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deird_ljSo, last night I got out some paper towel from under my sink, in an attempt to clean my glasses.
There I was, armed with glasses cleaner, and just about to tear of a square of paper towel, when I noticed that the bottom of the paper towel roll was covered in blue gunk.
Extremely sticky blue gunk.
So, naturally, I opened up the cupboard under my sink, to find out what on earth was coating my paper towel in weird blue stuff. It wasn't all that hard to figure out: right there on the shelf was a rubber glove.
Which had melted.
Melted.
How the hell did a cupboard in my kitchen get hot enough to melt rubber gloves, and why didn't I realise this earlier?
There I was, armed with glasses cleaner, and just about to tear of a square of paper towel, when I noticed that the bottom of the paper towel roll was covered in blue gunk.
Extremely sticky blue gunk.
So, naturally, I opened up the cupboard under my sink, to find out what on earth was coating my paper towel in weird blue stuff. It wasn't all that hard to figure out: right there on the shelf was a rubber glove.
Which had melted.
Melted.
How the hell did a cupboard in my kitchen get hot enough to melt rubber gloves, and why didn't I realise this earlier?
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no subject
Date: 2008-10-28 09:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-28 10:07 pm (UTC)Although the spiders really aren't as bad as all that.
Well, okay, they ARE, but we're kind of used to them. You know you've been living in Australia too long when you automatically pick up your boots and whack them to clear out potential spiders before putting them on, and the sight of a massive Huntsman just makes you sigh and reach for a glass to put over it.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-28 10:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-28 10:47 pm (UTC)From Laney
Date: 2008-10-28 10:39 pm (UTC)THAT'S ONLY IN THE TROPICS! Melbourne is very nice and boring in the spider department.
I think redbacks are the only real nasties here, aren't they? And I've only seen about 1 in my whole life. Do Huntsmen bite? I thought they were just alarmingly huge.
At least OUR Daddy-Long-Legs just walk around. In England they FLY. HUGE horrible thingys. EUGH!
As for the ENORMOUS leopard slugs they have - let's just say that I'd still be checking my boots...
(Hmph. :) )
no subject
Date: 2008-10-28 10:51 pm (UTC)What on earth would be the fun in that?
THAT'S ONLY IN THE TROPICS! Melbourne is very nice and boring in the spider department.
Rubbish. Sydney isn't the tropics, and they have Funnelwebs.
For the most part, I think we only think Melbourne is boring spider-wise because it is compared to the rest of Australia. Which isn't really saying much.
I think redbacks are the only real nasties here, aren't they? And I've only seen about 1 in my whole life. Do Huntsmen bite? I thought they were just alarmingly huge.
Well, I think they do bite if you provoke them, but they prefer eating other spiders. So really, having a Huntsman around the house can be a really good way of keeping the place spider-free. As long as your defintion of "spider-free" doesn't include Huntsmen...
At least OUR Daddy-Long-Legs just walk around. In England they FLY. HUGE horrible thingys. EUGH!
As for the ENORMOUS leopard slugs they have - let's just say that I'd still be checking my boots...
EWW! That's just alarming! Flying Daddy-Long-Legs? That would freak me out completely.
As for the slugs... *shudder*
From Laney
Date: 2008-10-29 02:27 am (UTC)I should note that the flying Daddy-Long-Legs aren't spiders. I don't even know if they bite. But imagine GIGANTIC mosquitoes with enormous long legs hooning past your ears and round your bedroom.
I stayed overnight at the camp and had to spend an extra half hour before I could go to sleep because I had to block off all the windows and then jump around the room hitting DLLs with my sneaker. And then I couldn't sleep because I'd had so much exercise.
I don't know if slugs really invade your boots. But if you leave boots outside then you should always check them, no matter where you are. What I want to know is: HOW are you supposed to check your boots for spiders without sticking your hand inside? Spiders can hang on in there...
no subject
Date: 2008-10-29 05:34 am (UTC)BTW, isn't it funny that we're capitalising "Huntsman", but not "redback" (or for that matter "elephant")?
From Laney
Date: 2008-10-29 09:22 am (UTC)So is a redback.
A Huntsman is worthy of the extra politeness, if you ask me...
(although I suspect I'm being much too blase about redbacks. Shows I live in Melbourne. And also because I've never been attacked by an elephant.)
From Laney
Date: 2008-10-29 09:24 am (UTC)Like "Tarantula".
no subject
Date: 2008-10-29 03:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-29 05:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-29 07:36 am (UTC)And redbacks and trap-doors. Trust me - I used to live right near Homebush where, before they destroyed most of it for the Olympics, there was a large park with a lake and a wetlands area. You had to be very brave to ride a bike there because in some sections the spiders would build HUUUUGE webs all the way across the path, just above head-height. Which, if you're riding a bike, is exactly at face-height. So it usually went like this:
"Ooh, pretty ducks! Is that an ibis? Look at the water-lil...AAARRGGHHH!!!! SPIDERS!!!!"
**shudder**
no subject
Date: 2008-10-29 07:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-29 02:28 pm (UTC)Can't see me ever being that blase. I can't stand the bloody things - and the ones we have here aren't even poisonous.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-29 07:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-01 04:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-29 01:10 am (UTC)And when I read that it was actually the remains of a rubber glove, I started wondering if a huge spider had dripped horribly acidic venom from its mandibles onto the glove and melted it...
*uses appropriate icon*
no subject
Date: 2008-10-29 05:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-28 09:49 pm (UTC)Rubber likes to react to stuff. It can turn into all kinds of goo without any temperature changes to help it out.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-28 10:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-29 03:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-28 09:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-28 10:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-28 10:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-28 10:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-29 06:59 am (UTC)It seems that there is only one dangerous insectoid category that we don't win now :( (The Soldier ant beats the Green Tree ant)
BrisVegas bird eating spider :/
http://goatsfoot.livejournal.com/87079.html
no subject
Date: 2008-10-29 07:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-30 10:56 am (UTC)Sadly the morbid curiosity won, and I was horrified at the size of the spider. I know, it didn't kill the darn bird, but still...the fact it was trying to turn it into food was just a bit too gruesome. Might as well have been bundling up a Jack Russell...
So glad I live in relatively safe Melb'n. Huntsmans are plenty big for me. (One heartattack every few months if one makes its way onto a wall inside is plenty. That said, haven't seen a single one since we moved house, so fingers crossed they maybe don't exist in the bush here...hahaha...)
As to rubber gloves, I find the pink ones with that slippery grey inner melt reeeally well. Especially if you use them in hot water lots, and then leave them sitting not-apart under the sink...
Also, it does tend to get warm under the sink, since the metal bowl full of boiling water is often right above...
So, been there, done that. Your gloves/ sink are not unique in their creepy habits...I bet it's a built-in fault to ensure we keep buying new ones...
no subject
Date: 2008-10-30 08:56 pm (UTC)I bet it's a built-in fault to ensure we keep buying new ones...
It probably is. So very annoying.