What do you do if a spider is crawling on you?

[PokerAmateur4]

Say you are asleep and wake to find a poisonous spider crawling up your leg. What is the best course of action to minimize your chance of being bitten?

Don't move? Hit it off with your other leg?

Thanks

[purnell]

[ QUOTE ]
Say you are asleep and wake to find a poisonous spider crawling up your leg. What is the best course of action to minimize your chance of being bitten?

Don't move? Hit it off with your other leg?

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

I like to think of myself as a compassionate person, but given the above hypothetical, there would be nothing left of that little bastard but a stain. Best couse of action? Ha! In the first few seconds after waking up, I'm 100% instinct, 0% reason. There would be no thinking involved.

edit: BTW, would this be Science, Math, or Philosophy?

[jman220]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Say you are asleep and wake to find a poisonous spider crawling up your leg. What is the best course of action to minimize your chance of being bitten?

Don't move? Hit it off with your other leg?

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

I like to think of myself as a compassionate person, but given the above hypothetical, there would be nothing left of that little bastard but a stain. Best couse of action? Ha! In the first few seconds after waking up, I'm 100% instinct, 0% reason. There would be no thinking involved.

edit: BTW, would this be Science, Math, or Philosophy?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think his quesiton was more along the lines of "what's the best way to get it off of you without getting bitten." If you just squash it, it might bite you before it dies.

[Prodigy54321]

Once, I went to bed not knowing some critters had infested my wall...I woke up with a swarm of those flying termite thingies all over me (probably 100-150)..that was much more creepy and terrifying than a spider....I'll never be the same /images/graemlins/crazy.gif

[HLMencken]

Sing it a lullaby. Then after it falls asleep, gently remove it from your leg. But be careful and don't wake it up.

[mostsmooth]

[ QUOTE ]
Say you are asleep and wake to find a poisonous spider crawling up your leg. What is the best course of action to minimize your chance of being bitten?

Don't move? Hit it off with your other leg?

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]
is this a serious question? really?
ok, if the process of you waking up and moving around a bit before you realize theres a spider on your leg didnt make the spider bite you already, i dont see how smacking the spider away is going to cause him to bite you. smack it away and squash it.

[keikiwai]

[ QUOTE ]
Say you are asleep and wake to find a poisonous spider crawling up your leg. What is the best course of action to minimize your chance of being bitten?

Don't move? Hit it off with your other leg?

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

I assume it's dark since you were asleep. So you must have identified the spider non-visually. This would make you a bad ass entomologist. This means that you have a Jelly jar sitting next to your bed for just these occasions. So you would grab the jar and swat the spider into the jar for further study.

And if the spider stings you, well among entomologists that's just a badge of honor... You're not an entomoligist unless you've gotten stung by your study subjects (or if it has no sting, if you've eaten at least one of your study subjects).

[madnak]

Hold still and relax. It will crawl off you soon. It's not an evil spider trying to kill you. When it crawls off, slowly move away from it and off the bed. Don't get jumpy or try to throw the blankets off or anything. Then get a newspaper.

[sawseech]

kill it

[Nottom]

If I have already passed the instictive swat stage and wish to remove a creepy crawler I always use a flick of the finger much like the old plucking knuckles-type games kids played in school.

[Philo]

[ QUOTE ]
Hold still and relax. It will crawl off you soon. It's not an evil spider trying to kill you. When it crawls off, slowly move away from it and off the bed. Don't get jumpy or try to throw the blankets off or anything. Then get a newspaper.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good advice up until the newspaper bit. I don't think I could concentrate on reading knowing there is a poisonous spider nearby.

[yukoncpa]

If you're asleep and it's really small... eat it link (http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mspidereat.html)

[madnak]

It's not for reading.

[keikiwai]

[ QUOTE ]
It's not for reading.

[/ QUOTE ]

Joke:

n. Something said or done to evoke laughter or amusement, especially an amusing story with a punch line.

[PokerAmateur4]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Say you are asleep and wake to find a poisonous spider crawling up your leg. What is the best course of action to minimize your chance of being bitten?

Don't move? Hit it off with your other leg?

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

I assume it's dark since you were asleep. So you must have identified the spider non-visually. This would make you a bad ass entomologist. This means that you have a Jelly jar sitting next to your bed for just these occasions. So you would grab the jar and swat the spider into the jar for further study.

And if the spider stings you, well among entomologists that's just a badge of honor... You're not an entomoligist unless you've gotten stung by your study subjects (or if it has no sting, if you've eaten at least one of your study subjects).

[/ QUOTE ] Amusing. However, I don't see why we need to assume it'd dark for matters of discussion. I could also wake in the morning.

[PokerAmateur4]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Say you are asleep and wake to find a poisonous spider crawling up your leg. What is the best course of action to minimize your chance of being bitten?

Don't move? Hit it off with your other leg?

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

edit: BTW, would this be Science, Math, or Philosophy?

[/ QUOTE ] Well, I intended to have it be a science question. Like what is the best course of action in this siutation, scientifically considering how a spider reacts, speed, physics, etc.

However if people feel obliged to run off on the philosophical tip about weighing in the ethical aspects of killing the spider, feel free.

[RJT]

[ QUOTE ]
Once, I went to bed not knowing some critters had infested my wall...I woke up with a swarm of those flying termite thingies all over me (probably 100-150)..that was much more creepy and terrifying than a spider....I'll never be the same /images/graemlins/crazy.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Ahh, so that explains it all. (Just kidding, bud.)

[hyde]

[ QUOTE ]
Hold still and relax.

I don't [censored] think so. I would move my leg at somewhere around the speed of light and nail the critter with a book from my bedside table before it hit the sheets. I have a serious fear of spiders. Irrational I know, but i would prefer to sleep in a coffin full of snakes....