Spider bite.

Because I find it more thrilling to hear from my own heart the words that lie therein than I do to hear of my biochemistry text book, I find myself sitting on the porch of my apartment. My hands smell of strong berry scent, the Pride and Prejudice sountrack plays in my ears. The sky is a perfect, clear blue and the sun abounds. Light breeze adds to the perfection of the 70 degree weather. I feel nervous about something I cannot explain. I've felt this way for two days. It's almost as a foreshadowing of intuition has overcome me. I can't explain it, but still it lies within my breast. Perhaps it is because I just finished a book so compelling that I feel my life is but a vapor of non-importance in comparison to the great accomplishments of those whom I read biographies about.  Perhaps something bad is about to happen. Perhaps somethign good is about to happen. Either way, I'm having premonitions.

Minus the strange feeling I unexplainedly possess, yesterday was a glorious day. The first essences of fall appeared on the breeze as I had not yet felt them yet this year. After my classes, I happily made my way to a trail that I had often passed in driving around town, but had never yet explored. The town in whcih I attend school is large, commercial, crowded, concrete. There are some quirky and knice historic gems, but overall, it does not have the wild feel that I crave. I was skeptical of woods nestled so closely to a highway, but curious nonetheless. The next two hours were spent in calm bliss for me. All that mattered was my feet moving in front of one another, the breath that filled my body and allowed me to move, the way the fallen leaves gave way softly under my sneakers. The forest was cool, and after several hundred yard of trekking along on a path I made for myself, reciting "The Road Less Traveled By" as I noted landmarks as not to lose myself. I became enamored with the green acorns that were unripenly lying at tree bases and kept stowing them in my pockets. I climbed up onto a fallen tree's rough, damp surface, in a cool part of the woods near a creek, and I saw a doe drinking not ten yards off. She skittered away nearly silently, and I cursed my heavy bipedal inablities to make so little noise. I took photographs of the first tidings of autumn-trees with just a few leaves changed, clear skies. About a mile in, I came to the southern edge of the woods--a fence lining a subdivision. Turning away in sadness, I pushed east across another few miles, regaining the trail, an easy walk marked almost too frequently with blue blazes. It was scarcely enough for my expanding spirit, so I began to run, leaping up on rocks and spinning round trees, feeling the capabilities of my lungs, my legs, my heart. I continued in this manner for quite some time, and just as I was at the forest edge, having re-traced the trail back to the ugly asphalt, I felt a sharp sting under my left armpit. Needing quickly to remove whatever creature had so assaulted me, I drew my shirt over my head and searched its inner sleeve for the culprit--nothing. I was not too worried, as black widows, one of the only threats in these parts besides a few types of snakes, generally have webs close to the ground or in cracks, and the likelihood of one having made its way to my armpit was pretty slim. The stinging, however, did not recede, and I finished the walk back to my car, wincing and holding that arm out away from my body to keep it from rubbing against my shirt. I came home and iced the deck of cards-sized swelling just behind the armpit. It continued to sting through the evening, and grew to a shape similar to that of a t-bone steak. The swelling went down somewhat, but today it itches like the dickens and is pretty red. Darn my sensitive armpit skin. Hopefully it heals soon, or I'll be making a trip to the doctor.

It's another great autumn day out, and as the predictions are that it will continue to be so for some time. As that is the case, I will likely have more outdoor adventure stories to share soon!