It's creepy-crawly time again, boys and girls. This time it isn't something I found on my front stoop, in the backyard, or in an oyster I was about to eat.

No, this is something I found attached to my back this morning in the shower. Not being able to see what it was, I ripped it off. It looked like a spider to me, so I flung it somewhere in the tub and went my merry way.

It only gradually dawned on me that it might not have been a spider. Isn't it a little unusual for a spider to attach itself to your skin, I thought. Come to think of it, I did spend some time in a wooded area yesterday. Say, what does a tick look like? I'd never seen one before, but I had it in my head that they looked like mosquitoes. Google Image Search has disabused me of that notion.

Here's a picture of the bug(ger):

I'd say it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to identify that critter.