A Surprise Visitor...

Today we had a surprise visitor, who dropped by for a chat. The conversation began with Jen exclaiming, "Oh my god! Jay! What is that!" Then, I looked over and saw what looked like a fast moving earthworm cruising along our floor.

I trapped the impostor in a plastic cup (where he is currently resting, curled up on my desk) & took this photo for your enjoyment..

Boy or girl, I'm calling it 'Millie'!

Of course, this little guy (or girl -- I'm not sure, & not sure I wanna do what it takes to be sure!) has been the source of mucho amusimiento, lo these many minutes.

Consider these *actual* conversational snippets...

Me: OMG. Where did he go?
Jen: What!? You're kidding.
Me: No, I'm not.
Jen: What!? Yes you are! I can see the cup...
Me: Oh. Damn.

Me: OMG. It's spawning 1000 tiny babies, And they fly!
Jen: [speechless, possibly about to cry]
Me: I'm just kidding! I'm sorry.. It's for the blog..

Me: Should I pet it?
Jen: No! It's gonna bite you.
Me: It's not gonna bite me. Agh! I think it bit me!
Jen: Jay!

Anyway, I googled around and found some handy info about centipede bites:

"If you have been bitten by a centipede, the first thing you will likely notice are two holes in your flesh, much like a spider bite, as centipedes dig two extremely sharp fangs into your skin and inject venom.

"This can be extremely painful, and usually manifests itself as a patch of swollen, irritated skin. Centipede bite symptoms can also include headache, tenderness, swelling of the lymph glands, nausea and vomiting, palpitations, dizziness, heightened anxiety, and raised blood pressure.

"There is also a chance that the centipede bite symptoms will also include many smaller puncture wounds and skin irritation near the bite itself, as the centipede's many legs act like little syringes, digging themselves into your skin and injecting you with even more venom..."

But this was the important bit:

"Centipede bite symptoms can vary from simple itching and burning to full on blisters and skin deterioration. Depending upon the size and type of the centipede that has bitten you, symptoms can even include paralysis and death, though if you live in North America, you have little to worry about in the fatality department."

Well, that's a relief... Mexico is in North America, right? RIght?

Still, judging from the photo below, I don't think I'll be petting Millie anytime soon. And, sadly, there goes my "centipede in the bed" prank idea...

Don't worry honey -- it's only a flesh wound!

  
Oh well: there's always the giant cockroaches...