current cockroach death count: 10

Today's cockroach killing was the most traumatic of any yet. While getting ready to go to work this morning, I nearly stepped, with my bare foot, on a dead cockroach laying on its back in the middle of our living room. So I get some toilet paper from the bathroom to pick up the damn thing and dispose of it. I go to pick up the roach, but as I make contact, the thing COMES ALIVE and scutters away a few inches, at which point I have a mini-freak out. Now, I don't freak out over things very easily, but when you're mentally prepared to pick up something that's dead and then it comes alive on you, it's disconcerting. Still gives me shivers to think about it.

Anyway, I get my bearings, find a sandal, and give it a solid whack (I've gotten pretty good at whacking roaches hard enough that they are stunned or killed, but not so hard that they splatter and ooze blood and guts), poke it with the sandal a few times to make sure it's REALLY dead this time, pick it up, and flush it.

Lessons learned:

1. Cockroaches often play dead in order to try to induce freak-out heart attacks in humans.
2. Alway give ALL cockroaches a good shoe-whack before proceeding to dispose of them.
3. A cockroach's antenae are its freakiest physical feature.
4. Cockroaches are the true incarnate of evil.
   

current cockroach death count: 9

current cockroach death count: 7

the dark days

I’ve killed 5 huge cockroaches in our flat in the last 3 days. And I mean HUGE. Before this week, we’d only seen one roach every now and again. Maybe it’s the season change? Or maybe the pipes in the building are being worked on, forcing the cockroaches to flee? Either way, this is no good and I’m waging a full-out war on roaches. Naphthalene balls, boric acid, that chalky pen thing, roach spray… I’m going for ALL of it. Those damn roaches will be sorry they ever messed with Flat 10F.

Current cockroach death count: 5

'hey' buddies, indian style

Every other weekend, I've been going to Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa that's about a 7 hour train ride from Kolkata, to conduct some trainings for work.  So far I've been twice and have to go twice more.  On my way down there this weekend, I get on the train and find my seat, which is super confusing in 3AC now that they've added a 3rd bunk on the side, but maybe I'll do a separate post on that later.   A guy walks on whom I instantly recognize and start saying hello to... except I don't actually know him at all.  He happened to be on my train two weeks ago and we exchanged a few words about how confusing the new seating arrangements are.  This time, we both had that weird moment strangers have when you recognize each other, have the urge to acknowledge each other, realize that you don't actually know each other, and try to suppress your urge to acknowledge each other all in the same instant, resulting in a meek and awkward exchange of grunts slash nods slash sputtering coughs. 

So I now have an Indian train 'hey' buddy, which I think has been one of my goals in life without me really realizing it.  I wonder if I'll see him again the weekend after next.