So there I am – biking along Palos Verdes, a beautiful sunny afternoon, the turquoise ocean on my right, scaling hillside on the left. Doing about 17 MPH and doing just fine.

All of a sudden, a bug hits my helmet. By the sound of it, I figure it to be a bee. I stick a finger in the helmet opening to see if the bug is stuck in there, but no bug. Great!

A few pedal strokes later, the BEE STINGS ME! Right on the freakin’ head!

Choice swear words are uttered, nay, screamed from my mouth as I yank off the helmet and pull over.  I pick through my hair but can’t seem to find the remains of the jerk that stung me.

Now I start thinking – what do I do? I am pretty sure I am not allergic to bee stings, so that is good. But is there an aftercare? Should I go home? I was only about 15 miles out from my house – I didn’t want to turn back!

I trudged forward, grumbling about the pain but refusing to be a big baby about it. I mean, heck, having just watched the gory crash and aftermath of a bike crash, a bee sting is nuthin! Peanuts!

Then I considered the additional irony that I wouldn’t have gotten stung if I wasn’t wearing a helmet. The bee wouldn’t have gotten trapped in the helmet and stung me out of jerk-ness. But whattya gonna do, eh?

Ever been bit / stung by a bug/critter while out jogging/biking/hiking/etc?