According to Joel Connelly at the PI, I'm a "Texas fire ant"---a creature that, like many of Connelly's references, may be lost on much of his audience.

So that you understand the gravity of Connelly's compliment, here are a few things you should know about Texas fire ants:

1) This is what fire ants look like:



2) Here , if you're brave, is what fire ant bites look like (trust me, I'm going easy on you).

3) Fire ants, according to Texas A&M University , are "very aggressive competitors" that will "emerge aggressively and sting when they are disturbed" and "cannot be eradicated by methods available today."

Thanks, Joel!