chicago '08

in the wee hours of this morning, we returned from a trip to san antonio, austin, and houston. astoundingly, I spent time in san antonio and did not venture anywhere near the alamo. before we left connecticut, I complied a list of hilarious jokes about the basement and bikes and the like. yet, I told not a single one. since I have no picture of me with a tour guide at the alamo, here is a very old shot of me near one of the dinosaurs from the sunrise scene. [insert Pee-Wee laugh here]

we had a nice time on vacation, and I did an impressively good job of not working or thinking about work until we were stuck on a layover at o'hare for 3 hours last night. it's quite frustrating to be an hour from most of my favorite people in the world and not get to see them, but I did write the bulk of a psychological report during the wait. so, I guess it all worked out.

I won't go into detail about the birds we saw on the trip*. suffice to say that a conservative estimate of the number of species we spotted is in the low 90's. nearly a third of those were birds we have never seen before. it was like bird nerd heaven in texas. more important than birds, at least ostensibly, we saw good friends around the state. Joe and Krys seem to be doing well in san antonio, and it was wonderful to spend time with Kristin in houston. in a happy turn of events, we will get to see all of the texas people again this summer when they travel to connecticut or nyc!

* of course I will. if you call me, we can talk for hours. I will read to you from the list.

we're snowed in today. there are huge drifts everywhere, causing Hugsband's tiny sporty car to look like a giant white station wagon. since we're trapped indoors, I have had an excessive amount time to think about my life. after hours of careful consideration, I realized that I am not living up to my full potential. I need a change in environment, I need to make a real difference in the world. my heart's cockles are not sufficiently warmed by working with babies with disabilities. very soon, I will abandon my current crummy career path and pursue the worthy cause of full-time baby wood duck rescuing.

don't tell my boss yet, though. I need to play it cool until I get a letter of rec.

we were held captive on a 5 hour bird watch this morning, which wouldn't have been terrible except we’re in the midst of a frigid nor'easter and we didn't have any snacks. we found ourselves in a carpool with two friendly yankees, who were dead set on spotting a golden eagle- no matter how long it took to find one. apparently, the 10+ bald eagles, harriers, and multiple other raptors we spied weren't good enough for them. a benefit of the exhaustive trip, besides the birds, was driving through some adorable little villages we otherwise would never have known existed. the other birding highlights (as if anyone besides us would care!) may have been the long-tailed ducks and the loons, which are surprisingly elegant for birds with such a silly-sounding name.

the highlight of any bird trip for me is the people-watching. my favorite of this trip was a WWII-era navy man whose methods of birding are all related to military strategy. "form a caravan and we'll drive up to Essex as a group. that way, we're less vulnerable to accidents and mishaps."

science fair b.s. is ruling Hugsband's life these days. there's a lot of drama surrounding a middle school science fair, especially for the teacher who is responsible for selecting the students who proceed to the city-wide fair. you wouldn't believe the name-calling, back-stabbing, and general funny stuff that goes on. the jerk at the district office can't keep her administrative nose out of Hugsband's teacherly business. all I remember about my junior high science fair is loaning my cousin Joel's far side book to a cute 7th grader who now lives in my house and leaves his disgusting shoulder hairs all over. I mean really! how do they even get into the fridge?

if this were a rorschach, I would get a special score for the preceding paragraph. it's true, though.