More wildlife spottings

The great convenience about where I live is the fact that I can walk out my apartment door and run for an hour without touching the same road twice. There are, however, a few cautions to be advised: first, armadillos. They may look cute in a prehistoric "I-can-withstand-a-bomb-blast" way, but don't let these armour-cladden rodents fool you. Legend has it these varmints first carried and spread leprosy. I was running through my barrio the other day when I saw one, and I immediately ran from a smooth heart rate to 200+ beats per minute as I wanted to be no where near this miscreant.

Second: alligators. I know the wildlife quite well surrounding all the ponds/lakes in my neighborhood, and I even have a few "friends" I see on a regular basis. This one day last week was an exception; about 60yds away I spot an odd looking little lizard, which in fact was not little nor was it a lizard, but rather a 3ft+ alligator ready to chomp on my leg. Okay, it wasn't going to chomp on my leg, but it could have, but I did not give it the opportunity as I yet again went from my steady pace running to terminal velocity in less than one second. Additionally, I thought to myself, "This must be a baby gator, which means it probably has a mommy and daddy and a big brother somewhere close." Next time I'm jogging through my 'hood, I shall bring my bayou knife (I just have to buy one first).

Third: I can't really think of anything else, but I did see a raccoon running across the entrance to my neighborhood, and let me tell you, these creatures need some serious work on their running technique. If you've never witnessed these masked bandits running, they look like an obese cat with a shaved tail and a pointy face running with their dairy aires stuck up in the "I just got kicked in the butt" position. Graphic, I know.

Moral of the story is: when you go apartment hunting, make it a point to check the creatures indigenous to your area, especially if you are going to be exposed to them on a daily basis with nothing between you and them except skimpy synthetic fibre running shorts and running shoes.

As for me, life is grand. My training is going splendidly (no details given unless requested). Work is going swimmingly, and my short game is improving due to all the putting and chipping I am doing in the grass next to my apartment.

post scriptum - Let me know if you would like for me to include anything in my writing about my life/training down here in Orlando. I am open to suggestions! I'll be here all week. Don't try the meatloaf...