Hi. This is Mike. I should probably introduce myself to the blog by saying that I am terrified of creatures. In fact, when I created my user name for the raccoon blog it was a toss up between "lookatthatfuckingthing!" and "terrified." Ultimately, "lookatthatfuckingthing!" won because it contained the f-word. Even house pets make me nervous, so you can imagine how I felt when I came across an urban raccoon. I think this fear of animals stems from when I used to run around town to stay in shape and inevitably someone's dog would attack me. This happened to me a few times while I was going to college in New York City -- one dog lept at me, fangs open, and ripped my Shaq O'Neal t-shirt, while I tumbled to the ground -- but I was always in the most danger in Amherst, Ohio where I grew up because a lot of dog owners there didn't believe in using leashes. After 9 years of running scared from vicious canines, I finally smartened up and joined a gym...which is where I was heading the night I became the very first person to see the raccoon...