At night, it's not uncommon to see a slug along one of the baseboards in my kitchen. I don't think I've ever seen more than one, but it's not always the same slug because sometimes I'll see a really little one and sometimes I see a big one. I guess they have a rotation set up. I don't know exactly where they're coming in, or why, but it might have to do with my trash can? I haven't really investigated too thoroughly.
The annoying things about slugs is that I can't kill them like other pests. If I see a spider, I step on it. If I see a wasp, I spray it from as far away as possible. If I see a mouse, I put out a trap. But what do I do with a slug? Sometimes I just throw them outside, which probably does more to frustrate the slug than it does to deter him. (I say "him", but that's not really accurate. Turns out, slugs are either hermaphrodites or females, depending on whether they've ever had their penises gnawed off.) I've heard you can set out a slug trap bated with beer, but when I tried last summer, I caught a grand total of zero slugs. I would try it again out of desperation, but we don't really drink beer, so I'd have to go to a liquor store 8 months pregnant to get a Pabst (I'm assuming slugs aren't beer connoisseurs). Plus, I don't like the idea of leaving beer out in the yard with my dog as I don't know whether she is genetically predisposed to alcoholism.
This morning when I went outside to feed my dog, there was a huge slug on the side of the house, along with two big slugs on the outer rim of my dog's food bowl. I already have an outer pan of water that the dog's food bowl sits in, but the slugs were so long and adhesive, they'd managed to cross the moat. This was the final straw. I used a stick to gather the slugs together, then went looking for the Morten girl. As soon as that salt hit the slugs, they immediately recoiled to about a third of their size. I guess this is the worst thing you can do to a slug. When I got home, they hadn't moved from their original locations, so it looked like some sort of slimy slug death camp right there on my back deck. I left the slugs where they'd died just to serve as an example to the others, but I'm not sure slugs have attained the sort of cognitive abilities required to appreciate the weight of the threat against them. I'll just have to wait and see.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Rabid Velociraptors - Knowing is Half the Battle
Last week someone at work sent me a link to a webpage explaining the dangers of velociraptors. According to the website, "velociraptor attack is the 3rd leading cause of death for men age 27-29." And this whole time I've thought the 3rd leading cause of death for that age group was scurvy (right behind "stupid bicycle tricks" and heart disease).
After calculating the risk of death by velociraptor, I got to thinking about what other under-publicized causes of death might be lurking in the shadows of ignorance. The first thing that came to my mind was rabies. Most people don't realize how serious rabies is, but you really have to be careful. For instance, you may think that rabies can be cured by a little shot, but that's only if you seek early treatment. Once the rabies virus has reached the brain and symptoms begin to appear, treatment is useless. You can count on one hand the number of documented cases of people surviving symptomatic rabies. This is serious business!
While I was thinking about this, it occured to me that there was a potention overlap in these two dangers. I can't find any research on the subject, but can you imagine the damage that could be spread if velociraptors can carry rabies? I've only ever heard of rabies infecting warm-blooded mammels, but if velociraptors have evolved to be able to open doors, what else are they capable of???
I suppose it's a moot point as to whether velociraptors can transmit rabies, because what are the chances of surviving a velociraptor attack in the first place? However, have you seen the amount of saliva those thing produce? Consider the dire situation you'd be in if you survived a velociraptor attack with only cuts and scrapes, only to find out later that the infected raptor spit got into one of the cuts and left you with a raging case of rabies? Talk about raining on your parade.
Please, dear readers, I don't write this to scare you. In fact, I hope, if nothing else, this post will empower you. Know your enemy (whether it be velociraptors, rabies, or both) and know how to combat them. If you fear you may be exposed to any of these threats in the future, please keep a tire iron handy and talk to your doctor about vaccination.
After calculating the risk of death by velociraptor, I got to thinking about what other under-publicized causes of death might be lurking in the shadows of ignorance. The first thing that came to my mind was rabies. Most people don't realize how serious rabies is, but you really have to be careful. For instance, you may think that rabies can be cured by a little shot, but that's only if you seek early treatment. Once the rabies virus has reached the brain and symptoms begin to appear, treatment is useless. You can count on one hand the number of documented cases of people surviving symptomatic rabies. This is serious business!
While I was thinking about this, it occured to me that there was a potention overlap in these two dangers. I can't find any research on the subject, but can you imagine the damage that could be spread if velociraptors can carry rabies? I've only ever heard of rabies infecting warm-blooded mammels, but if velociraptors have evolved to be able to open doors, what else are they capable of???
I suppose it's a moot point as to whether velociraptors can transmit rabies, because what are the chances of surviving a velociraptor attack in the first place? However, have you seen the amount of saliva those thing produce? Consider the dire situation you'd be in if you survived a velociraptor attack with only cuts and scrapes, only to find out later that the infected raptor spit got into one of the cuts and left you with a raging case of rabies? Talk about raining on your parade.
Please, dear readers, I don't write this to scare you. In fact, I hope, if nothing else, this post will empower you. Know your enemy (whether it be velociraptors, rabies, or both) and know how to combat them. If you fear you may be exposed to any of these threats in the future, please keep a tire iron handy and talk to your doctor about vaccination.
Baby room update
For those of you interested in baby updates...this one's for you.
We got the replacement leg for the crib so Daniel finished putting that together. We've since added a glider, which is amazingly comfortable. The one we got not only glides, but reclines, which I think means if it were a decorating component on The Sims, the "comfort" stat would be a solid 9.
In other baby-related news, this week marks the transition from second to third trimester. Still smooth sailing up to this point, so no complaints. I have a check-up with my doctor tomorrow afternoon, but I think it's just going to be a quick one. No ultrasounds and no drinking glucose laden orange soda this time.
We got the replacement leg for the crib so Daniel finished putting that together. We've since added a glider, which is amazingly comfortable. The one we got not only glides, but reclines, which I think means if it were a decorating component on The Sims, the "comfort" stat would be a solid 9.
In other baby-related news, this week marks the transition from second to third trimester. Still smooth sailing up to this point, so no complaints. I have a check-up with my doctor tomorrow afternoon, but I think it's just going to be a quick one. No ultrasounds and no drinking glucose laden orange soda this time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)