After coming home from a long day of snowboarding on Friday, I was looking forward to relaxing in a long, hot bath. I sank into the warm goodness and relished in delight for a few minutes... until I saw that horrendous creature crawling on my wall.

I admit, I panicked. Why is it that my eyes are magnetized to an arachnid once I spot him/her? I can't take my eyes off the creature for fear that it will scurry out of view, off to who-knows-where.

Side note: What is it with spiders and hot water? It happened not too long ago that the same exact situation happened. I was sitting in my hot bath when -bingo!- a hapless spider ventured into sight. Are they attracted to the warm humid air?

Anyway, I told myself that if this spider came closer to me, i.e. right over the tub, I'd flee. (The last spider that got above the tub started down on its web-string, toward me!) Well, obviously this is what he/she did. Just out of spite. I swear spiders can sense my fear.

I jumped out of the tub as the spider was walking toward the tub on the ceiling. I stood there in the hallway, drying myself off angrily and eyeing the spider. Another bath, ruined!

I don't know what came over me. I kept telling it, "Don't come any closer or I'll kill you" and "Damn you!". I stood there about 10 minutes contemplating what to do before I got the brilliant idea of vacuuming it up. I got out the vacuum, being careful not to let the spider out of my view. Before I knew it, the spider was vacuumed up safe and sound.

I don't want to hate spiders. Really, I don't. I try to see them as cute. Something about them, though, stirs this irrational terrible fear inside me no matter how much I try to rationalize that a spider cannot even harm a hair on my head. This is what a true phobia is, people. I don't like it one bit.

Tune in next time when Lori recalls some heartwarming childhood memories.