I had to change out a compressed nitrogen tank that I use for doing pressure calibrations.
The replacement gas bottles are in an outdoor cage, where they stand for months.
Here in the low desert that means they are covered with spiderwebs. Black Widow spiderwebs. Lots of those.
Mind you, I'm one who appreciates the creepier critters. But I also know what a black widow bite can do. Not kill you. Just ruin your day for weeks.
So I picked out a tank and rubbed all the cobwebs off and killed a few small to medium-sized spiders.
Put the tank on a cart and wheeled it across the lot and into my lab. That's when it's time to unscrew the cap that protects the valve.
Just as I was finishing that, a huge black widow rushed out of the valve opening and onto my hand.
I calmly screamed like a girl, jumped in the air, and flung my hands upward.
The spider flew off my hand. Where did go? Would I now have to scour the lab for it?
Oh, not at all, as a few seconds later I felt it scramble from the back of my shirt onto my neck.
More utterly calm dance moves, and the spider went flying to the floor, where I promptly made it two dimensional.
It took a while for the adrenaline to wear off.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/15/2017 11:47AM by Saguaro.
