"What's wrong with her? Why isn't she screaming?"

[wolfie]

Or, "Why doesn't she behave more like a female?"

Thank you, Kitten in the Box, for inspiring me to share.

As some of you may realize, I'm an "assistant manager" at one of the major theme parks in the South.

I reach down to grab it and it hops on my shoe. As I begin to move out the door the lizard starts climbing my leg! I wrap my skirt around my leg before the lizard clibms any higher, and I hobble towards the door.

From the peanut gallery comes a rallying cry: "What's wrong with her? Why isn't she screaming!!!" in this panicked/horrified voice.

In keeping with the theme park atmosphere, an appropriate comment would have been "The girl in the story kissed a frog and it turned into a prince - I wonder what this lizard will turn out to be".

So long as it wasn't a "lot lizard", but those tend to go after men.

[Food Lady]

I like spiders I'd prefer they didn't crawl on me (unless they're either REALLY small or REALLY big like a tarantula), and I would kill a poisonous spider if it posed a direct threat. Otherwise they're kinda fascinating. Things I don't like so much: Fire ants (for obvious reasons), silverfish (eww), palmetto bugs (American cockroaches...they're huge and they can FLY!!! GAHHH!!)...and possibly the worst of all, centipedes. I loathe centipedes!!

I could've written this post. Today I got to hold my neighbor's teeny turtle; it was small enough to fit in my hand. Squee of the highest order. Now I have to get one.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

I like spiders I'd prefer they didn't crawl on me (unless they're either REALLY small or REALLY big like a tarantula), and I would kill a poisonous spider if it posed a direct threat. Otherwise they're kinda fascinating.

Things I don't like so much: Fire ants (for obvious reasons), silverfish (eww), palmetto bugs (American cockroaches...they're huge and they can FLY!!! GAHHH!!)...and possibly the worst of all, centipedes. I loathe centipedes!!

[Shalom]

most of the hairy 'pillars are nasty. Tent and gypsy caterpillars -- right into the lake to feed the fish, since they were invasive.

I first encountered gypsy moths and their caterpillars as a kid in summer camp. I didn't know at the time how devastating to agriculture they could be; they just looked cute and fuzzy. (The moths too, not just the larvae. First time I'd ever seen a bug with fur. The red and blue spots on the sides of the caterpillars were an added touch of elegance.) I'd pick up the caterpillars and let them walk on my hands, even petting them.

Then I discovered, later in the summer, that as the caterpillars got older, those little hairs that make up that fuzz got loose, and they'd slip between the lines in your fingerprints and embed themselves right into the skin of your fingertips. God damn, that was painful. Never touched them again.

A few years later, there was an outbreak of them in Brooklyn, where they hadn't been seen before. We all had to wind double-sided sticky tape around our trees for a while, which seemed to minimize the damage by catching the critters halfway up the trunks.

[Lace Neil Singer]

When I took my animal care NVQ, I handed the beardies and geckos fearlessly, and was the only person to handle the hissing cockroaches. Nothing wrong with lizards, snakes, spiders... only thing that gets me scared is bees, and I think I have every right to be scared of those, seeing as I'm allergic.

[dalesys]

...the lizard starts climbing my leg! I wrap my skirt around my leg before the lizard climbs any higher...

Reminds me of Cosby and mice climbing legs...

"Who told them that's where they hid the cheese?"

[smileyeagle1021]

I should surrender my girl card then...

*pulls out girl card* Someone need to take this?

And perhaps I should take it, if I had a lizard crawl up my bare leg I would be screaming... loudly

[Pagan]

Don't get many wild lizards etc in the UK, but I like reptile houses. Apart from those annoying children that tap the glass and go "Mommy, why isn't it moving?! Make it move!".

Paging Dudley Dursley...

That's exactly what I was thinking!

[Chromatix]

"I get that all the time."

[XCashier]

We have a beardie and she is adorable (in a spiky sort of way). Don't get many wild lizards etc in the UK, but I like reptile houses. Apart from those annoying children that tap the glass and go "Mommy, why isn't it moving?! Make it move!"

Paging Dudley Dursley...

[Mishi]

Or: "Look, he's throwing chocolate icecream!"

[dalesys]

Leave it alone and go see the monkeys if you want something exciting.

Mommy, what is the monkey doing with it's hand?

[houdini]

I would hand in my girl card, but I think I've already done so for being-able-to-DIY, fixing a kit car, riding a motorbike and reading comics...

We have a beardie and she is adorable (in a spiky sort of way). Don't get many wild lizards etc in the UK, but I like reptile houses. Apart from those annoying children that tap the glass and go "Mommy, why isn't it moving?! Make it move!". It's a snake. It's asleep, or bored by you. Leave it alone and go see the monkeys if you want something exciting.

[Flying Grype]

I loved picking up woolly bears. But most of the hairy 'pillars are nasty. Tent and gypsy caterpillars -- right into the lake to feed the fish, since they were invasive. There were beautiful white fuzzy caterpillars with black stitching that we called Angela-biters, since my cousin found out the hard way that they shouldn't be touched.

[mharbourgirl]

And Seshat, I stay away from furry caterpillars too, but that's just common sense. Those things can hurt. As a child, my cousin always told me I could collect the green caterpillars, but stay away from the black furry ones.

Now that's something. I grew up with the green hairless caterpillars being the most poisonous, especially the ones with red spots. Woolly Bears, on the other hand, are adorable and quite safe. And I won't pick up many bugs, but rescuing woolly bears from being squished in the parking lot at work is an enjoyable way to spend my breaks in the spring.