Eight Legs Not Enough

Monday, September 20^th, 2010, c. 5:00 PM

Since last Wednesday, I’ve seen three Harvestmen – all in the basement of Lausanne. Dave explains to us that in the first few weeks of September, analogous to the average college freshman, the male Harvestman’s goal in life is to get laid. This explains the extreme prevalence of them throughout an environment typically unsuited to black spiders (gray carpet and white linoleum floors): female Harvestmen are ripe for impregnation, so the males are seeking out a mate, even if it means being more susceptible to predators. Dave also explains that the spiders are likely not going to harm those of us living in Lausanne, and will return to hiding in the shadows in just a few weeks, when mating season has ceased. As he is detailing for the class the anatomy of a male Harvestman he picked up just outside of room 21, Dave accidentally rips off one of the Harvestman’s hind legs. Dave shrugs this off, saying: “he’s probably not going to have a very good day.” Bad Dave.