when it's gray in LA

all I wanted to do this morning was walk to the Boston Public Library, rent multiple episodes of NOVA and go home and watch them in bed. This is how the holidays affect me. Some people overeat, some people become emotionally abusive to family members, but hedgehogs, hedgehogs turn to PBS.

A Really Inspired Post

So I was going to post about something else, but I realized I'm missing one of the pictures. So then I thought I would post the other thing I've been meaning to post for, oh, a month. But even though I edited the pictures for that very recently and then told myself not to forget to put them on my flash drive, I went right ahead and forgot. Therefore, because I feel guilty and need to post something, and all I have are three pictures from August, I'm posting those. Here we go.

Usually when I'm house-sitting, I end up posting twenty-nine pictures of Rosie. Rosie sitting, Rosie walking, Rosie playing with string, Rosie glaring at me, Rosie on a chair, Rosie outside, Rosie sleeping. And no one ever comments on those posts because there is nothing to say except that Rosie is edibly cute, the end. But this time I have shocking images of the life Rosie really lives, a life of terror, a life of justified paranoia, a life of waiting for Rhubarb to pounce on her head. She may spend twenty-three hours of the day sleeping, but the fact is, sleeping is serious business and she's constantly having to make up for time lost to pseudo-jungle-cat attacks. And now there's proof.

Exhibit A:
The predator lies in wait.
He is thinking, "Ah, there is Rosie. I shall pretend she is a giant mouse and try to eat her. She'll never spot me."

Exhibit B:
The predator goes in for the kill.
Here he is thinking, "She spotted me! Damn you, Rosie! You are a mouse, and I am an enormous jungle cat!"

Exhibit C:
The predator magnanimously fails to rip out Rosie's throat.
Her initial panic over, Rosie wonders whether this is going to go on all day because she has several more places to nap in today and the afternoon is already half over.

unhealthy

I took a trip to Joshua Tree National Park this weekend and spent most of Saturday commenting on how clear it was, and how nice it was to breathe fresh air and how different it smells once you get away from LA. When you hike in LA you get to the top and see something cool like viewing tubes--



what an awesome idea, even better than those giant binoculars-- no quarters necessary, they work for free! And you peer through the awesome viewing tubes and you see this:



breathtaking, yes? Breathtaking in an "I really shouldn't be out here breathing this" sort of way...

exhibit 2: I've had a Yosemite bumper sticker on the back of my car for about two years. A tasteful sketch of halfdome in a beautiful blue sky and fluffy white clouds behind it. And the clouds have turned brown. Air pollution is actually affecting my bumper sticker.



So being in Joshua Tree really did feel like a breath of fresh air. I think that's why we were so shocked by this sign:



Simon commented that I probably should not have been out in those conditions, but I'm fairly certain if they had that on the LA city limit it would read "Air Quality: Asthma Attack" right next to one that says "Welcome to Los Angeles-- Lung Donors Welcome!"