Spider Apocalypse September 12, 2020 — by Christina Chang Photo by Christina Chang Spiders are taking over my life!Due to COVID-19 and quarantine, we’ve all had way too much time on our hands. This has caused many of us to notice the most random things which make us go crazy. As for me, I’ve noticed a lot of spiders. I was lying in bed, scrolling through my phone, when I looked up to see a long-bodied cellar spider hanging from the ceiling, just a few inches from my face. Great, just great. We already had a pandemic, quarantine, and bipolar weather, and now I have to deal with Mr. Cobwebs over here! These spiders occupy every square inch of my room. In the past three days alone, I’ve already encountered three spiders. I know that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but a spider a day? Not so much. I’ve tried to come up with creative ways of getting rid of them: the good old trap-it-in-a-cup-and-run-for-the-door strategy, the instinctively-call-your-brother-who’s-the-designated-spider-terminator strategy, the accidentally-lose-it-and-freak-out strategy and the hurry-up-and-grab-the-bug-frying-racket strategy. One morning when I opened my closet door, a hairy spider the size of a nickel ran across the floor right in front of me to hide by the sink. Unfortunately, my spider-catching brother forced me to take care of it myself this time. Which, as you probably guessed, means I didn’t. For all I know, that spider could still be under my bed, plotting revenge after witnessing me murder its friends. So the next time you see the gigantic bags under my eyes, you can reasonably assume that it’s because I was up all night fearing the wrath of a vengeful arachnid. 5 views this weekAbout the contributorsChristina ChangChristina Chang, Class of 2023, is an Editor-In-Chief of the '22-'23 Falcon staff. Previously, she served as a Sports Editor and local events beat writer for the '21-'22 staff and a Reporter and Layout Artist for the '20-'21 staff. During her time with The Falcon, she covered community news like the breakdown of city budget allocations and the first Blossom Festival post-COVID; wrote a series addressing mental health; profiled teacher friendships amid the pandemic; reported on the return of in-person learning and sports after shelter-in-place; and authored a narrative reflecting on her own basketball journey of eight years. Christina was named one of four finalists for Youth Journalism International's 2023 Student Journalist of the Year and one of seven finalists for the National Scholastic Press Association's 2022 Writer of the Year. She has received 23 journalism awards at the international, national and regional levels; her works have been recognized by Youth Journalism International, National Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association of Northern California, Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and Santa Clara University. To further her journalism experience, she attended workshops during summer 2022 hosted by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, California Scholastic Press Association and Stanford Daily. She will fondly remember The Falcon as a highlight of her high school years, and will forever cherish the memories created during monthly deadline nights, enjoying catered food and chatting with fellow staff members while rushing to finish each print edition. Outside of the J-room, she enjoys getting involved in the community through volunteering with local nonprofits and school clubs as well as exploring her interests and creativity through art.