South Carolina Wildlife, etc.

My driveway has beautiful trees arching over it.  Unfortunately, in summer (which is about 9 months long here), those lovely trees are infested with spiders.  I used to park my motorcycle right under them at the bottom of the driveway.  At first, there were just spider webs on it occasionally, no big deal.  Then I’d sometimes have to brush off a spider.  I don’t like spiders.  Still, this wasn’t the end of the world.  Then it got to the point where I’d brush off webs every day.  One day after I’d been at work for about 10 minutes, I bent my head over my notebook, and a spider fell from my hair onto my desk. 

Why I Bought Pepper Spray

Friday evening at work, my one neighbor stopped in.  We'll call him Joe – he and his wife Sarah live 2 doors down from me.  He mowed my lawn the one time a few months ago.  He’s in his 60s, retired, plays a lot of golf.  He stopped in at the bookstore, and asked me where Ex’s been lately.  I said that he got his own apartment.   He said, ‘Oh, that’s why I haven’t seen the bike lately’.  I said, “No, actually, that’s another story – he got in an accident.”.  He said he was sorry, and headed out. 

About an hour later, he came back, having showered, shaved, and slathered on cologne.  He came up to me again, and asked, “What are you doing after work?” 

Alexander and the...

My dog sometimes runs away.  I think he has a girlfriend at one of the neighbors' houses.  When I put him outside, I put him on a tie-out, so he isn't just running free.  This morning as I was taking the garbage out before work, I saw a blur fly by me, and he was off. 

Lessons from the Bookstore

The past few days, the importance of the life lesson, "Think Before You Speak" has really been illustrated to me.  In SC, they have a tax-free weekend, where certain things don't have a sales tax.  It was a bit of a slow time cashiering, and a middle aged woman walked up to the cash register alone with a copy of a Hemmingway book.  I told her the total, and she said, "Isn't it tax free?"

Great is Great, but Awful is Funny

The other day, I went out with a group of coworkers and their friends.  I met somebody who I believe to be the most arrogant person in the greater Columbia area.  We’ll call him Steve, which isn’t his real name, because I’m not sure about the rules for portraying somebody in unflattering, if accurate, light.  I had the misfortune of getting seated next to Steve, as it was the only available chair. 

How do I know you?

A few months ago, I caved to Peer Pressure and joined Facebook.  While I am in my 20s, I find myself very out of place in the world of Social Media.  I think it's partly because I feel out of place socially in general.  I’m a little awkward.  So far, I have found some quirks in the Facebook system.