Brush with death

In my endless effort to lose 20 pounds (er... more than 20, but I've already lost 20 so now I've got ANOTHER 20), I have been trying to go for a walk around the lake at work when I have a short experimental break. It takes me about 25 minutes to get around, going at a decent pace, and I usually listen to podcasts or call my mom or Melissa and catch up.

(And people always think I'm sort of strange when this happens because it just looks like I'm listening to my iPod, but I'm talking to myself as well - remember the iPhone has a little microphone on the earbuds!)

Anyway, today I was on the phone with Mel having a convo about whatever when all of a sudden - PANIC! Because I spotted this in my path:

When I first saw it it was on one side of the path, just starting to head across. I had to wait for it to go. I wouldn't say that I'm afraid of snakes the way that I am afraid of bugs, but I still was picturing this snake rearing up and biting me, or constricting me, or whatever it is that they do. When it was fully crossed over the path, I RAN past.

Once I finally got past the snake and settled back into a normal conversation, we were again interrupted by my second brush with death:

This looks like an innocent pair of geese with their three, cute, puffy, little babies. If you are a long time reader of this blog, however, you will remember this fateful day, the day that I found out that geese are not all cute and innocent but are ATTACK BEASTS. Their tendency to attack is even higher when they have babies with them, so I sort of tiptoed along quietly behind them until I thought I could get around. The one goose totally came for me, hissing. Gack. I had to wait a little bit longer but I was able to run fast and make it, unharmed.

You're not even safe at work.