Overdue Introduction

[Al]

Well expressed. It would seem that in an introductory thread, letting the topic stray is a good way to get to know the new person, with their participation.

And while I've been napping, the thread has evolved quickly, though coalescing, apparently, on entomological matters. (Blame Sangye and her worries about uninfested meditation pillows!) So, Anne, do you feel now like you know a bunch of us and our strange concerns and proclivities? (My guess is that you ain't heard nuthin' yet.) Or maybe you feel like you've shown up at a party after everyone was already feeling no pain (so to speak; in this forum, pain is more or less a bar-stool discussion point!). Anyway, thanks for being a good sport about all the stinky crawly things and Putins! Come to think about it, maybe the whole business is more appropriate than it looks. The software engineers (my son in-law is one) laugh uproariously (particularly when they are feeling no pain) at the following joke: The guy at the restaurant calls over the waiter and says, "there's a bug in my soup!" The waiter peers at the bowl, and retorts huffily, "Sir, that is not a bug. That is an undocumented feature!"

There are many undocumented features here, Anne. They just await discovery.

Al

[Al]

Above is a picture of the critter that terrifies residents of Johannesburg especially when threatened and they jump towards you. They are actually harmless and are valued by a few keen gardeners as they are predators for lots of garden pests like snails etc but most people hate them!. They look prehistoric, they are quite big and they also squirt a foul smelling liquid when threatened. Often they get into homes and when there seek out a dark hiding place....... they are often discovered only when you try to put your shoe on. They are actually from the cricket family but look like prawns and so that it how they got their name.....Parktown Prawns (from the suburb where they were first discovered in Johannesburg in the early 60's)

Aha! Another undocumented feature--and a pretty cool one at that! Thanks, Rose!

[annekat]

And while I've been napping, the thread has evolved quickly, though coalescing, apparently, on entomological matters. (Blame Sangye and her worries about uninfested meditation pillows!) So, Anne, do you feel now like you know a bunch of us and our strange concerns and proclivities? (My guess is that you ain't heard nuthin' yet.) Or maybe you feel like you've shown up at a party after everyone was already feeling no pain (so to speak; in this forum, pain is more or less a bar-stool discussion point!). Anyway, thanks for being a good sport about all the stinky crawly things and Putins! Come to think about it, maybe the whole business is more appropriate than it looks. The software engineers (my son in-law is one) laugh uproariously (particularly when they are feeling no pain) at the following joke: The guy at the restaurant calls over the waiter and says, "there's a bug in my soup!" The waiter peers at the bowl, and retorts huffily, "Sir, that is not a bug. That is an undocumented feature!"

There are many undocumented features here, Anne. They just await discovery.

Al

LOL! And no, I don't mind, I come from a zoologically oriented family and interest in these things is somewhat built in. As for Putin, doesn't he have just exactly the right face for what we use him for here. And you may not have heard nuthin' yet from me, either!

Anne

[annekat]

Above is a picture of the critter that terrifies residents of Johannesburg especially when threatened and they jump towards you. They are actually harmless and are valued by a few keen gardeners as they are predators for lots of garden pests like snails etc but most people hate them!. They look prehistoric, they are quite big and they also squirt a foul smelling liquid when threatened. Often they get into homes and when there seek out a dark hiding place....... they are often discovered only when you try to put your shoe on. They are actually from the cricket family but look like prawns and so that it how they got their name.....Parktown Prawns (from the suburb where they were first discovered in Johannesburg in the early 60's)

Parktown Prawns : I Love Animals and Nature Story & Experience

When I saw that, I said, "It reminds me of a potato bug". Then I googled it and found out it IS a potato bug! That's what I've always heard them called. I've only seen one or two in my life. As I child I visited an Indian burial ground near San Francisco and saw one there. They are truly scary and creepy looking. I don't know if they are prevalent in the U.S., if perhaps they were introduced, or even if they are exactly the same variety as what you have in S. Africa. Maybe someone can chime in?

Did anyone ever have that game of "Cooties" as a child? It was sort of like Mr. Potato Head, where you assembled the complete thing from parts. It was shaped very much like a Jerusalem Cricket, or Potato Bug, or Parktown Prawn. There are some great images of this bug on the web. (BTW, I just googled the Cootie game and it is the 1949 version, not the 1986 version, that looks like this bug, not in color but in shape.)

Anne

[Chris G]

Above is a picture of the critter that terrifies residents of Johannesburg especially when threatened and they jump towards you. They are actually harmless and are valued by a few keen gardeners as they are predators for lots of garden pests like snails etc but most people hate them!. They look prehistoric, they are quite big and they also squirt a foul smelling liquid when threatened. Often they get into homes and when there seek out a dark hiding place....... they are often discovered only when you try to put your shoe on. They are actually from the cricket family but look like prawns and so that it how they got their name.....Parktown Prawns (from the suburb where they were first discovered in Johannesburg in the early 60's)

Parktown Prawns : I Love Animals and Nature Story & Experience

Rose - have we spoken before? I lived in Port Elizabeth for a couple of years as a child. It's beautiful. I dream of going back there someday.

Now I've really hijacked Anne's thread!

[Al]

Rose - have we spoken before? I lived in Port Elizabeth for a couple of years as a child. It's beautiful. I dream of going back there someday.

Now I've really hijacked Anne's thread!

Don't worry Chris. Anne has already said that she loves a good hijacking, and it's been noted that she is not above hijacking the hijack. She claims it allows us to get to know each other better or somesuch...

So, for the rest of us, where is Port Elizabeth? What are the cool bugs there?

Al

[Chris G]

Port Elizabeth is a suburb of Johannesberg, South Africa. I don't remember encountering the bugs that Rose mentioned. I do recall an abundance of seriously dangerous snakes though! My parents hired people to come to our house weekly to "beat" the bushes, to get rid of the snakes.

[Rose]

Childhood memories!! Actually Chris, Port Elizabth is one of South Africa's largest cities and is closer to Cape Town than Johannesburg but still 800km from Cape Town on South Africa's south east coast. I dont know if Parktown Prawns are found there. I do know that snakes are usually found on the outskirts of South African cities and beyond. Some people own small plots of land or small farms on the outskirts of the cities and there you can be bothered by snakes but personally, I have never came across one in a residential area though it is not unheard of it is very rare. And yes, we have lots of very dangerous snakes and so when out in the 'bush' as we call it here one has to take due care....though I haven't seen many in the bush either but I know they are around!!

Yes. it is a beautiful country with so much to offer the tourist....pity about the crime!

[Al]

Childhood memories!! Actually Chris, Port Elizabth is one of South Africa's largest cities and is closer to Cape Town than Johannesburg but still 800km from Cape Town on South Africa's south east coast. I dont know if Parktown Prawns are found there. I do know that snakes are usually found on the outskirts of South African cities and beyond. Some people own small plots of land or small farms on the outskirts of the cities and there you can be bothered by snakes but personally, I have never came across one in a residential area though it is not unheard of it is very rare. And yes, we have lots of very dangerous snakes and so when out in the 'bush' as we call it here one has to take due care....though I haven't seen many in the bush either but I know they are around!!

Thanks, Rose, for the geographic update!

(Don't you just love it, Anne? Snakes now! Wonder what's next?)

Al

[Chris G]

Childhood memories!! Actually Chris, Port Elizabth is one of South Africa's largest cities and is closer to Cape Town than Johannesburg but still 800km from Cape Town on South Africa's south east coast. I dont know if Parktown Prawns are found there. I do know that snakes are usually found on the outskirts of South African cities and beyond. Some people own small plots of land or small farms on the outskirts of the cities and there you can be bothered by snakes but personally, I have never came across one in a residential area though it is not unheard of it is very rare. And yes, we have lots of very dangerous snakes and so when out in the 'bush' as we call it here one has to take due care....though I haven't seen many in the bush either but I know they are around!!

Yes. it is a beautiful country with so much to offer the tourist....pity about the crime!

Seems like when we were there there was quite a bit of open area. I can remember huge cement pipes laying on the ground in an area nearby (which I now know were probably sewer lines being put in the ground). So, I think maybe we were in a newly developed area, at that time. I remember there being a large open field/wooded area across the street from my house, which we were not allowed to play in because of the snakes. Is the crime in the suburbs bad as well? Or just in the cities? Cause we have our fair share of crime here in our cities as well!

Go ahead........Putin me!