Suffering for art

I've been taking a lot of pictures lately, mostly of cacti in bloom, and getting good pictures often means getting "up close and personal" with a cactus. I've gotten a few cactus spines stuck in my arm. Today, however, I ended up with over 30 spines all over! I wanted to say, "Please! I come in peace. Call off the attack!" Of course, if you don't pull out a spine, you get a nice shock of pain anytime you bump it or clothing rides over it. So...somehow several spines worked their way through my shirt and bra before I noticed them. As I ducked behind a cactus and stuck a hand up my shirt to yank out the little spears, I comforted myself with my normal line reserved for such occasions: Well, at least no one knows you here. Seconds later, a golf cart whizzed by, and the man cheerfully waved to me. Damn it. He looks familiar. Oh, well.