Looking out the window this morning at 6 am I spotted two reddish-brown whitetails pass by my yard, dart across the street, and vanish down a foliage-choked trail. So I threw on some pants and my camo boonie and went for a better look. There was still that early morning mist, and the leaves glistened with last night's rain. I moved silently across the road and slipped down the trail, keeping close to the trees, my eyes moving more than my feet.
Suddenly, I froze as I spied the two does standing completely still about 20 yards away--almost invisible against the backdrop of trees, brush and wispy brume. They were watching me (of course they'd known I was following them) with intent eyes and cocked over-sized ears. It was now that familiar game, each waiting on the other one to make the first move. I knew they wouldn't, the deer were in their element; this early in the morning the world still belonged to them and the myriad other creatures that most suburbanites don't know exist.
As I watched, their tails twitched in nervous response. They were ready to go, all they needed was the slightest excuse to bolt. Then I began to move, almost imperceptibly, back the way I had come. The deer watched my retreat, and I took one last look before leaving them to their world as I turned to re-entered mine.
{ 8:30 AM }
Latest notable additions to my iPod: Yell Fire! An excellent 2006 album from Michael Franti and Spearhead, Electric, a classic from The Cult, and Dither from jam band moe. Yell Fire! is the first CD in a while that I've enjoyed as an entire album. It's an introspective, reggae, rock, hip hop, folk, funky protest record that knows how to have fun. Perfect for summer. Electric is a straightforward guitar-driven proto-goth-rocker that pumps up the morning commute. And as for moe, I'm just getting into Dither but I've been a fan of their Wormwood record for a while now. I like every song--particularly the way they all blend together seemlessly-- and it's kept the tempo for me on many a road trip. { 7:53 AM }
Thursday, June 14, 2007
I enjoyed At World's End the other night. After tickets, popcorn, soda, and a sitter it winds up being an $80 night, but it's a small price to pay just to get out for a change.Critics have bashed the film for its many-layered plot of double-crossing rogues, but I didn't have a problem with that. Know that it's an outlandish tale, best enjoyed with a bottle of Jamaican rum and perhaps some hardtack. I enjoyed some of the dark scenes, though I'm surprised that Disney (OK, Buena Vista) would make it PG-13. Kids love Pirates of the Caribbean, but I don't think this film is for small children to see. Not when it comes to mass executions and piles of seagull-pecked corpses.
I'm glad I got to catch the ride last year (unbelievably with no lines) in its original incarnation a mere month before Jack Sparrow and Barbossa were added. { 11:12 AM }
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
This weekend I had a duct cleaner vacuum out the ductwork in the house. I always wondered what might be lurking in those dark recesses. I figured it couldn't be good. When I got a glimpse of the thick dust, dirt, and detritus that had accumulated in there over the years I was shocked. I couldn't believe we'd been breathing that stuff over the years. When I buy the next house I'll be sure to have the ducts cleaned within a month of moving in. In the realm of high-priced home maintenance, it was $200 well spent.
{ 12:24 PM }
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