Attack!

So I think I saw a crow raiding a nest today. While waiting for the bus I heard a starling giving the oddest cry - it sounded almost like a juvenile, but this was clearly an adult bird. I watched it fly in a large circle and land on a roof - next to a crow. Frankly, that part was cool enough - I had heard the bird calling for help in chasing out a crow. (No other starlings ever came, by the way). The starling stood on the roof by the crow for a while, and then backed off to the nearby tree, screeching all the while.

The cool part came when I noticed that the crow was poking its head into a crack behind the eaves trough. Now, I watched it very closely, and it never pulled anything out, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if there was a nest in there. I don't know if it was gulping eggs/nestlings down really quickly, or if it couldn't reach. But either way, it was cool.

I know you have a reputation, but...

Ok geese. Bear in mind that you are known for tasting good. In fact, a certain faculty of engineering legend is a legend in part because one of you were turned into his Easter dinner. I know that you are known for not having sense, but when I get within a half metre of you, you really shouldn't wait for me to look directly at you and go

"You look like dinner!"

before you start to slowly shuffle off. This also holds true for you not getting up when I walk next to you, carrying a heavy weight. If I need to remind you that you're dinner, I'm going to be right before too long.

I think I need to look into how to clean birds...

Crazy Weather

It's bad enough that there's already a UV index being posted on the Environment Canada website (I suspect that it's automatically posted anytime it rises to moderate). But having a UV index posting with a high of 1 , and a low of -10? That's just annoying. Spring, stop teasing. Either come, or let winter stay!

I like Waterfalls

I, however, tend to consider them toys which are played with at the bottom, not at the top. (At least not anywhere with lots of water and/or high drops. 1m falls on the Madawaska are fine at the top). According to Snopes.com, there's a lot people who disagree with me.

Apparently at the top of Victoria Falls there's a natural pool where people go play. Pictures show people basically sitting in the water, looking out over the edge of the falls and down. Honestly, they look quite believable . The only reason I'd doubt would be if these were some other falls, or maybe there's another pool a little ways down from here.

Either way, I'm NOT trying this one.

Do Nut Sorters Dream of Mechanized Squirrels?

Ok, interesting question: why do we respond the way we do to bugs. I'm still not quite sure how much of me not squishing them is from the fact that it's a lot easier to trap them than clean up after them, and how much is from other aspects of being a city kid. Opinions?

Oh, and if you don't get the title, my ME 380 project (nut sorter) is the closest I've come to making a robot. If you still don't get it, you haven't read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? recently enough.

Mother Nature is Beating Me Up

So being quite dedicated to my bike (read: lazy) I decided to bike home today despite the heavy wind warnings from Environment Canada (I think the wind was down to a steady 50 km/h with gusts in the mid-sixties). I was ok leaving work, and then turned so I was biking across the wind. I work out where it's open enough that I get major cross-winds. When I hit the main highway I'd say I was a good 20 degrees off of vertical just to stay upright. I even managed to keep moving forwards when I turned into the wind. Things were going well.

Unfortunately (and you all knew that that was coming, even without the title), I had problems with the cross wind. I reached the part which is less industrial park and more just outskirts of town (or whatever the town equivalent of suburbs are) without too many problems. However, after the traffic light and the second time when I was almost blown into the curb, I decided that enough was enough. However, a victory apparently wasn't good enough for the weather. I signalled a stop and hopped onto the curb.

I actually hopped rather quickly onto the curb. You know, like when a fire truck comes by. Put one foot on the curb, pull the other leg up and over the bike then pull the bike after the outside leg. Notice that I skipped the "move the outside leg out of the way" step. It never really occured to me before that this was a step. However, I never brought the end of the handle of my bike up into my knee as it was coming down before.

Oh well, live and learn

Wish I'd had a Camera

On my way home tonight I decided to get somewhat lost. Now, in Goderich this takes some doing (by the way though, I actually succeeded! I thought I was getting more lost and ended up heading home. I'm so proud of myself). And, of course, we need to take into consideration the fact that I'm lazy. So my technique involves missing a turn or two going home, rather than going in the wrong direction. I must say though, that this works quite nicely, because all the best places to get lost are in that direction - the river and the lake are both past where I'm staying if we're talking relative to where I work.

This trick worked quite well today. I turned off the highway early and just kept riding towards the lake. It's a perfect day to stand at the top of the bluff and look out over Lake Huron. It was grey and somewhat misty all day - I even used my light on the ride home, not that I think it actually made me any more visible. Somewhat dreary days apparently make for the best time to look out at the lake. From a distance it was difficult to see where the water met the sky. But from atop the bluff the water took on delicate turquoise and blue colours, and lapped calmly at exposed sandbars and old shipwrecks - a beautiful contrast to Wednesday when the waves had stirred up the bottom enough to make the water cloudy and more of a grey as the waves battered the shore.

I really wished I'd had a camera so I could share this with you. But it's probably better that I didn't. Now I have to properly remember.