After the dreadful shock of miscalculating my departure date, a tense drive to Saint John Airport - for me at least, one of the passengers asked me whether I saw a spider in his neck. Supposedly he was bitten. I assured him it was just a mosquito bite, but he didn't seem assured.

While browsing The Globe And Mail in the flight to Montreal, I realized why he was worried: Flesh eating spiders.

I should have said he was probably bitten by a flea.