The Birds

I haven't been able to find a schedule for blogging yet here in Florida. It's nearly 2:30 AM now as I write this, and I don't want to keep staying up so late. The last two days I've made myself get out of bed at 10 AM, but it hasn't worked because I am still staying up all hours of the night.

Tonight, around dinner, I was sitting on the patio by the pool and looking out into the nearly wooded area behind my parents' lot. I say 'nearly wooded, because there is about 10 feet of scrub and trees that give way to a wide empty wash. Still, despite the thin-ness of the wild area, the back yard attracts a wide variety of animal life. Within about 15 minutes, I spotted a brilliant cardinal, a blue bird, a blue jay, several doves, and an honest-to-god bobwhite. The bobwhite was walking across the lawn, and I was able to see the distinctive white banding on its face and the crazy feather thing on top. My first thought was that it looked exactly like the one in the cartoons! TV has ruined me.

But, seeing all these birds made me think I should take up actual birdwatching. I so enjoy seeing new birds in the wild— or seeing ones that I haven't seen in a long time. (California is blessed with sparrows, mockingbirds, pigeons, and crows.) I was ecstatic to see that woodpecker back in March.

Talk to you again soon!

"One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste."— Goethe

Best. Flight. Ever.

Here's a tip for those of you who like to get away now and then. If you fly US Air, they save the window and aisle seats in the first few rows of the Coach cabin for their 'club' members. (I don't know what ridiculous phrase they use for their flyer club.) If you're a member, when you book a flight you can select one of these seats— or one of the wing exit row seats. If you're not a member, you can't select one of these seats when you make your reservation. (However, in the 24-hour confirmation period before the flight takes off, you can upgrade to one of these seats for $15 or so.)

Here's the thing. Because these seats are first reserved for club members and then sold off for a slight premium, they are not always sold, even on 'full' flights. The middle seats— and I think we can all agree the middle seats are generally undesirable— the middle seats in these rows are not premium.

Can you see where I'm headed?

On my flight today, I booked seat 5E— a middle seat— for both legs, Ontario to Phoenix and Phoenix to Tampa. On both flights one of the seats to my side remained unsold, and I got to move into it as soon as everyone had boarded. I grabbed the window to Phoenix and the aisle to Tampa. There is no better way to fly Coach! I was even able to stow my bag under the vacant middle seat on each leg of the trip, giving me full room for my legs.

Best flight ever!

See you next time!

"Big ol' jet airliner, don't carry me too far away. / Big ol' jet airliner, 'cause it's here that I've got to stay."— Jet Airliner by the Steve Miller Band

The Beat Goes On

My alarm is set to ring in 4½ hours and here I am again. Tomorrow I leave for three weeks in Florida.

I'm going to start changing this blog around a bit. I'm tired of wanting to write but finding that I have nothing to say. Because, of course, the truth is that I have a lot to say. I find that I most enjoy posting here when I can mix personal stories together around a theme— for instance, my travelogue was fun to write when I could weave together the events of the day with stories from my past. I need to find new ways to do that. So, I'm going to be experimenting a bit.

The serial will be coming too. Don't give up on me. And, even though I may be the only one who enjoys it, I do intend to get back to my poetry idea as well.

See you next time from Florida!

"Everything changes, nothing remains without change."— Buddha

The Rest Is Yet To Come

I really run hot and cold here, don't I?

I'll be back soon. I'm not down or in a funk right now— I just don't have much to say.

"A quiet mind cureth all."— Robert Burton