Althouse: Going to the dump to shoot rats.

April 28, 2008

Going to the dump to shoot rats.

= Megan McArdle's "weirdest date."

16 comments:

Freeman Hunt said...: Ha. I just read that too. The rat shooting date was my favorite part.; 4/28/08, 9:14 AM
MadisonMan said...: I have to wonder: why during an horridly bad date -- and Megan McArdle's laughably bad date certainly qualifies! -- does a person not get up and leave? Excuse yourself and go to the bathroom and never come back! Or just stand and say Good Bye.

I'm not saying I'd be able to do that. It's certainly impolite. But it would be a timesaver!; 4/28/08, 9:28 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: Or just stand and say Good Bye.

Sure, why not? I did that while single and in college. But I wouldn't have done it if someone had taken me to the dump to shoot rats--that would have been a fascinating date, and I'd have wanted to see what would happen next.

Suddenly leaving is generally reserved for unacceptably rude behavior.; 4/28/08, 9:42 AM
Bob said...: Sounds like a Jerry Clower sort of date. Old Jayree used to tell funny stories about "rat-killin's."; 4/28/08, 9:43 AM
Mortimer Brezny said...: What's with all this dating that doesn't lead to sex?; 4/28/08, 10:06 AM
AllenS said...: I've found out that one sure way to impress most women is to invite them over to go horseback riding. I've also noted that a lot of women want to go hunting. Not to mention that most want to shoot a gun at least once in their life.; 4/28/08, 10:12 AM
MadisonMan said...: I agree that the rat-shooting would have been too interesting to ditch -- but I think you have to consider that any date you go on might end badly. What is your exit strategy? If you're in the middle of nowhere at a dump, and you've been driven there by your date, you have few options.

My advice to my daughter when she starts dating in 25 years when she's 39 :) is to never put yourself in a position on a first date where you depend on the guy to get you safely home.; 4/28/08, 10:36 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: What is your exit strategy? If you're in the middle of nowhere at a dump, and you've been driven there by your date, you have few options.

Very good point.; 4/28/08, 11:07 AM
Ron said...: rat-shooting with handguns is boring...but with mortars? Now that's a date!; 4/28/08, 11:37 AM
jeff said...: "rat-shooting with handguns is boring"

Oh,my friend. You've been shooting at the wrong dump then.

One thing about that date is its unlikely the man will be asking how his date plans on "paying" for her date while she holds a loaded handgun.; 4/28/08, 12:11 PM
Kirk Parker said...: Freeman,

"But I wouldn't have done it if someone had taken me to the dump to shoot rats--that would have been a fascinating date, and I'd have wanted to see what would happen next."

No you don't. Really, you don't.; 4/28/08, 1:09 PM
blogging cockroach said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/28/08, 1:11 PM
blogging cockroach said...: and what may i ask is wrong with shooting rats
at the dump or anywhere else except maybe out on mass ave
where you might hit a harvard student
they will devour you just like that
--i mean rats not harvard students--
but come to think of it now that everyone is so green
especially harvard students who have the money
i dont have to worry so much about getting squirted with the i-word
--you know that chemical weaponry
that should be banned by the geneva convention--
but i do have to worry about rats
so go ahead and blast away because you probably wont hit me with a .22 slug
which is all you need for a rat
but if you really want to have some fun
you might consider a .44 magnum
which will do to rats what they deserve to have done to them

p s -- i think megan mcardles such a good writer
and cute too
and its really nice to hear she loves animals
so i am hoping she wouldnt hurt a fly
or me either especially if i paid
her kitchen a little visit some night; 4/28/08, 1:16 PM
MadisonMan said...: Very good point.

Maybe I've seen too many horror movies. :); 4/28/08, 1:18 PM
Anonymous said...: Shooting rats is too high-pressure for a first date. Miss a few of these puny and mobile targets, and you can pretty much forget about a second date.

M-80 fishing, now-- not only is it sure-fire but you get the fish, which is a real money-saver provided the gal's not too stuck up to gut 'em for you. Even if you do get one with an attitude like Megan's and she insists on a glass of white wine, any wine that goes with carp is going to be pretty cheap. You can afford to drink the entire box, and then you don't need to worry too much about getting your date "paid for".; 4/28/08, 1:40 PM
Ron said...: ahhh...grenade fishing...[looks skyward, nostalgicly]...good times, good times...; 4/28/08, 2:01 PM