People sometimes ask me if I have any pets. My usual response is: “No, but I have a houseplant I’m very proud of.” As it turns out, however, I do have a pet. Well, sort of. The adorable little guy to the right has been hanging around my apartment for the last week or so, and I seem to keep surprising him while he’s out and about. (Like almost all of his genus, he’s very shy. I think I probably nearly gave him a little spider heart attack while taking his picture.)
He’s about 2.5in leg-to-leg, and an excellent climber. (He can climb right up those vertical window blinds without problems.) He’s also passionately committed to the theory that if he stands still he’s as good as invisible. This doesn’t strike me as a good theory, but based on his size it’s obviously served him well for a good long while. It warms my heart to know that he’s out there, fighting the good fight against the 6-legged banes of my existence. And isn’t that just the cwuootest widdle face!?
(Editorial note: Some parts of this post may be written slightly tongue-in-cheek. OTOH, I genuinely do like and admire spiders. Maybe it’s because they build traps — there aren’t too many animals that do that. Much cooler than merely building a nest, or those lame dams that beavers build. Now, if the beavers put in hydropower installations — that would be cool.)
