Crickets and Bicycles

At the pool today I was telling Shannon about the cricket that invaded the Internet cube and showed everyone what absolute girls we all are in there. Well, apart from D who, of course, laughed at us.

This abnormally large, black cricket wandered across the floor as I was talking to D. He said, "Hey, look." I looked. I shrieked a little which caused the other two girls in the cube to look just as I grabbed a wastebasket and put it over the cricket.

D laughed.

I wondered if I'd smushed it. So I lifted up the basket and the bloody little thing practically scampered to safety - right underneath my coworker's desk which caused her to shriek and jump up in an attempt to get far far away.

People in the newsroom looked over. A couple of reporters came over to see if someone got hurt. It was very embarrasing to tell them it was just a cricket. There was much laughter. You'd think D would have seen our distress and done the gentlemanly thing by stomping on that sucker but no. He preferred to mock us :)

Eventually a girl from the front office who happened by found it, picked it up and tucked it safely away to be taken to her home and fed to her iguana. That's hardcore. Me I'd prefer to jump on the desk and freak out. It's not so much the fact that it's a harmless cricket. It's the way the *move*. So fast. It's just creepy.

Makes a good story though. Not as good as Mike's story about unintentionally smooshing a red cricket that had gotten into his pocket causing HIM to shriek like a girl, but close.

On a sadder note, Shannon's bike was stolen this weekend. She's upset about it. I'm pissed. That bike was a gift to her and is pretty much her only mode of transportation when I'm not available. She had it Friday and by Sunday it was gone. Not even a remnant of her bike lock was left. They took that too, the bastards. It wasn't even an expensive bike. Just a regular Walmart mountain bike. Nothing special - except to her. The thieves wouldn't be able to get much for it. I just don't understand what the appeal was. *sigh*

Anyway.. It's not the end of the world. I think I'll turn in early. I'm sunburnt despite slathering sunblock on at the pool and now I'm cranky.

Happy Father's day to everyone with fathers. And especially to both of mine.