Really?! Again?!

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It’s amazing to see how my outlooks on things change. I’m sorry to keep going on about spiders, but spiders keep coming after me! At this moment, I know where at least five different spiders are in my house. If I was back in the US, and I knew where even one spider was located, it would be dead. Granted, the spiders that I know of are all nickel sized or smaller, but I still would have killed them in the States.

I just had to kill another big one. I was hoping I was done with giant spiders, but alas, they were not done with me. I was in my room minding my own business, when I decided to go downstairs for a glass of pineapple juice. I didn’t even get down the stairs before I saw the spider in the same area as the first two that I killed. I’m not sure what it is about that stairwell, but they seem to like it. Unfortunately, my SK3000 was not put together. I only had half of it upstairs (the boot half). I grabbed that half, and after 5 minutes of trepidation, finally swung at the spider.

I missed.

I swung again.

I missed.

It landed on the railing.

I swung again.

The spider fell.

I actually heard the spider hit the ground, it was that big. I even thought I heard it crunch. I walked downstairs and used the other half of my SK3000 (the stick part) and clubbed that poor little (big) spider to death.

Other than the spider debacle, my day was boring. I waited until four to even show my face at the office for fear of small children, but there were none when I got there. I stayed until 9:30 and then came home to eat PB&J, kill a spider, and go to bed.

I've never known how happy I could be to wake up in Panama until this morning, though. I had a dream that my family came to visit and I accidentally went home with them. I started freaking out about what a waste of money it was and how I left everything there and only collected one salamander and was never going to get a good recommendation from Dr. Lindquist now that I (accidentally) bailed on this internship. I was trying to figure out how to get back cheaply when I woke up, saw the wooden interior of my house in Panama, and instantly felt relieved. Then I had another dream where I had to eat bugs and there was a giant spider biting me. Freaking spiders can't even leave me alone while I sleep!!!

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Comments

[Ronald Brantner]

Emmy, sounds like there are more spiders in Panama than salamanders, so maybe, just maybe, you will want to change your research to spiders. Good hearing from you. Stay safe. Love and Prayers, Pappy and Grammy

[EmilyBrantner]

hmmm...
That might work if I like spiders! :)

[Linda]

From Northern California...
Hi Emily! I just spent awhile reading your blog and thought it would be fun to write you. My husband Bruce and I are getting ready to travel to Panama and spend several weeks. (Nov 26-Jan10) So, the "blog" thing is new to me, but I have a friend in France for 6 weeks right now who actually did this same thing, and I've been following her. (Donna Biggs). I have 4 "kids" ages 30, 29 (b-day tomorrow!), 25, and nearly 22 (in Jan)years old. Our youngest is a daughter, Alicia, also a Scientist type, and you sound so much like her it's funny! She is a Senior at UCSC (Santa Cruz), and will graduate in June with a double major in Bio-Chemistry&Molecular Biology, and Ecology&Evolutionary Biology...I admit, I had to go look it up on my fridge where I wrote it down! She isn't sure where she'll go from here...maybe a doctor, maybe research. Big decision time. Anyway, it is fun reading your blog! We will be in Boquete for two weeks, Bocas Del Toro for two weeks, four days in Panama City, and a few days undecided, but were thinking of David...heard it is nice. I HATE spiders! I shudder to think what you are going through there and hope we don't see the likes of their cousins where we stay...If we do, you will hear my scream clearly, and maybe just think it's a howler monkey...but it will be m.e. ! I had a Spanish teacher in college (unfortunately have forgotten most of the language lessons) that believed if you killed one, it's relatives would come back for you...don't believe it!...just kill 'em...they are busy making babies while you sleep! Beans need to cook for about three hours...and add water as you go, and salt as you are cooking-tastes better than if you add it afterwards. You made us laugh aloud with that story of the beans and rice! We live on the CA side of the US, lots of experience w/Hispanic food...and love it. We live near Oregon in the mountains, on the Klamath River...beautiful country, but really cold in the winter, so we travel! We also have a trip to Vietnam booked for Feb 26-April 9. It is fun no matter where you go, adventures galore, and people are both good & bad everywhere! We researched Panama and it is supposed to be the safest country south of the US...Have been to 28 countries, including Central American countries of:Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Peru, and Argentina, last count. Looking forward to Panama! I hope "Grammy & Grandpa" are OK on the East coast...it sounds like a nightmare. They sound precious. We are a close family too. I will miss my children and grandchildren over Christmas and New Years...how long will you be in Panama and will you travel elsewhere as you study salamanders (which make my hubby shudder, but I think they're "cute"!). We spent a couple of weeks in Costa Rica and saw a LOT of them, and also saw a lot of them in Thailand! We signed up for one week of language school in Bocas, and one week in Boquete...hope it jogs the ol' noggins. Hope you don't think I'm a nut for responding, but you made me laugh and thought I'd say thanks. Good luck to you, you sound bright, and maybe you could ask locals where they see these little critters...kids even...or with the translation thing on your computer, the guy who is helping you w/hot water etc...I just read "The Orchid Thief" amazing what lengths people will go to in order to collect them. or just "SEE" them! Linda Moscovitch

[EmilyBrantner]

Hola!
The Orchid Thief is a great book! It's what made me realize how nutty people go over orchids. Thanks for writing, and you don't seem like a nut :) I'm in Panama for 6 months- so until April. I'm hoping to get access to Volcan Baru National Park to look for more salamanders, but that's still directly connected to the property that I am currently on. You daughter sounds like me except for the Chemistry and Molecular Bio part... yuck! I'm all about organismal bio. But, like her, I also made the decision between becoming a medical doctor or just a biologist- though I made the decision after my freshman year of college. I hope you have a great time in Panama! I'd like to visit Boquette at some point. I hear they have rock climbing and that's something I liked to do in the States. Hopefully you don't see any spiders, but I'll listen for the howler monkeys ;)