I, Dragonslayer

Studying is going well. Blessedly, we have a three day weekend (nearly 2/3 done with at this point), due to Dominica's celebration of her thirty year independence from Great Britain (November 3rd, 1978). Monday's a national holiday, and from what I hear, there's going to be some impressive partying (carousing, as my mother likes to call it) going on as well. We were advised to take care of any and all domestic concerns - buying food, visitting the ATM, purchasing electricity - prior to the start of the weekend, because, as we all know, Caribbeans take their time off seriously. I got things squared away, and set up a study schedule for the weekend. Friday night included some questions, reading through bits and pieces of neoplasia, and reviewing pharmacology (absolutely wretched this time around, due to the fact that it's cumulative and the utter lack of any rhyme or reason). Yesterday saw a complete review of everything microbiological (all I'm gonna say is Thank God I have tomorrow too), more pharmacology, and a little bit of behavioral science.

I had everything planned out for today - all pathology, behavioral science, and lot of pharm. After heading over to Nicole's for pancakes and coffee, I was packing up to go when she came over, looking a little timid - and politely requested that I remove a lizard that had been staring at her. I almost laughed - I'd been doing this kind of thing for years! My mother designated me "lizard-remover" in an attempt to halt the passage of her unease with the spineless little critters, and I must say it worked. I'm generally pretty calm around them (aside from that one time I felt on crawling on my arm when I was sleeping - not fun). Also, they're ubiquitous in these parts, and I'm pleased and a little surprised that I don't find them in our rooms more often. So I walked back with her, and found what can only be described as a Grandaddy gecko, resting peacefully on her window sill. A while back, Nicole had put in a maintenance request to have the mosquito netting fixed down around the corner of one of her windows - that must have been how this thing made its entrance.

First of all, I'm used to gently removing things about a 10th the size of this one - I'd never even touched one this big. Second, I had a really good study day planned, and I wanted to get to it. The mosquito netting wasn't fixed, so I suggested Nicole call maintenance and let them handle it. She called down to the front desk, and was told that all of the maintenance guys were off for the holidays, but that one of the women would be up shortly. I poked it with a pen for a while, watching it swim up and down the screening in that boneless, slimy way that only little reptiles can, and I got ready to go - but then I got to thinking. I'm by no means sexist, but I wasn't going to let some front desk girl come up and wrangle this sucker - if I was going to decline the task. My ego wouldn't have been able to take it.

So I grabbed a rubber glove (who knows where that thing's been?), grabbed it, and took it outside. I was expecting much more of a fight; the little ones wriggle and squirm like it's why God made them. I must have forgotten that the little ones don't really bite. So I was holding it while Nicole was getting the camera ready, but the vicious little reptile opened its gaping maw and valiantly attacked my hand. I threw it over the balcony. Other than that, great study day.