How do we put the cicada in perspective?

Seems like the two most fascinating topics in the news right now are gasoline prices and the arrival of the cicadas.

According to the Tribune, we who live in Northern Illinois could see as many as 5 billion cicadas emerging over the next two weeks. If you haven't heard about these insects, they are flying creatures with red eyes and splendid wings that only appear once every 17 years. They emerge from the ground when they soil hits a certain temperature (around 65 degrees), and the males start singing to attract females, and this singing is loud! It can be as loud as a kitchen blender or food processor and can be heard from 440 yards away! From there, well, they mate, and they lay a new generation of eggs and then both parents die off pretty quickly.

What a life. Kind of like the live fast, die young attitude of insects. But consider it. They live in the soil for all this time and feed on tree roots. In the insect kingdom that has to the closest thing to jail. If I had to live in jail for 17 years and suddenly got released, well, I'd be feeling pretty excited too! Not that my singing would be my first method to get attention

Oh here's the PS from National Geographic.

"Cicadas are said to make good eating because they are low in fat and high in protein. They are considered a delicacy by many people around the world. The European settlers in North America observed the Indians eating them. During the emergence of Brood X cicadas in 1987, a number of people in Cincinnati and Illinois were reported to have tried deep-fried and stir-fried cicadas. There was also talk of cicada pizzas and cicada candy, and local newspapers printed cicada recipes."

I'm always looking to get some protein in my diet. With 5 billion of these around... ah, who am I kidding, that just sounds disgusting.

Well, I'm up way too late right now, aggravated with baseball, and just loaded up on BBQ chips and pretzels. Better hit the bed. Hopefully, the cicadas will not be singing me a lullaby...