Since our townhouses are next to a lake/pond on campus, there was some rain at the end of the summer and the weather is still warm and a little humid here, the mosquito population is far from suffering. Sean and I began to note the rising numbers buzzing around our heads at night with increasing alarm. First we broke down and bought mosquito nets. Then Ken, another teacher here, introduced us to a mosquito racket and let us borrow it for a week. We liked it so much that we went out and bought our own after that.
A mosquito racket is basically an electrically charged tennis racket used to swing at bugs and fry them upon contact with a bright flash of blue light and a satisfyingly loud 'crack' of electricity. Think of it as a hand-held bug-zapper. Though these fly-swatters-on-steroids may exist in the United States, I have never seen one before I came to China and have been a little fascinated (and addicted) to them.
Those who know me remember that I am a little freaked about by electricity, voltage of any sort, loud noises and fast-moving objects. That being said, Sean is the main captain of the mosquito racket and he always brings it when he comes over to keep the population of blood-sucking pests under control. The mosquitoes over here are a bit different than those in the U.S. I am convinced they fly faster and are larger than the ones I am used to. They seem to be quite resilient and sometimes it takes two or three shocks by the racket for full and complete annihilation. The bites of the mosquitoes here also seem to itch more and last longer than the mosquitoes back home.
Using a mosquito racket can lead to an obession, however, and Sean likes to use it every chance he gets especially on bigger insects like flies and spiders which creates a veritable pyrotechnic display of roasting. Ken says that last year he and Dave used to crack open some beers, ready the racket, open the door, and let the evening of free entertainment begin.
Before I go to bed, Sean does a sweep of my room and even if I am downstairs I can hear the distinctive 'snap' 'pop' 'pop' and I give a little shiver of delight as I know the enemy is losing in numbers. When I head to bed, I can still smell a hint of electric smoke - the telltales signs of the battle that waged only moments before. The last thing I see before I close my eyes are a few more fried remains on the top of my tent and I give a satisfying and sleepy sigh of relief.
Thanks to Catherine for her inspiration on how to name this post - I love your always witty and relevant one-liners as your titles!
Ha ha, well, it's nice to know I inspire people, even if they're not my students. (Half the time, I'm just quoting people.) This blog is so entertaining, I'm impressed with how much you're updating! :)
That's so amazing that you've got the mosquito racket so soon. It will be fun for you to fight with the mosquitos with this racket. It reminds me of crazy Dave with his mosquito racket.