leaping lizards

For the holiday weekend, my dear friends Ann and Meredith joined me in Chicago. We did some of the usual things like shopping on Michigan avenue, taking pictures at the Bean etc, but we also splurged and went to the Shedd aquarium. Since it was a holiday weekend it was super crowded-we had to wait in line outside for half an hour before even getting in. Anyways, the following story proved to be the best of the weekend:

We wanted to go to see the dolphin show at 3 but didn't get there in time to actually be able to see anything (remember, it was crowded). Instead we decided to go to a lizard exhibit that was near by but practically empty. They had an amazing assortment of lizards, crazy ones without legs, some with the fun name "skink", even a Komodo dragon. All day long I was wondering how well the animals can see me, if at all, and this continued into the lizard exhibit. . Most of them were doing what animals in cages always seem to do: nothing. This one lizard, a green tree monitor to be specific, was moving all over the place. He climbed right out onto a little branch in his cage and started looking at me.

"He can see me!" I happily thought and exclaimed to Ann and Meredith, they quickly joined me. "Look he's looking right at me!"

And then, THUNK! Thats right, the little devil launched itself at me, luckily hitting the glass instead. At least two of the three of us screamed (one of them was definitely me), and we turned all giggly. I imagine we look ridiculous to all those around us, but it was damn funny.