snakes!

today is a double posting kind of day. after i posted my last blog, i went for a run on my usual boring, out-and-back 5-mile course. today, however, there was something different. on my way back on the out-and-back, i was running along and noticed something across the path in front of me. it appeared to be a large stick laid across more than three-quarters of the path. as i approached, however, i noticed that this stick was abnormally straight and smooth and decidedly not brown. i got even closer and realized it was no stick at all, but a rather long snake. it was green and purple and had a large oddly shaped bulge in its middle (dinner anyone?). upon realizing this i stopped in my tracks and trotted backwards a few steps wondering what i should do. it looked at me and then turned its head back and continued moseying its way across the path. clearly, i wasn't that interesting. i had (and still have) no idea what kind of snake it was. i decided to go around behind the snake, giving it plenty of space. this may have been stupid, but it was clearly interrupting my run. action needed to be taken. fortunately, mr. snake didn't even flinch as i stepped (trotted?) through the leaves behind it and picked up my pace a little bit. the funny thing about this whole experience was that i wasn't out in the middle of nowhere on some seldomly used trail. i was running along shoal creek, which has a wide, well-maintained, gravel trail. it is even paved in some places. so the moral to this story is: look out for snakes. they eat small people, i mean creatures, and apparently they're still out celebrating cinco de mayo.