Packager

I had a temp job today. The title was "packager" and i was under the impression that i would be packing up science supplies for schools around the country. I was thinking workbooks or other educational materials of that sort, but really, I was packing bugs.

Yup.

Bugs and butterflies and newts and hermit crabs and fish and all sorts of flies and crickets and slugs and beetles and the food for the beetles, and yes i am serious, and yes i was certain something was crawling on me every 5 minutes.

I walked by two girls with their hands in a large tray of slugs. I learned that this company will give 25 cents if you bring a slug in, so i am thinking about looking around the garden for some. Why kill slugs when you can sell them for 25 cents?

I got a tour of the place before i started my job, and i saw some interesting things. The first thing i came across was a giant millipede. I think they are disgusting, but i would encourage you to look them up. I didn't want to put a picture on here, because, ..gross... but i want you to know what i saw, and the girl giving me the tour said, "They are very friendly," and we thankfully moved away from there before she offered to let me hold one.

I also saw a brittle starfish, except the one i held fit in the palm of my hand and it wasn't creepy. I had never seen anything like it.


Toward the end of the tour, we came to the newts, and i mentioned that i always thought they would be super soft and melty to the touch, kind of like a gummy bear that had been in the car for a few hours on a mildly hot day, or a gummy bear that had been in water for a few minutes.


Turns out they are soft and melty, but cool, and not like i could squish the little guy by holding it in the palm of my hand, which is really what i was worried about. Well, that, and i thought maybe they would leave some sort of sticky footprint.