So for some reason I’ve seen quite a few opossums lately. This against the backdrop of a life of 30something years encountering approximately zero of them.
First, it was last Tuesday or Wednesday morning when the animal control officer was in my neighbor’s backyard dealing with a “dead” possum that had been attacked by the neighbors dog (the one who howls along with every f*cking siren that passes by). It was a mommy possum, because there were a couple baby opossum still hanging in there (having not yet learned the whole “playing possum” trick).
My new Nikon D70 really kicks ass. I am so amazed by this incredible piece of equipment. I haven’t had a chance to get any really great shots yet, but here are a couple quickies:
Heavy rain; large hail; severe downdrafts/winds of 60MPH+; intense electrical activity; large trees down; mild property and structure damage; Huron Village/Harvard Sq./Fresh Pond area. Trees down on several power lines, cars, homes.
This was a serious storm – and luckily it was very fast-moving. Power is out in the Fresh Pond/Huron Village area. Several major roads closed. Definitely one of the top few squalls I’ve ever found myself in the middle of.
“I mean, look at the Republican Convention in 2000. Come on! The last time the Republicans had that many black people on a stage, they were selling them.” – Bill Maher
There’s a dangerous intersection outside my apartment – several components of the area surrounding the intersection just beg for trouble. There are lots of accidents, it seems to average about one fatality a year.
I’m not positive, but fairly certain the guy who dumped his motorbike out in front of my apartment tonight died doing so. First I heard this sound – almost like a snowplow grinding along the pavement – then I see this light twirling around and it’s his motorcycle (and him, not too far behind) sliding down the street quite rapidly and then they each hit the guardrail in separate spots. I went out to help the dude .. but he really smacked his head and neck up on the guardrail. It was not a good situation.
Well, I hope the guy is OK, but based on what I saw I don’t think he is. RIP bro.
The Cure show was amazing last night – probably 15-20,000 people there and I was in one of the 15 or so best seats in the house. Just a couple feet from the stage, and they did an excellent, powerful show and played many of the classics I love. It also marks the first time, in my 20 or so years of going to concerts, that I’ve seen a band member tell an audience member to “shut up.. right now.” (It was deserved, really.)
Anyway, the show was amazing, Interpol (opening act) was a nice surprise, and it was great fun to be back at a real show – for the first time in a while.
My friend Scheherazade visited yesterday. She’s one of those friends who is very good for the soul. When I was in Maine, and she went away or wanted to move away, I always tried to convince her to stay there. For me more than for her, of course – as is clearly evidenced by the fact that I’m now encouraging her to move to Cambridge. When she was here we were trying to figure out what her perfect job title would be. It’s something like business or intellectual augmentation, I suspect. Or, since she and I were talking all New-Agey for a while, maybe it’s crystallization. She’s extremely unique in that she is a bit of a cognitive magnifying glass. She can take concepts (of her own or of others) and transform them from a passing haze into really beautiful, concrete concepts, images, and actions. It’s a rare and amazing gift that is applicable across disciplines. I’m very excited that she’s now considering applying that talent in the entrepreneurial space.
Q: Good morning. My name is Mark Trahant. I’m the editorial page editor of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and a member of the Native American Journalist Association. (Applause.) Most school kids learn about the government in the context of city, county, state and federal. And, of course, tribal governments are not part of that at all. Mr. President, you’ve been a governor and a President, so you have a unique experience, looking at it from two directions. What do you think tribal sovereignty means in the 21st century, and how do we resolve conflicts between tribes and the federal and the state governments?
THE PRESIDENT: Tribal sovereignty means that, it’s sovereign. You’re a — you’ve been given sovereignty, and you’re viewed as a sovereign entity. And, therefore, the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities.
- From the President’s remarks 8/6/04 at the Washington Convention Center to the UNITY: Journalists of Color Convention. Source: Transcript at PR Newswire
Had a great hike today with buddy Ian. About 6+ miles; approx. 5 hours. I’d characterize the trail as moderate to rugged – a teeny bit of actual climbing here and there but mostly just the graded woody terrain you’d expect in the White Mountains.
We were in the general vicinity of Mount Chocorua. Made our way up (if memory serves me..) the Piper Trail to Carter Ledge Trail and hung around on Carter Ledge for a while. What a gorgeous area – wish I’d been able to take some photos – we had basically a 360-degree view of several mountains (including the “Three Sisters” which looked more like six). Breathtaking, all. And plenty of fresh blueberries!
The hike was medium difficulty, but made much harder by the oppressive heat and humidity. Under the tree cover it was like a sauna – we were soaked. Luckily we’d each brought unbelievably generous supplies of water (a whopping 20 oz each) so we were feeling a bit dumb by the time we arrived on Carter Ledge.
Aside from breathtaking views, we saw the usual incredible variety of life one would expect – from frogs the size of acorns to horse flies the size of footballs. I miss hiking and really wish there were some great trails closer to where I live.
Am very glad I did it – serves as another reminder of the beauty of our planet and the magic of life.
