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United States, North Carolina, Carrboro, English, Paul, Male, 56-60, All Music, All Food.

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Monday, May 03, 2004

I had to wait about 10 minutes in the cool (52ºF) weather for this brave chickadee to land on the feeder. Before I went out, there were dozens of birds. The porch has suffered from neglect as I’ve spent time traveling and catching up at work, so the herbs didn’t get planted out there until last weekend. Watching the birds swoop in from the trees in back (what Liz calls “their staging area”), I’m impressed by their flight pattern.   It is a wave motion, not a straight line. I grew up on a farm, but never observed birds this close up until recently. What impresses me most is that they are falling half the time they are flying. Each down stroke of the wings propels them briefly upwards, but as they bring their wings back to the ready position, they are definitely falling. Their flight pattern is a modified sawtooth wave, like a violin, rich in harmonic content – much better than the straight lines I always imagined. 6:18:23 PM    comment []

The cover of Dr. Oetker, not to be confused with The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, but still an outstanding work of German Expressionism. Notice how skillfully the boning knife has been stuck into the cutting board in front of the boneless round. Want vinegar in the picture? Sure, why not! Raw onions, randomly scattered pickling spices? No problem! How about a plaid backdrop? An oddly-striped cannister? A vaguely Mateus wannabe bottle of wine? Busy, busy, busy. 1970. 5:32:20 PM    comment []

"We are experiencing technical problems..."   Mark Hoback sent me an email late yesterday informing me of a massive crash of his computer. He believes he can salvage his recently rebuilt Fried Green al-Qaedas blog, but Virtual Occoquan is on hold until he gets up and running again. My apologies to all who have agreed to contribute to the current issue. It will be late, but it will be the best issue ever. 9:38:31 AM    comment []

Finding the best man…   WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Gen. Jasim Mohamed Saleh and at least one other general are still "being vetted" by the Iraqi provisional authority for a possible peacekeeping role in the volatile Iraqi city of Fallujah, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Sunday.   “Okay, that part about him being a commanding officer in The Republican Guard, reporting directly to Saddam Hussein, admitted, yeah, that looks kinda bad - but he has a winning smile and the proven ability to rally the troops when the chips are down, and that’s a big plus.” 12:53:06 AM    comment []

…I was about to congratulate all the self-important op-ed writers for slogging through the whole dismal month without invoking T. S. Eliot. Really, it was an obvious temptation and I’m sure the words formed in many a tortured mind (including my own). But self-restraint appeared to have won not only the day – but also the entire month!   Now it is May. April showers bring Mayflowers. I thought we were safe. But between March’s “in like a lion” converse conundrum and the blooms of late spring, lies the shadowy temptation of a hack to quote The Wasteland.  You have to give former Nixon speechwriter Bill Safire some credit, he didn’t cave in to temptation until May 3, but here you have it: The Cruelest Month. Maybe next year he’ll be able to hold off until Cinco de Mayo. 12:11:22 AM    comment []