Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

Lately it seems I have a lot of problems for a few different reasons. Sometimes they just arrive in clusters. Other times they cascade, so a small problem triggers a larger problem which sets off a catastrophic one. And sometimes a small new problem will cause an existing problem to become worse. Anyhow, a wee glitch in the timetable Tuesday resulted in my not managing to arrange a ride to pick up my mother's van until tonight, which meant I missed a performance. But now I've got the van, and it has enough gas in it to get me to my two other gigs this weekend.

First, I noticed that the streetlights on Lombard for a couple blocks in either direction are dark. Many houses are too, but many houses along here are vacant, so that's not a surprise. The power was on in my house and several others. This may or may not be relevant later on.

( An hour drive that took three and a half hours )

But hey, I did take a picture of Perrine sitting at the front door, staring through the security door, waiting for me.

( And then the computers had crashed ... and I've forgotten some steps. )

After I make the LAN happy, I see what I can do with what's left of my shirts so I'll have something to wear with my kilt at the second gig.

Oh, and Perrine did something amazingly cute while was fifty feet away from my camera. Hmph!

"It is reprehensible for a president who claims to be compassionate to pander to a coalition of extremist groups by joining their assault on gay families. The American people want to see politicians in Washington concentrating on the real threats to our families -- an unstable economy, high unemployment rates and uncertainty in Iraq -- not guaranteeing that same-sex couples are left without more than 1,000 rights, responsibilities and protections under federal law." -- Elizabeth Birch

Continuing the theme of being startled by beasties when I should be asleep, a few minutes ago a bird flew into my bedroom window. It hit fairly hard, but apparently not so hard as to do damage, nor enough to knock it out of the air. (This is a 2nd story window, and the bird made a couple more strikes right away.) My reactions, in order:

• What? Something hit the window. Flesh-sounding thud.
• A bat? Bats don't hit windows.
• Wait, I can see it. Bird? It's dark out. What's a bird doing airborne now?
• Did it wake Perrine?
• Yes, it woke Perrine, and there she [THWACK][Bounce][scrabble][LEAP] goes!

So the window got it from both sides. Perrine is standing on the radiator looking out the window. The bird managed to land in the ivy, and must have been at least a little stunned, 'cause it just sat there for a couple minutes while Perrine tried to stick her mouth through the glass. Now she's looking at the place the bird had been.

I didn't get a really good look, but the bird is somewhat beige-ish, at least on the front, and the size of ... well, a smallish sparrow maybe. (What's the next size down from a sparrow?) I'm thinking that maybe it is in fact a rather small sparrow, but that's half guess.

Earlier, when I was dealing with computers, Perrine tried to get me to stop and play a couple times (I did indulge her in a game of swat on the stairs), but mostly tried to ignore me until I stayed in one place for a while, at which point she'd come lie nearby ... only to get annoyed when a few minutes later I got up again. Apparently she was sleepy and was waiting for me to settle into a single location so she could sleep near me. So when I went to bed, I called her to join me. But she's awake now, and so am I. Thwack.

Okay, time to try this sleep thing again.