When I saw this image, I was blown away--because yes, that letter "i" looked just like a zombie to me. And that meant that my computer screen was no longer a safe haven for me. I already lock the basement and garage doors before I go to bed, to hopefully slow down the zombies when they come in the through the basement windows. And I have a bug-out bag packed with food, clothes, water and important documents in case I need to escape my urban neighborhood when the undead arise. This image (kindly shared by Isaac at http://amomenttothink.tumblr.com/) just reinforced my paranoia.

I'm only 65% joking when I talk like this. Once it gets dark, the front part of my brain is overpowered by my limbic system, which is certain that I might be attacked by zombies at any point. In fact, one night when I was driving with my sister, I observed a drunken-looking man wobbling down the sidewalk and announced: "I thought that guy was a zombie." She gave me a funny look. "You mean that literally, don't you?"

I just nodded and wondered if I could reach the crowbar in the trunk before the guy broke through our car door. Luckily, the light changed before he sniffed us out.

Some people would say that I've seen too many zombie movies. I'd be quick to point out that it only took one--28 Days Later--to permanently scar me like this. I only played the Resident Evil games as a training exercise. I'd also be quick to point out that I am a dues-paying member of Zombie Squad, and we're the first to tell you that we don't actually believe in zombies; we just want people be prepared for emergency situations.

You know, like the dead, rising from their graves to wreak destruction on the earth.

Little Miss ZomCon

---