(no subject)
There's no place like Oakland. Simply no place. I love my neighborhood and its subtle brilliance and its cacophanous harmony. Yesterday, I thought we were going to have a big earthquake. One of the telling signs of an earthquake is strange animal behavior, and I thought there was plenty of it yesterday. A coyote, A COYOTE, ran down Belmont Avenue, the street adjacent to my apartment, at 11am. At 11:15 a fat black cat crossed Perkins in a full sprint. At 11:30, the strangebirds alighted on the pine tree next to my small deck. I don't know what they are, but they're freaks. They're spotted brown like orioles, but some of them have bright neon yellow tail ridges. They have heads like cardinals, and a loud, piercing and unique song. They stayed in the tree for about a half hour, and then left.
Only later did I realize the last time I saw the strangebirds was early January, 2005. They come by for about a half hour each year, and then they're gone for another 12 months. This morning, the same cat sprinted across the street at 11:15 again. I guess what I was really witnessing was a hidden routine, a simple pattern repeated in soft notes. But there is that whole coyote thing......
Do you have night herons in your neighborhood? They're awesome. Every evening, they take off in dusk from their purchases on the lake shore. They fly over my aparment and let out a squawk! A deep, disheartening squawk. They have blood red eyes and black crowns. They know they're awesome, they're probably really into Phantom of the Opera too, but then again, they're birds. If you could see Lake Merritt...if you could, you'd be amazed.
In other news, I'm really proud of my Stanford application. I think I have a real shot at getting in... we'll see. I just hope a path opens up for me somewhere.
Only later did I realize the last time I saw the strangebirds was early January, 2005. They come by for about a half hour each year, and then they're gone for another 12 months. This morning, the same cat sprinted across the street at 11:15 again. I guess what I was really witnessing was a hidden routine, a simple pattern repeated in soft notes. But there is that whole coyote thing......
Do you have night herons in your neighborhood? They're awesome. Every evening, they take off in dusk from their purchases on the lake shore. They fly over my aparment and let out a squawk! A deep, disheartening squawk. They have blood red eyes and black crowns. They know they're awesome, they're probably really into Phantom of the Opera too, but then again, they're birds. If you could see Lake Merritt...if you could, you'd be amazed.
In other news, I'm really proud of my Stanford application. I think I have a real shot at getting in... we'll see. I just hope a path opens up for me somewhere.