a manhattan tail

It has happened again.

It was only a matter of time.

I have a new roommate. Well, a temporary one anyway.

Last Monday my roommate and I were chatting in the kitchen when she screamed bloody murder. That's right. A mouse. Lucky us.

I think I previously blogged about the mouse problem I had in my old apartment several years ago. This time around we think it is just one little guy who came in through our doors when we had them open all day long during a recent shindig we had for some friends. In fact, we dare say we disturbed his lovely mouse home outside on our patio in an attempt to make it look less like a weedy jungle.

We were unsuccessful in catching him last week so we bought some traps (the kind that don't work) and called it a night. I hadn't been home for the evening in a while and no one had seen him. We were hoping he'd politely let himself out.

Nope.

Last night roommate and I were watching TV when we saw him scurry into our fireplace. It was 11:30pm. We knew we had to try and trap him and get him out. So we gathered the mouse-catching essentials: a big cardboard TV box, several Tupperware containers of various sizes, a copy of US Weekly with Kim Kardashian on the cover, a CB2 catalog, gardening gloves, a flashlight, and I donned my old gross sneakers because if the little guy scurried across my foot without protection I knew I would be losing my ish completely. We sealed him in the fireplace with the TV box and just stood there like deer in headlights, afraid to make another move. Other roommate came home and she, being much braver than the two of us, got down to business, trying to coax him out. He didn't move. There was an unused pile of wood in the fireplace and we knew he was in there.

She even enlisted the help of an innocent passerby who had just come home from work. Poor guy was good sport about it and we met a neighbor. (PS - This may be why she had a boyfriend and the other two of us don't... Just sayin'.) By 1am there was still a mouse running free and I had to go to bed. I think I finally got to sleep around 2.

Dear Mouse,

We didn't want to hurt you. Next time you choose to come out please be mindful of the time. 8pm is perfect. Any later and you will be calling my office and explaining why I am late the next day.

xo,

M

PS - So sorry about the forthcoming glue traps. Don't tell PETA.