flippin' creepy spiders

So, I've been around my fair share of creepy things...snakes, scorpions, an abundance of wolf spiders at camp, mice, rats (that was gross though...they were on the trains in India; you'd see them flash by and just hoped they wouldn't run across your feet!). But I've had two very intimidating encounters with spiders in the last week and I'm wondering if they are in conspiracy against me. You decide....

First encounter. I am lying on my bed, piano music lilting in the background, scented candles burning (and yes I was alone...but I'm a big fan of atmosphere and ambiance, even if, SIGH, there's no one to share it with), sipping a cup of "Sleepytime" tea and reading before bed. Then...(cue horror movie music), the biggest, ugliest, fatest spider I've seen in a while quickly repels from the closet door right next to me and I swear he was staring at me with his mass of eyes. Sick. So I jumped up, nearly upsetting my tea which wasn't doing a great job of relaxing me any more and I grabbed a newspaper and ended the creepy little things life with no remorse. I checked the closet door and corners for any signs of "big, ugly, fat spider webness" but it was clear. Then I tried to resume with my peaceful bedtime rituals, with a random shiver of disgust every now and then.

Second encounter. This morning I headed over to campus to get some homework done before a lunch meeting with the head of the Muslim ministries department. I had chucked my computer into its protective case which had been on the floor under my desk and took it and the contents of my backpack to school. I decided to work on one of my papers and took out my computer all nicely zipped up in its case. I pulled back the zippers, zzzzzzzzpppppp. (and here add scary horror movie music of sudden surpise...usually that sharp, abrupt loud kind of stuff when the guy in the shadows suddenly jumps out) And nearly jumped and screamed in the middle of the commons area as a similar looking ugly, fat spider was sitting right where I had first pulled the zipper from, on the inside of the case either waiting patiently for escape or in my opinion, waiting to freak me out so I'd wet myself in reaction. We had a similar stare down with my heart pounding so loud I could barely hear the din of students around me. I took my pen, flicked him onto the ground and with my shoe gave him the same fate as the last one.

So, now I'm waiting for a spider behind everything in my room and I swear I can feel them crawling on me. I haven't seen any before this but maybe it's with the cooler weather coming that they are making their way into my warm, sweetly scented room. ugh.....