at UW. When they had to do necropsy of the animals they had to off them some way. They had, I kid you not, a little rat guillotine for the job. I think it's more common than I knew at the time, but I had to see it to believe it. He also told me that one of the women who worked in the lab, a young undergrad, screwed it up the first time she had to do it, cutting off the animal's nose instead. While she stood there screaming, Don had to chase the crazed rat around the lab as it bled out. Horrific, but he told the story in comedic fashion over beer and I have to confess to laughing my ass off, because, you know, it didn't happen to me!

They also had a hazardous waste vat over there for all the rat guts following necropsy. The scientist who ran the lab was from Scotland and stereotypically notoriously cheap. One morning, Don came in to see him rummaging through all the mess in the vat. "Professor, what the hell are you doing up to your elbows in rat guts?" He says (with Scottish accent) , "I dropped some change down there and I'm trying to fish it out." Don, "Seriously? You dropped a nickel in the vat and you think it's worth going after?" Professor looking deadly serious, "A nickel??? It was a goddamned DIME, Don!" :D

I don't know if Don was pulling my leg or not, but that's some funny stuff!