The other day, I was in Safeway—buying Diet Dr Pepper, naturally—when I heard the guy up ahead of me say something to his friends that I was positive I must have misheard. Specifically, what I heard him say was "and there's this really awesome parasitic wasp that drives its victims like cars." Now, I like parasitic wasps. I am, one might say, unduly fascinated by parasitic wasps. So I tend to assume that when I hear other people bring them up in conversation, I'm hearing them wrong.
I began shamelessly eavesdropping...and wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, he was talking about insect parasitism! Yay! As the conversation swung toward blood flukes, I interjected to note that blood flukes were probably largely responsible for the evolution of gendered reproduction. He looked, in a word, delighted.
What followed was the largest, rowdiest, happiest discussion of parasite behavior I have ever been involved with outside of a group of my friends. All five of the people involved had read Parasite Rex, and parthenogentic reproduction came up, gleefully.
I think I may have met my male equivalent from a nearby parallel dimension.
I disagree. I think she should have gotten his phone number. (You DID get his phone number, right Seanan?) I anticipate with glee the trouble that she, and this dude, and their circle of weirdo friends, would get into together.
It helps that I live on the other side of the continent. But my enthusiasm is genuine.
geeky
June 30 2010, 17:32:28 UTC 7 years ago
It helps that I live on the other side of the continent. But my enthusiasm is genuine.
July 1 2010, 04:12:53 UTC 7 years ago
Woe.
July 1 2010, 05:21:29 UTC 7 years ago
July 6 2010, 15:15:04 UTC 7 years ago