So tomorrow I am leaving for a week long trip to Peru with my friend Carrie. I decided that now, the day before I leave, would probably be the right time to start packing for my trip. So, I burrowed into the closet and found my backpacking bag and pulled it out only to discover that I never actually fully unpacked the bag from my trip to India…a trip I took in the summer of 2011. In case you were wondering, that trip occurred approximately 2.5 years ago. So, you know, clearly I am a responsible and reasonable adult. Anyway do you know what I found in there?? Aside from my Chaco sandals and a pair of super old running shoes I discovered mace in a pink leather holster sort of thing gifted to me by my awesome and hilarious friend Kendra. So now let us take a little trip down memory lane, shall we?
Kendra gifted me my stylish mace one night when we were out having a drink. Or maybe she gave it to me and then I went and had a drink. I guess it really isn’t important. The important part of the story is that I walked to my house 10 blocks from the F and G stop with my mace, slightly inebriated, all the while wondering what I would do if someone were to approach me in an intimidating manner. I decided that when I got home the first order of business was to make sure my mace worked and figure out how to spray a possible assailant quickly and efficiently.
Fast forward about 10 minutes.
I could hardly contain my excitement! I got home, took the mace out of its cute little pink house, and looked at the instruction booklet. It said not to spray the mace into the wind because it would be blown right back into your own face. Not ideal. It was a little windy and I didn’t trust myself, in that state, to figure out the direction the wind was coming from. So, sadly, I put my mace back in its house and moped my way up the stairs. But I had to know if it worked! I just had to! So you know what I did? I went into the bathroom and sprayed the mace into the sink.
So you know something about sinks? They are bowled which means that if you spray an aerosol thing into them the spray just sort of bounces off the sink and, you guessed it, goes directly into your face. Do you know what hurts? Getting maced in the face. Do you know what makes you an idiot? Macing yourself in the face in the bathroom.
So, just let that sink in (no pun intended) and remember: I did this so you don’t have to.