Holy crapazoids, it’s an alien.

Well, no. But it is a ungodly huge bug, about an inch and a half long, picking it’s way down the glass of the sliding glass door. It is brownish gray, unremarkable in color, with a very large abdomen, respectable thorax, and teeny weeny narrow noggin, with two little eyes on either side of a sliver of head and very long antennae. It has six very long, slender legs, ending in delicate little hooky feet. There’s a long, narrow probascis? pointy snouty thing? on the end of its tiny head, longer than the head itself but even narrower, and tapering to a point, which is kept tucked under while it walks. The back has a peculiar little sail-like frill, resembling a miniature Dimetrodon, and the effect of that tiny head, the ringlike thorax, and fat, bulbous butt bears an incredible resemblance to a chitinous rendition of a Dr. Seuss character–a star-bellied sneech, say. This is what would happen if a star-bellied sneech wandered into a story by Kafka.

It keeps climbing to the top of the glass, getting confused, climbing down to the bottom, getting confused, climbing back up…

I think it might be some kind of weevil, because of the tiny head, but eNature.com has failed me utterly for identification, and googling for North Carolina weevils turned up so many pages on pest control of the common boll weevil that I lacked the time to wade through.

In other news, four checks arrived today, including a rather large one for all those happy frogs. Money Frog must have danced until he herniated. He has been rewarded with a smooch and several shiny dimes wedged under his little resin behind. Money Frog’s stash is starting to rival my change dish. But he earned it! At long last, the taxes can be payed off! Finally! And money can be put away for next year’s taxes, so that we don’t have to do this again next year! And I can go to the dentist! And…well, anyway, it’s a good thing.

UPDATE: Go, Gryllus and Dragonsmirk! We gots an ID–it’s a type of assassin bug, called a “wheel bug.” Also, according to that website, the fearsome millipoo was an American Giant Millipede.

Absurdly, I feel way better knowing that it’s called a “giant” millipede, and that it wasn’t just me.

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