WInter!!

It's a cold slightly snowy morning here, the first day of a long cold snap. Dana and I are gonna head out and catch some birds, the theory being that bird behavior changes a little in cold weather, making them easier to see (certain species).

I'll be back later with (hopefully) pics.

Mooelkey

I just learned of an old Alaska holiday tradition that was previously unknown to me. The Mooelkey

New Yard Birds

We got two new birds in the yard today. First a Bewick's Wren was at the suet feeder. I have never seen one at a feeder before. We are expecting a cold snap here so maybe it was getting some easy nutrition.

We also got four "myrtle" yellow-rumped warblers eating off the ground. I have seen the "Audubon" subspecies before, mostly in early spring, but the "Myrtles" were brand new to me.

Next post is bound to be music related.

Science: Hip Hop Minutae Pt. 1

I often have minor revelations while listening to hip hop regarding the origin or traceability of a given phrase, slang or sample. I will post them occasionally. This one came to me a couple of months ago and is a gem.

The guitar line of the Roots song "Rising Down" is copped exactly from "Music Man" by Masta Ace. Who can best this? I am laying down the gauntlet.

Blowhards

I watched a lot, way too much, cable news in the election cycle, so I am really glad its over. Cable news makes my brain hurt more than a little. In the normal course of events I get my news primarily from NPR and the internet but I got caught up in the fever. I can't cope with the yelling. I can't. I love noise, but I hate the yelling.

A good example considering my personal political persuasions is Olberman. 80% of the content of his show is of some interest to me, but I do not need Olberman, or anyone else to tell me what to think of what the news is, I just need the facts. I also don't need host and guest(s) winking at me like we are all in on the same thing. It is demeaning. I have similar feelings about things like the Huffington Post. I can get a lot of the type of facts I seek there but it sure feels a little dirty to me.

For me, I need NPR. Good reporting done in vocal tones that soothe and sedate. Aaah. Schwetty Balls anyone?

Lieberman

There has been a whole bunch of ballyhoo about Joe Lieberman lately regarding the Senate Democrats choosing to let Lieberman maintain his chair of the Homeland Security committee and in general, not booting him out of the caucus. It seems that lots of progressive types seem to really have their panties in a bunch over the issue, which is a big waste of time in my opinion.

I dislike Lieberman to the point that the man does things to my gag reflexes if I have the misfortune of seeing him on the tv. However I really am unmoved by all the complaints. I appreciated Harry Reid's sentiment that an act of revenge on Lieberman would have rung hollow in the midst of all the work the nation faces (big paraphrase there). Also, I wish all the lefty talking heads would calm down. Obama expressed the view that He wishes to keep Lieberman in the caucus and right now that'll do for me. I am someone with no small view of his own intellect and for now I am happy to bask in the comfort of a president who finally seems way smarter than myself.

In the campaign it took a while for me to adjust to the idea that Obama and crew knew what they were doing. Remember thinking why aren't they fighting back? Remember realizing that Obama was being, in the words of Dana, "boring like a fox" in the debates, even when you wanted him to belittle McCain?

The higher ground feels good. The air smells fresher up here. Let's stay a while

First (Third) Time Out

Ooh, a new blog. Its easy to be tempted to think "a new blog, a first post. How to set the tone?" Well, no declarative statements need be made here.

I have begun a blog twice before, each withering and dying from neglect in next to no time. One of them did, however, get rated as something like the 17th best bird blog in Western Washington, praise akin to placing 3rd from last in an ugliest dog competition, perhaps (East Bay Birders was the blog: look it up).

Dana and I have discussed for some time the idea of creating a space on line where we can write as it is a process we both enjoy greatly. Hopefully with her participation this time around, this blog will survive the winter.

On the bird front: We walked along Ruston Way in Tacoma this morning and there was a nice array of watery birds; horned and red-necked grebes, barrow's goldeneyes, great blue herons, various gulls, a solitary surf scoter, tons of double-crested cormorants, 1 pelagic cormorant, a couple of belted kingfishers. The tide was high so we were denied the amusement of watching western gulls swallow seastars whole. Also, yesterday, I had to rescue a house finch from the jaws of our cat Kitty Chan.

On Beats: Dana and I went to see Method Man and Redman on tour last week. A good, not great, performance that we both enjoyed. One note: Why does the whole worl love "Rapper's Delight" so damn much? Meth and Red covered it and that was fun, but... as anyone who has read and enjoyed Jeff Chang's "Can't Stop, Won't Stop" will attest, the song's position as a kind of Tigres and Euphrates of recorded hip hop has occurred by peeps ignoring or (more likely) being unaware that the song more accurately marks the inception of the commodification of hip hop. (Sugar Hill was a fake band, not existent until the recording - The Hip Hop Archies if you will; The rhymes were all or mostly jacked from better MCs with no contract). I am not hating, just saying. Anyway, it was good to see Meth and Red; can't get enough of Da Rockwilda.