTrapp]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

Yeah I had something like that happen to the back of my left thigh, just above the knee. Brown recluse bites suck. My leg was so badly swollen, i couldn't bend it. The doc's in the ER milked puss out of my leg for 20 minutes, and it was so badly infected local pain killers they tried to use didn't work. I felt every move of the scapel when they went to remove the necrotic tissue from my leg. I saw it when they put it up on the table. It was like they took a core sample out of my leg. It was oddly fascinating. I could see the skin, they layer of fat beneath it, and a chunk of meat below that.

Did i mention this was painful? I had a death grip on the gurney, and a big wad of gauze to bite down on. Kinda ilke some old john wayne western where they give you a stick to bite on while they start cutting.

It makes for a nice scar.

Oh yeah, the best part was, i was a study case for a bunch of AF medical "Clinical students". The doc was a full bird colonel. He finishes up with me, and says to the bunch of these guys just out of tech school, "Ok who wants to pack the wound!". Also, being face down on a gurney, reading the labels on the drawers, one of which said, "Misc implements for rectal torture". Joy!

Wow, that's a horrible story. Those pics I posted are, in fact, Brown Recluse Spider bites. Obviously you know the look as well as the pain, and those weren't even the worst images I found. I didn't want to post anything too gruesome.
I got bit by a funnel web spider once, my fault because I used to play with them as a kid. Worst I got was a painful boyl that was slightly larger than a pencil eraser. Hurt like hell though. Did you have any long-lasting affects, scarring, etc.?

And just to add another spider to the web, has anyone seen the Australian Bird-Eating Spider?

Eating a Bat (I think):

[Jimbuna]

^ Horrible little buggas (the spiders)