the snake

i'm in dc this week, visiting friends and staying at my brother's house the week before capclave. brother is away golfing during the first part of my vistit, but my wonderful big brother - the one with the snake phobia - tells me over the phone, "sure, we have broadband, no wireless, but there's a cable in alexandra's room and you can use her desk". so i arrive, and on monday morning,off i trot to my niece's room (she's away at college) to log in and work. and there on the desk, right next to the cable is this HUGE snake. it's an empty snake, but it's enormous. she's studying to be a vet and worked at the reptile house at the national zoo last summer, and her parting gift was this enormous snake skin. and there is sits twisted on the desk right next to the blue cable for the computer. i've managed to set up the laptop so that the screen MOSTLY obscures the snake. but, oh boy, you all just -wait- until brother david get's home. he is not going to live this down. ever.