The Daily Pixel: 020-012012- Attack of the 50 millimeter monster

I must confess that yesterday, I probably set feminism back 50 years.

With my arms full of darks, I swooped down to pick up a pair of Mr. T's jeans and came face to face with a scaly lizard. And not a giant scary lizard, no. An itty bitty, kind-of-cute-actually, lizard of the skink persuasion. Dainty. Diminutive. TERRIFYING.

Did I call T screaming like a girl? Yes, yes I did. Did I blast his ear drums when the dog confirmed that the creature was not in fact dead? Yes, yes I did. With a reptile ON THE LOOSE in my house, did I shut the bedroom door and escape to Starbucks? Yes, yes I did.

Not one to keep mortifying moments to myself, I posted a version of the preceding paragraphs on Facebook. At least my friends could have a chuckle at my full-body-sweat inducing panic. The best comment came from my sister Emily who told me that since I love alligators, I should just try and pretend it was a tiny alligator. If only.

I do understand that I'm a zillion times bigger than the thing. I do understand that it's probably more afraid of the screaming giant than I am of it (although that's debatable). I know it's completely and utterly irrational to be afraid, particularly when my friends' kids' geckos and bearded dragons don't really freak me out. Maybe it's the sneaky stealth lizardness I have a problem with?

Hours later, T came home and I resolved to find the creature. As it had taken up residence in our bedroom, I don't know that I could have fallen asleep without imaging skinks crawling the sheets. With trepidation, I lifted the wicker basket full of books and magazines, expecting to see my scaly friend. Nothing. I slowly pulled up the covers and waved a flashlight under the bed. Nothing. Prone on the mattress, I looked down and saw it trying to shimmy up the dresser.

"Teeeeeeeeeuuuuuuuuummmmmmmm!" I shrieked as I jumped onto the bed. T walked in laughing, and unlike me who would have vacuumed him up (I know, I know), started looking for an implement of rescue.

With the skink safely draped on a paperback, T moved toward the door but first told me I should take a picture.

But pictures would require getting close to it. Perhaps I should grab my long lens?

In the end, I sucked it up and grabbed my point-and-shoot, and snapped this image:

January 20, 2012

Just terrifying, right?

Labels: alligators, fear, feminism, hazards, irrationality, laundry, lizards, Mr. T, personal, photography, photos, reptile, skink, The Daily Pixel