Re: NANFA-- Knights of Noturus

DasArm_at_aol.com
Fri, 10 Dec 1999 12:31:58 EST

In a message dated 12/10/99 4:25:33 AM Eastern Standard Time,
thirdwind_at_att.net writes:

<< Does getting shocked by an electric eel in the wild qualify?

Absolutely. Makes you a charter member in fact, with Thennet, Binkley,
Borgia, Wolff, me, and whoever else has a story (and Bell when he finally
admits the bass got him).

> Where's the membership form?

No form-- just need a little more info about the unfortunate encounter. >>

I was shocked by an electric catfish. It sneaked up on me while I was
cleaning the tank out; I was looking away from it at an acquaintance who was
speaking to me at the time while I had my hand in the water (naive). It was
only a few brief moments, but enough for me to feel as if all of a sudden I
had touched an electric fence! It managed to do it one other time as well,
just becase I wasn't watching it close enough. A week later I had some
friends over partying and I told them about the incident. My brother told me
he had touched it earlier and wanted to see me touch it. during this week I
had also handled a metal drain of a garbage disposal unit which was not
properly grounded and was shocked progressively worse each time I handled it.
So by this time I had a severe aversion to being shocked by anything. So I
told my brother I didn't want to touch the fish. He then called me a coward
(actually something more demeaning, but I won't repeat it here). So my macho
ego was goaded into doing something which was (temporarily at least) one of
my top fears of the time. After several half-hearted attempts to gingerly
swipe at the fish I finally managed to touch it and was awarded by yet
another shock.Everyone started laughing and I asked them why. they then told
me that my brother never touched it. So I faced one of my worst fears for
nothing. I could have killed him! :)

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