Spiders creep me out

No, I'm not talking about cute storybook spiders (even though, as a parent, I LOOOVE this book...) I'm talking about the big hairy scary spiders.  The ones you see on the floor, or in the garage and go "ROMG IT'S AS BIG AS MY CAT!

Today I'm going to talk about a spider local to the Idaho area.  They're big, they're hairy, and they creep me the fuck out.

I'm talking about HOBO SPIDERS.

According to wikipedia, they can get to be about an inch long.  It doesn't seem like a lot, but when you see one in front of you, they're pretty damn intimidating.

A few days ago, I hop out of the shower, towel myself off, and go about my evening.  About 3 minutes later my girlfriend enters the bathroom.  She immediately calls me back...

"How's your foot?" she asks... Feels ok to me, why?

"Well, you stepped on a Hobo spider and killed it.  I'm hoping it didn't bite you."

Spiders have always creeped me out, but after one quick google search on 'Hobo spider bites' made my heart drop.

They're not deadly, but are still poisonous.  As hobospider.com puts it:

"Very often, for the first 24 hours, the bite appears to be no worse than that of a mosquito; then it begins to blister in the center.  Within 24 to 36 hours the blister breaks open, leaving an open, oozing ulceration.  This ulceration 'scabs' over within three weeks from the initial bite, leaving a permanent scar.  If the bite is delivered in fatty tissue, the lesion may be very deep and extensive, not healing for over two or three years.  Systemic reactions to Hobo Spider poisoning include severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, soreness and flu-like symptoms.  In extreme cases where the bite was not taken care of early, skin graft, amputation, and the possibility of bone marrow failure may occur."

Extreme cases, ok.  I understand that, but my paranoia does not.  I had nightmares that night about my foot falling off, and becoming the first Idahoan pegleg pirate.

yarrr

I'm not ready to swash my buckles.  I'm not ready for my timbers to be shivered.  I like rum, but that's about as far as I go.

Luckily this was all about 2 weeks ago.  Every tingle and twinge in my foot spooked me for a while, but I think it's safe to say that I walked away unharmed.

...but it's funny.  Ever since then, if I feel a tickle or anything out of the ordinary when I'm in bed, I jump.  My brain instantly goes to "OH NOES!  TEH HOBOS ARE GONNA GET MEE!"  I'm not sure why, and I hope it goes away soon, but fmeh.

On the bright side: If my leg *did* fall off, I could be ogled at by the Amputee Fetishists who keep finding my site via google (thanks to this post).