BONNIE "PRINCE" BILLY & RVA

sunday night, bernice, alexander, carter, paul, and i headed east for good things. after Christian's pizza and a meander around Charlottesville/UVA, we automobiled our way over to Fry's Spring Beach Club, where an eyeliner-wearing, nail polish-bearing crazy-man put on quite the show.

goofy wording aside, the show was fantastic - or at least i thought so. while we left early and didn't get to hear a certain favorite (i'll be glad, it's called), what we saw was great. they didn't play a single song like its recording, which i really like. darryl anthony james, jr. might disapprove of creativity, but i sure don't. and there couldn't have been better people to go with.

but damn, there were a lot of beards there.

and i just got home from the Annual Meetings of the Virginia Academy of Science and the Virginia Junior Academy of Science. that was pretty cool - a two-night trip which involved ten minutes of responsibility... literally. the rest of the 48 hours gave time for frisbee, exploring, and a good deal of card-throwing. also watched The Dark Knight for the fourth time and (part of) Breakfast at Tiffany's for the first. not particularly taken with either, matthew and i found ourselves throwing more cards. the only science going on there was a study of angular momentum.

but yeah, i think that's all.

when the sun welcomes us in
and the earth's protective skin
fails and peels back, face to chin
then we start it all again

why do you frown?
why do you try?
why don't you lie down
in the light?



peacefully & quietly, in his favorite spot.
rest in peace, pal.

Meriones unguiculatus

via wikipedia:
A Gerbil is a small mammal of the order Rodentia. Once known simply as "desert rats", the gerbil subfamily includes about 110 species of African, Indian, and Asian rodents, including sand rats and jirds, all of which are adapted to arid habitats. Most are primarily diurnal [1] (though some, including the common household pet, do exhibit crepuscular behavior), and almost all are omnivorous.

The word "gerbil" is a diminutive form of "jerboa", though the jerboas are an unrelated group of rodents occupying a similar ecological niche.

One Mongolian species, Meriones unguiculatus, also known as the Clawed Jird, is a gentle and hardy animal that has become a popular pet. It was first brought to the United States in 1954 by Dr. Victor Schwentker for use in research.[2]

Gerbils are typically between six and twelve inches (150 to 300 mm) long, including the tail which makes up approximately one half of their total length. One species however, the Great Gerbil, or Rhombomys opimus, originally native to Turkmenistan, can grow to more than 16 inches (400 mm) in length. The average adult gerbil weighs approximately 2 1/2 ounces. As of August 19, 2003, officials in western China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region began releasing eagles to combat the damage they say the great gerbils have done to eleven million acres (46,000 km²) of grassland.



I sure hope it works out..

updates (of pertinence to nothing really worth mentioning)

of the sporting life: tennis is officially over. after a long & rainy season, i've no qualms with the fact. i just wish i ended up with coach liking me a little more. i'll miss chatting during matches too, but there are now plenty of free afternoons for plenty of that.
of the gaming life: a rousing game of Risk has begun in the class formerly known as U.S. History. a triple entente formed this afternoon & domination on its part seems inevitable.
of the learning life: physics exam tomorrow - but then it ends. i guess I also have to read The Jilting of Granny Weatherall tonight. AWESOME. things aren't wrapping up too badly.
of the voting life: i registered today! (www.deedsforvirginia.com, if you're of age)

that's about all.

genesis & outdoor progress

i wasn't too crazy with how the old blog was going. here's to a new start.


emmett & i did some lawn work today, and there are pictures to prove it. one step closer to an entrance garden.