Spooked myself

Woke up at 4:00 a.m. from a zombie dream. I don't remember any details, I just remember looking at the clock and thinking "why did I do that to myself?" (The only time I can remember a horror movie actually causing nightmares the remake of Dawn of the Dead, which I watched right after the Katrina disaster--I had nightmares for about a week.) Against expectations, I managed to get back to sleep until the alarm went off.


I went right into a dream that took place at work; of course, it didn't look like it, but it felt like it. One of the biggest differences was a big mountain on the horizon, over which loomed ominous clouds. The place was crowded, and there was must discussion about the oncoming storm. Suddenly the mountain shook and a black cloud rapidly formed over it. We all realized that a volcanic eruption was underway. I ran inside with a coworker and we both began frantically searching the internet for news. Nobody seemed to know how close the volcano was, and how much danger we might be in, but darkness began to envelop us. The last image I saw before waking up (on tv?) was of cars near Boston knocked by a shock wave into water. I woke up frustrated that I couldn't find out more about the volcano.

It bears explaining that I have a copy of The Great International Disaster Book in my bathroom, and I've been reading bits of it every day. There are no volcanoes in eastern Massachusetts to my knowledge.

Balancing rocks

I tried some rock balancing yesterday. It cold and windy, but sunny. I like the meditative state of mind that you get into when you are doing this. I realized that one of the "tricks" to doing it, was knowing that it was possible. I wonder how many other things in life are like that.





This one was still up when I went by it a half hour later!( Read more... )

YUM, apple!

3:00 snapshot, #73

Mr. Mallard was struck by a car in 1996, resulting in a wing amputation and a life of service as an educational animal. In the short time I've known him he has had three girlfriends, the latest being the giant Rouen duck Donna, recently seen here bullying a frog out of her beloved's beak. We don't know Mr. Mallard's age, as he was an adult when he came into captivity. One of his legs gets lame, especially in the winter--I suspect arthritis, but he otherwise seems to be in good health. It took him a long time to molt into his breeding plumage this year, and it wasn't until I took a look at this snapshot that I realized that his head was finally fully green. Mr. Mallard is by far the most aggressive animal I work with, intimidating even the Canada goose who is many times his size, and eagerly biting human hands stuck into his cage. Fortunately his bill is round.