so i just threw a live rat in the dumpster.

 

yeah, i was sitting at home going through some email, and i hear my neighbor get home next door.  she opens the door and shrieks.  i open my door to see what's up, and she's just standing there on the verge of crying.  a rat had gotten into her apartment last night, and she had gotten rat traps (w/ PB for bait, of course), but the rat had eaten the PB and apparently was just waiting for her as she opened the door as she got home from work.  yeah, awesome.

 

so i asked her if there was anything i could do.  well, she said she had this problem (a rat) once before, and she got these super sticky rat traps - pretty much like fly paper, but for rats.  the hardest part - she said - was disposing of the rat/rat trap after the rat was actually caught, because - guess what - the rat is still alive.  picking up a rat trap with a squirming rat on it?  yeah, not as much fun.

 

so i was like - hey, i don't mind throwing the rat away for you.  her - really!?  noooo!!!  i'll pay you!  that would be the nicest thing!  me - nah, money?  maybe i'll pay you just to see this rat?  yeah, if you catch the rat tonight or tomorrow morning just knock on my door and i'll help you out - no worries.

 

...

 

only like 30-45 minutes later and there's a knock on my door.  truly record time rat catching, if i do say so myself.  so i got a small shovel, got a paper bag, and ventured in to dispose of the little guy.  turns out he wasn't so little - pretty big rat, actually - just squirming on the sticky stuff.  yuck.  dumped him in the bag and walked out as a champion.  and then i accidentally stepped on the 2nd sticky trap and dragged it along on my shoe.  yeah, that's how mucha rolls.  took the mucha trap off, and then walked across the street to throw a live rat in the dumpster.  and i've got to say, that's just weird.  i didn't want to directly kill the guy (by crushing him or anything like that) - that just seemed, well, wrong.  but i couldn't just let him go because - where would he go?  prolly back to my neighbor's apartment.  for a second, i considered getting in the car and driving a couple miles away and releasing him there - but nah...

 

so i just threw a live rat in the dumpster.

 

a live rat.  that can't move.  so he'll just eventually starve to death anyway.  an indirect death.  certainly no more humane than putting him out of his misery quickly.  but aside from that, there's this whole feeling of just throwing a living creature away.  wow.  i might as well have just thrown a kitten away.  or a puppy.  or a baby boy/girl.

 

i mean, a rat is a rodent, which means he's a pest, which means he should be exterminated, right?  i guess...

quik update :

 

boardercross.  i survived.

no major injuries - just a little bruising and swelling.  ouch.

 

more details to come tomorrow.

well, here it is.

 

2 months since I first put a board under my feet.  21 days on the snow.

 

And tomorrow's the big day.

 

plenty of injuries, but nothing so bad that it's kept me from keep on keeping on.  learned how to go down the hill pretty fast, mostly in control - just pretty much pushing the envelope on the edge of chaos really (TM Nico Demartini).  Learned how to jump and have progressed to medium sized jumps, usually making the landings in control.

 

And have had pretty much an awesome time the entire time.

 

Just sharpened the edges on my board, so we'll see if that takes me to the Promised Land tomorrow.  Bought a motocross jersey to finish out my racing kit - you'll love it - the company name is 'Xtreme Competition' - need I say more?

Passings on the Ski Lift

 

2 older skiers (both in their 60's) and me.  riding up the lift.  one pulls out cigarettes and lights up.  the other - 'man, i just want that smoke so bad...'  gives him a drag.  ' i bet he wants some too.'  me - 'no, i don't smoke - thanks.'  them - 'oh, that's good - never start.  i'm a master at quitting...  and starting...  and quitting...'  get to the top of the lift and the skiers take off.  i strap up and take off, do a little jump and then rip the rest of the way down the mountain as fast as i can right to the lift.  scan my pass and just then the 2 old skiers ski up to the lift.  'hey, how did a boarder beat us down?  we'll ride up again and see if he's having as much fun as we are...'  halfway up the lift and one of the old guys pulls out a hash pipe and just goes to town with his partner.  'you want some?'  'no, i really don't smoke.'  'oh, yeah...'  'but i'm kind of training for boardercross racing.  you want to race down the hill?'  'ehhhh, you're racing across the border?  against mexicans?  ah, hah, hah, hah!!!  sure...'  so we get of the lift, race down, i get there first.  they roll up and are like, 'wow, clearly you're not having as much fun as we are...'

 

2 dudes, a chick and me.  me - 'so how's your day going?'  everyone - 'oh, great.'  dude 1 - 'actually, i've kind of got a little numbness in my right foot.'  us - 'are your boots too tight?  your bindings too tight?'  dude 1 - no, i think it has something to do with sometimes when i land a jump and i land really hard and it feels like my bones kind of compress the nerves and maybe scratch them or something like that.  i get this numbness feeling sometimes.  one time i got it and the numbness didn't go away for like 6 months.'  us - jaws semi dropped - are you serious?  wow...  girl - 'yeah, a couple years ago i was just ripping down the mountain - just right over there - and i hit a patch of ice and the board came out from under me.  it was all over - when you crash at that speed on ice it's gonna be bad - i tore BOTH of my meniscusses (knees).  i sat there for about 10 minutes, and the ski patroller came by offering a ride, but i didn't want the bodybag, so i stood up, and fell down right away, but then got back up and made it down the hill.  i couldn't walk for 6 months.'