My first accident ("accident") was someone rolling back into my SO NEW CAR with their EVEN NEWER BIGGER CAR, and he was pissed at me that I got insurance involved.

Two weeks into my first car? Yeah, I followed rules. Fuck off.

Yikes, Matt!

chromebook pixel, shrift? Is this work provided?

Yes, but now that I have one for work I'm becoming more convinced that the price tag isn't totally ridonk and prohibitive.

Take some ibuprofen, Matt. I'm glad you're okay.

Finished the preemie trilogy. Oof. It's an odd testament to what Kat shared that it wasn't new to me, but it brought back how harrowing that time with the twins was, and I was a distant friend. And how glad I am of them. Noah went home on my birthday, best present ever.

Y'all, I have a rat. Outside. I'd seen it in the last couple of weeks, alway running back to my neighbor's ivy jungle after sipping from the puddle that forms after a heavy rain on my walk. I'd thought it a field mouse, but it's bigger now and definitely a rat, though not the monstrous species that I've seen around. Fine. Not great, but HIS yard, I mentioned it to him. This afternoon, I pulled up and it is gambolling along my front walk and yard and just cocks its head when I open my car door. Cute, but oh the hells no. I approach, it runs into a crack under my steps (hollow under there ) and peeks out at me, whiskers aquiver. NOT ON. It is due to rain, but I'm making a cat pee litter sachet to put in front of the crack. I brushed Loki and stuffed the fur into the crack.

We will always have rats. I actually don't begrudge them, think many are kinda cute, but the population needs to be controlled and kept out of homes and burrowing in yards. I don't want to encourage them living under my front steps! And with as many free-roaming cats in the hood (clearly FALLING DOWN ON THE JOB!) I don't dare use poison. Plus, cute.

Matt, yikes! Glad you're all right! What an idiot.

Man, that micropreemie story is just amazing.

I read all three just now. I couldn't help weeping. It is an amazing story, and she's a really good writer.

Ugh sarameg, I totally feel you on the rat front! We finally got rid of the ones in the attic, but we recently saw a new one in the backyard. Hates them! Do not share your cute reaction, but like you I don't want to use poison given all the cats in the neighborhood.

As long as they are outside, I'm pretty cool with them, though I don't like the skittering in the alley, trashdiving and when I see them trying to start a nest, I obstruct. And this one was so...domestic, chillin' in its new garden flat... Cat-neighbors Pooch and Kittyboy have limited roaming and Pooch has poached rats, so do not EVER want to harm them.

I like rats as a species, but city rats can be a hazard.

They give me the heebie-jeebies.

This one was all bright eyed and not very ratlike. Hence, I thought it a field mouse at first (it was smaller then!) Some of the rats I've seen around are probably 5+lbers and some rivaled small cats! This one is just an overgrown mouse.

That said, I've heard stories of when Memorial Stadium (the perimeter of former parking lot maybe 25yds away? The old seating maybe 100?) was demolished and the rivers of rats that streamed into the 'hood on a daily basis. You couldn't drive down the street without squashing at least one. The city sent out door-to-door vets to do rabies vacs to household pets because they were that worried.

Now THAT would have me screaming.

Rats totally freak me out, even though I grew up with a lot of white lab rats around (snake food, I'm afraid). But the big brown-grey Norwegian rats? Give me the shudders, like Burrell.