I’m having trouble getting past the potato bug episode. That thing really pushes the hard-wired revulsion buttons.

I’m not afraid of snakes nor spiders, but I’m sure afraid of the potato bug! And vermin, not a fan of vermin.

I remember when we had a mouse problem in a flat I lived in in San Francisco in my early 20s. There were five of us and we lived like filthy pigs. We also had, at various times, a cockroach problem, maggot problem, and general willingness-to-live-disgustingly problem.

Anyway! We put out mousetraps and they worked great, except for the fact there were now mice in the mousetraps. Only my roommate Leslie and I were willing to even attempt to dispose of the demised animals.

I remember us standing in the kitchen, trying to summon all the courage we had, in order to pick up a sprung mousetrap (with accompanying mouse) and drop it in the trash. After squealing and clinging to each other, I managed to pick up the trap.

Suddenly, I imagined that the mouse was still alive. I completely blacked out in sheer terror. The next conscious moment, I was standing outside the kitchen with the door closed, with Leslie trapped inside, screaming.

Nice to know that when I’m experiencing panic, my impulse is to push loved ones towards the danger.