1) They do not invade my personal space. This includes landing on me, attempting to bite or sting me, and taking up residence in my bedroom. Or some critters are not allowed to enter my apartment period.
2) They do not sneak up on me.
Yesterday morning I woke up to find a dead roach on the floor. It was small by Okinawa standards (only about 2 inches long) but large by my standards. However, it was dead. Laying on it's back, legs folded up, wings splayed out. Not cool that it was in my house, but nothing really to get worked up about. At first I decided I would just leave it for Peter - husbands are good at cleaning up gross stuff after all. Then I remembered that he will be deploying soon and I should probably be a big girl and clean it up on my own.
I got a nice wad of papertowels so I wouldn't have to touch it. I scooped it up. I flipped it over to look at it and congratulate myself on my bravery. Then IT MOVED. I screamed. I threw it across the room. I ran in the opposite direction. It took until I was safely hidden in the bedroom before I realized that it was just a bug. Plus only one leg had moved. So I crept back out and checked on it. It was laying upside down on the floor again. If you don't have any experience with roaches - they fly. This one did not. It just landed on it's back on the floor again. So it must have been close to death. But it still took me nearly half an hour to get up the courage to attack it with a shoe. And then longer to pick it up again and safely deposit it in the toilet. Mission accomplished.
In an effort to recover from the trauma of the nearly-dead-but-not-quite roach I am posting a picture of something soft and cuddly. In the foreground is a stuffed animal. In the background is my cat, back when she was still sweet and cute.
3 comments:
I am laughing so hard!
Not at you, but totally in commiseration.
I'm originally from Arizona, and they grow 'em mutant-size down there, and they also fly.
(They sound like a small plane buzzing by when they are airborne)
Gives me the willies just thinking about them.
i had a similar experience recently while housesitting. however, the bug wasnt dead or almost dead. and it wasn't laying in plain sight. it was on my shower towel and i didnt realize it until the towel was wrapped around me. i thought i was going to die.
but i also wanted to tell you about this book im reading, "the idiot girls' action-adventure club" by laurie notaro. it's pretty funny, a quick read. once i'm done with it, i told mo she could read it but after that i can send it out to you if you want. love you!
Roaches are the absolute worst. The worst. Ick!
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