Small rodents

This is a 2 part post.

Part 1 is a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAM! Sam is one year older (but still younger than me) today, and I'm sorry I can't be there to give him a huge hug. Sam and I share an affinity for cute small rodents, such as guinea pigs, hamsters, and chinchillas.

Part 2, however, is about the small rodents I DON'T like, specifically rats and mice. Yesterday I started my run rather late, at about 8PM; it was still light out but dusk was approaching rapidly. As I rounded the first bend in the canal, listening to Jimmy Eat World, what pops out of the bushes but a RAT. Now. I lived in New York. I watched the rats frolic on the subway rails in between trains. I saw them scurry out from under garbage bags and disappear into the sewer. But this rat, which was not that big but still a RAT, was running full speed ahead STRAIGHT AT ME on the towpath.

What did I do? What I normally do when confronted with a rodent that's not domesticated: I automatically screamed like a banshee and jumped up and down until it made a sharp left and headed back into the bushes. As soon as it left the path, I continued my run while laughing at myself. It made the rest of the run seem like cake.