{double gross!}

I thought the cicada “invasion” was basically a crock—even with the giant bugs “fluttering” randomly about earlier this week. Well, it is a crock—in most of the city. It's not a crock, however, at all three entrances to our work building, where the entire international cicada population appears to have taken up residence.

The picture to the right--of the wall outside work’s front door--really doesn’t do the disgust justice. As my coworker put, “I’m taking a leave of absence until the cicadas leave.” To get inside (and out of) the building, you have to brace swarms of giant flying bugs and a blanket of crunchy cicadas carcasses (and if you get in before 8am like I do, you have to wait in it all for your electronic key to finally unlock the doors.)

Like we really need less motivation to come to work.

Yesterday, one my coworkers and I needed to bring a few boxes over to the off-site photo studio (which, although only 1.5 miles away, ended up having zero cidads). Fully expecting the swarm outside our building, we braced ourselves, and despite the huge boxes we were dragging, made a fast run for my car. But it's kind of hard to really escape the throng. The worst part of it was, we didn’t want let the cicadas inside the car, so we tried to haul the boxes into the backseat as fast as we could—which really wasn’t fast enough for flying cicadas. One ran into my head while I bent into the backseat. I freaked out and screamed and tossed the box, dumping all sorts of scrapbook paraphernalia all over the car. Grrrr.

Somehow we managed to get four boxes and ourselves inside the car and out of the parking lot without any cidadas hitching a ride. But other cowokers have not been so lucky. One ended up with a cicada in her knitting bag and on another car ride found one on her seatbelt. A girl near my cubicle found one on her purse handle while typing at her keyboard. Major freaking out ensued.

Apparently guys aren’t alarmed with the situation like we women are. They’re like, “Hello, they don’t bite.” It’s still distressing. Who likes to find a two-inch critter with orange-colored bug eyes in their handbag? The guys may make fun of us, but at least we borrow them for moral support while walking to our cars.


EDITED ON JUNE 17: No worries, the cicadas are almost gone now...just a few here and there, but no traumatizing incidences.