I know about the anti-static wristband and mats. But say I didn't have either of those on the spot, what can I do to remove static off of me before building / touching any of the parts.
One option is to hold on to a metal part on your PC case every time you touch your delicate PC components. Another option is plugging your power supply into an outlet (Turned off) and touch it every time you touch your PC components. This helps ground yourself. Hope this helps!
to remove any built up static charge on your body, all you have to do is touch something conductive that is grounded.
An anti-static wriststrap is not strictly necessary, and as long as you're reasonably careful you will not damage your system. How often are you able to zap your friends with static electricity?