Memorial Day Weekend in Baja, California

I went to San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico, for the long Memorial Day Weekend. This was my first trip to Mexico, and it was an interesting experience. Mexico is both similar and vastly different from the United States. A lot of things seem to be less regulated than they are in the States, and the entire country seems to operate on the concept of "not quite good enough" (as opposed to "nearly good enough"), although there are some great innovations in home construction and flying apparati. Apparently, you can secure a door frame using wire hangers and concrete, and you can make a flying dune buggy with the wing of a hang glider and a lawnmower motor and blade. Also, apparently it's safe to have both swimmers and motored boats in the same section of water at the same time. There are also military checkpoints where (I think) being a pasty white guy definitely has its advantages. I definitely got a strange sense of liberated suppression there.

I guess Baja California is having an election this year; I'm not even sure what he stands for, but I saw enough posted flyers to want to vote for Jorge Hank.

The beach was delightful to lay on, and the water was warm. The water and beach were also relatively clean compared to California beaches; there was no kelp at all in the water, although there was a lot of litter (even glass!) on the beach. During low tide the water recedes far enough to strand boats and allow curious explorers to wander far beyond the high tide mark.


I didn't see a computer for 3 days; it was fantastic!

We crossed the border at Calexico/Mexicali because the line going into Tijuana from the U.S. side was never-ending. Even so, we waited an hour to cross back into the U.S. yesterday afternoon. Bring playing cards or some other amusement for while you wait. I think I'm doomed to always be disoriented in Mexicali; we got lost both trying to find Mexican Hwy 5 (going to San Felipe) and the U.S.-Mexican border (getting back to civilization).

Some tips for when you go:

• Bring Hand Sanitizer, Sunscreen, Aloe, and lots of Bottled Water. Extra Towels and Tissue/Toilet Paper would be good too. I recommend the new spray-on sunscreen. It works fabulously.
• Don't forget your ID; you won't need your passport until next year.
• You don't need to worry about exchanging your money; I don't know anyone who turned down the all-mighty dollar.
• Don't leave your stuff unattended; things have a habit of wandering off when you do. It's probably best to not bring your wallet or purse with you when you're wandering around either. Just your ID and some cash is good enough.

Wartime Racial Prejudices

When I drove past South High School in Torrance on my commute to work today, I noticed a memorial composed of flowers, photographs, and warm-hearted notes for a PFC Joseph Anzack Jr.

His was the body found in the Euphrates this week. He had been MIA.

Body Found In Iraq ID'd as Torrance Soldier
Soldier slain in Iraq joined Army to 'keep us free'
Body of Missing GI Identified as PFC Anzack

Today at work I saw posted notices pretty much everywhere; in the elevators, in the halls, near the front desk, with a synopsis of Anzack's life and career in the military. The notice was pretty gung-ho; proclaiming the virtues of wanting to serve one's country, as Anzack did, how noble he was for wanting to be in Special Forces.

Near the end of the notice was a remark that included some very derogatory and racial slurs towards Iraqis, which I thought was very inappropriate. I did not know PFC Anzack personally, but if Anzack truly believed in the United States' cause in Iraq, if he truly thought he was there to make a positive influence on the lives of Iraqi citizens, he would have been disgusted with such a remark.

I read something once when I was studying stuff on the Marines, I think it was in Making the Corps. One of the rules you must follow when liberating/occupying a country is to respect the natives of said country. Once you don't respect them, once you start to treat them as sub-humans, they will turn on you and, instead of helping you help them, they will turn against you and harbor hate for the United States.

Fostering and encouraging hate will not bring our soldiers home. It will not bring the dead back to life. It only continues the hate and racial prejudice that runs rampant in certain parts of the world, and it doesn't encourage peace.

What I read in the bulletin disgusted me.

I wish the very best for his family, and hope that PFC Anzack rests in peace.

Contradiction

I just found out today that ETS isn't going to change the GRE format this year. The news is almost two months old.

I think that was the main reason I was dragging my feet on prepping for it - I didn't really want to take the test under the new format, and I put my head into the sand hoping I could deal with the problem of having to take the GRE later. Now I can sign up before June 30 (when they'll probably raise the rates) and take the test in early Fall or late Summer, and then do some serious prep work.

My best friend in L.A. just kicked some serious ass on the GRE. I don't think you could ask for a better score. She's been coaxing me to take it; I really need to bite the bullet and do it.

I've been ruminating a lot on people and the unjustness of life in general. Why do some people live charmed lives and why others fail? It's really painful to think about. What did certain someones do to deserve to be born in wealthy families, to have not a monetary care in the world, and do and get everything their heart desires without consequence? It's very unjust. What did still others do to deserve to live in poverty their entire lives, no matter how hard they try to do everything right? Why some get the internships and others don't, why some get to go to MIT on full scholarships. Why some get married to their high school sweethearts and others are doomed to hop from short relationship to short relationship, chipping away at whatever heart they have left to give to someone.

These things are enough to keep me up at night.

Yes, I'm quite jealous, even though I've lived a fortunate life.

Is hope the cure for all injustices? Shakespeare thought love was (Sonnet 29):

When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,

I all alone beweep my outcast state

And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries

And look upon myself and curse my fate,

Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,

Featured like him, like him with friends possess'd,

Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,

With what I most enjoy contented least;

Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,

Haply I think on thee, and then my state,

Like to the lark at break of day arising

From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;

For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings

That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

I can hope to get a good enough score that I can choose which school to earn my Master's from. I can hope that I won't need to ever endure another breakup again. I can hope that it won't be difficult for me to pick up the piano again, or that I'll gain a mastery of time management skills and be able to accomplish a dozen things at once. I can hope that I'll never have to worry about making rent or feeding myself. I can hope my jeep will get me through one more day of commuting.

I hope because at least 60% of what happens to you in life is due to the circumstances you were born in, and the rest is due to chance. Okay, I made that statement up, but prove me wrong.

Of Sailing Ships and Sealing Wax

Stages of Cutty Sark Grief

I'm rather fond of old sailing ships. I remember going to San Diego Bay when my cousin graduated from MCRD and seeing the Star of India. I didn't actually go on the vessel, but I live close enough to San Diego now that it's not a stretch to do some touristing there. The USS Midway is there too, as is HMS Surprise (which is a reproduction, not an actual vintage ship).

I've never sailed, although I'd like to go sailing one of these days. My sweetheart knows a professor who has a sailboat that he takes out to Catalina every now and then.

Thank goodness the Brits were restoring the Cutty Sark when she went up in flames. She had been partially dismantled, and the ship can be restored.

Fireworks at Angels Stadium

I went to the Dodgers-Angels game on Friday night in Anaheim. Angels Stadium is much cleaner than Dodger Stadium, and the seating doesn't go all away around the field like Dodger Stadium. they do, however, have a nice rock waterfall that sits out behind centerfield.

The Dodgers lost 9-1. Oh well; next time I suppose. It was a fairly lackluster game.

It was a "Fireworks Friday" night, so they turned down the stadium lights after the game and we were treated to a nice fireworks show, choreographed to a few 80's standards and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. I thought it was a pretty show, brilliantly choreographed and with fancy fireworks. Maybe I'm blind or forgetful, but I don't think I've seen fireworks with multiple colors in the starbursts. I really am getting spoiled living in SoCal.

Here are some tips for going to an Angels' game:
-Get there early; we were about an hour early and were able to get $5 parking across the street from the stadium (as opposed to paying $8 at the stadium)
-Hot dogs are a delicious baseball game necessity. The "300" level has a place where you can get savory garlic fries to accompany your beer and hot dog. They're nothing like a Dodger Dog, though. (I'm not even a big sports fan! What's wrong with me?) Grab extra "moist towelettes"; I saw some from Hooters with witty sayings on the back of the wrappers.
-The wandering food vendors (the ones with the cotton candy, ice cream, etc) are not very bright. If you have a question, it's best to seek out one of the nice people in striped shirts and straw hats. They're the ones in the know.
-Wear Dodger Blue. Gotta Represent, you know!

Restaurant Review - Diddy Riese

Next door to Mr. Noodle is "the Cookie Place". One of my good friends from work told me about "the Cookie Place" long before I started driving up to Westwood twice a week.

Diddy Riese Cookies is incredible. For a dollar you can score yourself an ice cream sandwich, made with two of their delicious cookies (you can even use two different cookie varieties!) flanking a scoop of Dreyer's ice cream (if you're bored with vanilla, they have lots of other flavors!). For a buck-twenty-five you can get three cookies to take with you! A dozen costs $3.75. Possibly the cheapest place to get your sugar fix. They also have pretty tins if you want to give them as a gift.

The internet rumor is that Diddy Riese uses lard in their cookies, but it's really a blend of butter and margarine.

Diddy Riese is possibly the closest you can get to homemade if you live far from home. So delicious . . . not to mention fattening. Parking is wretched, so either go with someone and have the passenger hop out of the car to get cookies while the driver circles the block, or go after dinner at Mr. Noodle or BJ's, both of which are close by. If you're a student at UCLA, park on campus in the Medical Plaza Parking (Gayley Ave) and walk over. I think there are a couple parking lots near by as well.

Diddy Riese Cookies
926 Broxton Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 208-0448

Restaurant Review - Mr. Noodle

There's a place on Broxton, not far from UCLA, called Mr. Noodle. Here they serve delicious Thai food on the cheap - I had dinner last night for under $10 ($11 after tip)- and the servers are very friendly and recognize you after a few visits. Their portions are probably average for a Thai place - about the same as Thai Dishes.

I really like Thai iced tea (although it's probably worse than Starbucks, health-wise), and these guys make a good one: not too much "instant tea" flavor, and very creamy. It can be sweet, however.

I recommend their Chicken Pad Thai (which is served with delicious peanut sauce, topped with more chopped peanuts!), and their Chicken Yellow Curry, which I had last night. I would say their menu is as Americanized as Thai Dishes.

Service is very quick, and they're rarely packed unless there's a movie premiere going on. I recommend bringing cash if you're just feeding yourself; they charge a small surcharge on all credit-card transactions under $15.

Mr. Noodle

936 Broxton Ave, Los Angeles, CA

(310) 208-7808

The Paradox

As of yesterday, I've been out of college for a year. That is, if you don't count my taking Chinese class for fun this year.

In a few short years I'll be facing my 10 year high school reunion. I have incredibly mixed feelings regarding going to this event. I don't know why I'm so fixated on it. Possibly too many re-watchings of Grosse Pointe Blank. Call me harsh, but I predict that it will be a re-gelling of all the old cliques, and a painful reminder why I looked forward to college so much.

High school wasn't a fun time for me.

I think most of the people I went to high school with stayed in town, and are mostly married with children by now. I really hate that the only measuring stick that culture has (for women) is how many times you've managed to successfully reproduce and what job your husband has.

Don't get me wrong; I've grown to like children and babies over the years. I'd actually like to be a mom someday, just not today, or tomorrow, or a couple more years of tomorrows. I want to be the best damn mom I can be, and I don't think I can provide that for someone right now.

Why even consider going if I think it's going to be miserable? Because I feel like I should be able to get some sort of redemption, some sort of selfish recognition of the greatness that is me, from former peers who shut me out. At the very least, I should at least be able to say "Fuck You! You helped make my life miserable in high school and look where I ended up!"

I don't think Life works that way. One, that kind of behavior is not very mature, and two, I'm 99.999% certain they wouldn't care anyway. Both of which completely negate the purpose of even going to begin with. All the people I liked in high school I still stay in touch with.

I don't think they'll care because the things I've done aren't on the "success RADAR" for women there. If women pay a price to "have it all" in the Real World, they pay doubly in Southern Utah.

I've formulated an anti-10-year-reunion plan: I'll take the weekend of the reunion to go have fun in Vegas. I don't gamble, but I really enjoy the whole atmosphere there. Or even if I don't go to Vegas, but some other town a day trip away from home. I would have the joy of doing something pleasant (instead of drinking way too much champagne and taking advantage of that to say something truly immature OR not being able to drink at all that night and wanting to throttle people for their wasted potential, depending on the situation), with someone I love (at least myself), in a place that I'm bound to like more than the place I went to high school.

Movie Review - Spider-Man 3

I went to Spider-Man 3 this weekend. I don't think it was bad, but I don't think it was great either. I enjoyed the final battle, which (I thought) was really good.

I think it was an textbook case of trying to cram in way too much in 140 minutes. None of the subplots are explored very deeply. Also, the "theme" the marketing is pushing doesn't really leave much for one to come away with the movie with much of anything. Toby Maguire doing 'cool' is not pretty to see, even if it is a stab at the whole emo image. Now I must reiterate that eyeliner looks good on no man.

Someone please explain this plothole: Harry threatens Mary Jane, who breaks up with Peter Parker and says she's seeing Harry. Raimi set up this great love triangle and then let it crash terribly. Why would Mary Jane "go along" with the MJ/Harry relationship if Harry clearly doesn't have her best interests in mind? Weak female characters!!!!

The film, right from the opening credits, is heavily dependant on the previous two films (especially the first Spider-Man film).

Kirstin Dunst doesn't look her best in this film. Whoever does the costume designing tends to pick colors that don't look good on her. The drab brown dress she was wearing in the last scene was terrible! I'm starting to develop a theory that MJ was supposed to be a more assertive, sassy character. Or maybe I just like setting myself up for disappointment. Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen Stacy was lovely.

The special effects are great, but nothing really new or bleeding edge. I thought the special effects for Sandman were pretty good, especially as he emerges from the particle accelerator (or whatever physics toy that was).

Cool Ink!

Live Ink Offers Better Way To Read Text Online
Live Ink Homepage

Basically, Live Ink takes text in block format (the standard way of how we read) and restructures the text to make it easier for us to read. Turns out the human eye naturally focuses on a "spot" better than a "line". By restructuring the text, students have been able to raise their reading proficiency by 10-15 percentile points (U.S. Dept. of Education - sponsored study).

The Live Ink homepage has lengthy samples (under demo) of their text restructuring. Who knew Moby Dick would be easy to read?

Maybe
I should start
writing in chunks
like this.

Perhaps more people would
read my blog
and be inspired
to leave a thought.

Or perhaps I should just stick with the standard, block form provided to me by Blogger. At least until we switch over to Live Ink.

Dressed to Repress

Amusing Things

A friend of mine noticed this first, and I'm starting to pick up on it too.

The basic theory is this: whenever a female who normally dresses "engineer style" (t-shirt/blouse and jeans), wears something "unexpected" (anything not t-shirt and jeans), coworkers will not only notice but comment on it. I think it's mostly a "trying to socialize and be nice" kind of thing, but it's really awkward. Sometimes girls just like to dress up!

Maybe it's because the changes aren't really subtle. Patent Red Heels vs. Sketchers sneakers will do that. Wearing hair down vs. up will do that.

Unfortunately I don't think there's a "middle ground" women can dress to, if they want to dress a little better than jeans but don't want to break out the nice suit. I even think most women get "business casual" wrong. I think I commented on this before. It's almost like "business casual" is somewhere between a business suit and party clothes.

It's a bizarre catch-22. She doesn't want to dress schlumpy because she's female, yet if she starts to "dress better" she gets comments she doesn't really want. (OK, to be honest, it's great getting complimented! But it's not why I go to work.) So she either tells everyone to not comment on her appearance (getting her labeled the crazy woman of the office), or goes back to dressing schlumpy (it's the path of least resistance).

Hey, at least dressing schlumpy is a little less painful on the pocketbook. And there are some cool t-shirts out there!

We start because we want to be known for something other than our appearance (and to avoid unwanted male attention). We continue because we can't handle the male attention we get.

Moral Duty

Best Government Ever

Most days I get to class a couple hours early and study. There's a fellow in my Chinese class who shows up about a half hour before class. He's one of those I-have-no-life-so-I-throw-the-curve types. I alternate between thinking he's an alright guy and thinking he's an arrogant jerk. In a lot of ways, he's embodies the worst stereotypes of engineers. Last night I had to leave the classroom twice before class began because I did not want to resort to beating the crap out of him. That never changes opinions, especially ones that are already set in stone.

Basically, he said: (none of which I agree with)
-all Taiwanese-American girls he had met were "screwed up", and that this was the fault of their parents
-it's OK for China to go ahead and take over Taiwan whenever they feel like it and there isn't anything the United States can do about it
-the United States would sit and do nothing if China decided to invade Taiwan

I have no words for how inane I find his opinions on this matter.

He's not the only racist, sexist engineer I've come across, but I find it difficult to believe that you can live a substantial portion of your life in a major city and still come out of the experience a bigot. Granted, his girlfriend, who he wants to marry, is a Chinese immigrant, as is her family.

Does democracy mean nothing to Americans anymore? Does honor?

The United States' foreign policy regarding Taiwan is quite clear. Congress passed an act to "resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of the people on Taiwan." (Taiwan Relations Act) That may or may not involve military action. It also means we won't sit silently and let China have free reign.

It's our moral duty to uphold democracy and freedom in the world. The United States doesn't have a great track record with that, but that doesn't mean you can't start somewhere. Taiwan is a very visible example of an autocratic-government-turned-democratic. If we let that go I think I would have a hard time identifying (and relating) myself as American. It runs against what I believe the U.S.'s moral obligations are.

Maybe that's just an arrogant American wanting-to-convert-the-world-to-democracy typing. 我不知道。

Update: Any government that censors information to the extent that China does (see Great Firewall of China) has issues. For the record, my blog is banned in China. I've had a few hits from China in the past, but apparently I'm too pro-independance for communist tastes.

Written Off The Beaten Path

There's something nice about travel journaling; when I put together my Europe scrapbook I used my extensive notes to supplement the memories that I wrote on its pages.

I don't travel nearly often enough.

Although I've never used a Moleskine to keep a journal (although I have a blank one waiting for me at home), I believe they're possibly the best journal to use while travelling. I have their pocket-sized address book, and I love it. I write in people's names in ink, and fill in their contact information in pencil. (How nostalgic!)

Moleskine recently released new "city notebooks"; each notebook is devoted to a certain European (or American) city, and contains a map and places to write notes, addresses, street indices, etc. Locals can use their city's notebook to remember great restaurants, dates, etc. I think I'll get the Los Angeles one when it releases this Fall.

Garlicky, Spicy Goodness

Last night my sweetheart wanted to watch the Warriors-Jazz game, so we went to Killian's Pub and Grill to watch the game on their projection-screen TV. It was pretty empty and uncrowded last night.

The game was good, even though the Warriors lost. I'm much too emotionally invested in how that series turns out (even though I'm not a basketball fan), so I think I'm going to try to avoid watching the other games. Powder blue will always look old and 70's-ish on a basketball court.

I highly recommend Killian's O'Danny Boy chips, even though they're not cut like traditional "chips". The garlicky-spicy coating is especially delicious. Chili and/or cheese topping isn't needed to make these delicious, and neither is whatever condiment you prefer on your french fries.

We also split the BBQ chicken wrap, which I thought was delicious but heavy on the BBQ sauce. I go back and forth on if I prefer the grilled chicken to the breaded-and-fried chicken. I suppose the grilled chicken is more condusive to reheating.

The waitress was friendly and nice, although she was the only server for the restaurant at the time.

Dan, if you're reading this, I tried Killian's Irish Red and thought it was tasty.

Six Flags Magic Mountain!

I had a totally great date Friday night. The company I work for (in conjunction with a few other companies) was holding a private party at Six Flags Magic Mountain Friday night after work, so I was able to get tickets for about 1/3 normal prices, there were relatively short lines and we didn't have to pay for parking! Economically speaking, we were already ahead of the curve.

The drive up to Magic Mountain wasn't that great, since it was at rush hour, but you can't complain about an extra 90 minutes to talk with someone you care for. We ate at the In'N'Out near the park (I have yet to blog an ode to In'N'Out, but trust me, it's fantastic) and got to Six Flags about the time they opened it up for the company party.

How old am I again? 24? My sweetheart and I ran around the park like we were 10 years old. It was fabulous! We got to ride Superman and Viper twice in a row (I don't even think I left my seat for one of the rides), and most of the lines were relatively short. The longest line was for Déjà Vu, and even that was about a half-hour. We didn't go on Tatsu or X because the lines were really long.

I think the consensus for the "best rollar coaster" was for Goliath, although Riddler's Revenge and Colossus were pretty good. The newest ride we went on was Scream!. Ninja was having some problems when we were waiting in line for it, so we didn't go on that. Goldrusher was the first rollarcoaster we went on and it's a pretty good "warm up" coaster. Batman: The Ride was pretty good, if short. I recommend waiting the extra time to get a first or second row seat, and definitely go at night.

About half-way through the night we took a break to share a funnel cake from the funnel cake shop. There's nothing like devouring a strawberry-sauce-soaked fried pastry with your hands with someone you love.

On Wolves

Wolves are one of my favorite animals, along with horses, dolphins, sea otters, and pandas. I'm a big fan of cute, cuddly mammals in general. I think people misunderstand wolves and are afraid of them unnecessarily.

When I was in college, I used to get into arguments with my boyfriend-at-the-time's roommate. We argued about a lot of different things, actually. He was a rancher from Twin Bridges, and had quite stereotypical views on ranching and very conservative views on relationships. He definitely did not like wolves because he blamed them for killing livestock. (Sidenote: that guy and I actually got along better after I stopped dating the boyfriend)

I think a lot of people, especially in the mountain states, assume that wolves will kill livestock indescriminately as a fact. No one ever tried to back this "fact" up with proof. Why would they? "Everyone" knows that's what wolves do. Idiots.

Defenders of Wildlife compiled some interesting data on livestock losses and wolves. Their source is the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which I would hypothesize is a good source for this kind of data. Also, Defenders of Wildlife will compensate ranchers for verified livestock losses to wolves.

As a keystone species, wolves are very important to maintaining healthy ecosystems. When reintroduced to Yellowstone, many hunters felt that wolves would devestate the food chain. In reality, the reintroduced wolves have helped to rebalance it.

One of my favorite childhood stories is White Fang, by Jack London.

Laundry Night

I sit, listening to the new Michael Buble CD (which is pretty fantabulous), waiting for laundry to get done. I'm not drinking wine. . . yet.

For the second time in my life I'm doing laundry that includes clothes I don't wear. Clothes I could not possibly wear in public and get away with it. Men's white undershirts and socks. Plaid underthings that are charming on the owner, but something I could never get away with.

This act of doing a man's laundry, I once swore I would never do until someone soundly shackled me with a precious-metal-and-stone ring, as well as a license and some sort of tax incentive. Once married, I feared I would get the privilege of doing all sorts of un-fun chores for not just myself but whoever I was licensed to, like laundry and dishes and cooking. I actually like cooking, so scratch that. Technically, laundry isn't that bad of a chore, but folding laundry is heinous.

So what happened? I'm not quite sure. It is nice to have someone to snuggle with at night; humans were never meant to be solitary creatures. Also, if someone snuggles at night they typically need fresh clothes to wear the next day, or else they need to return home to get said fresh clothes. If they return home to fetch fresh clothes that means less time to snuggle, especially if they also have to wash dirty clothes.

The number of clothes in my closet and dresser increased by about a quarter last month. Exactly 95% of these clothes were not made for a 20-something female. Maybe I'm exaggerating how many clothes he's stashed at my place, but at any rate, it's a lot.

I really hesitated to write about this, in fear of seeming improper. Of what? I don't know; the only people whose opinion I care about who would possibly disapprove have already given me free license to "do whatever makes Diane happy". Unless I have a lot of close friends who would frown on Diane's modern living arrangement.

I'm very happy with the arrangement. I don't even mind doing the laundry.

But I do think I'm scared. My darling has been across this bridge once before. And way down the road after the bridge. Got the souvenir t-shirt and paperwork to prove it.

It's not a safe bridge, I think. It requires a lot of trust, faith, and hope to emerge together on the other side. He's leading me across slowly, by the hand. He's smiling.

I'm blind.

Call Me Irresponsible

Do you know of Michael Buble? He's one of my favorite living musicians. His new album, Call Me Irresponsible, released yesterday.

One of the advantages of living in a major city is that musicians tend to tour there. Buble will be at the Greek Theater in LA on August 22nd and 23rd. Tickets go on sale Saturday morning, 10:00 AM. Guess what I'll be doing instead of sleeping on May 5th?

I first heard Michael Buble when I was sitting a movie theater, and the "movie theater radio" played the Junkie XL remix of Buble's "Spiderman Theme", which was featured in the credits of Spiderman 2. Check out the video for it on YouTube.

Hummingbird

When I was at lunch today I saw a hummingbird that nested in one of the table umbrellas on the cafeteria patio. She was feeding her baby hummingbird. The birds were so tiny they could have both fit in the palm of my hand. The nest couldn't have been larger than a standard coffee mug. I could have easily sat there the whole day watching them.

It's amazing what wildlife you will find in the city. Shortly after I moved here I was walking along the "jogging path" at my apartment complex at night and a possum family did a great job of giving me an adrenaline rush.