TIL...

Technically, YIL. Yesterday I learned that those mysterious mutant Mourning Doves are Eurasian Collared Doves. As a bird-person, this is thrilling. Apparently, they're an invasive species that was introduced to the Bahamas in the 70s and spread to Florida in the 80s... and has clearly conquered the USA as it has arrived in my Northern Californian backyard.
This is so cool to me.
SO.
COOL.

Finally, snapped some shots of them. The photo on the left is through my bedroom window. On the right, through the living room window just before it took off. They don't tolerate my presence outside. Compare it to the Mourning Dove down here. Really different, but clearly still a dove. All I had were fleeting glimpses of confusion. WTF IS THAT?!! Now I know. Thrilled.

Even cooler is that I had heard a strange call at night. It sounded like an owl or a Mourning Dove having an identity crisis. Played a clip of a Eurasian Collared Dove and BINGO! That's it! YAASSSSSSS! Such a rad sound. Did I mention that I'm thrilled?

Sora has been especially friendly over the last week. It's nice to pop outside, make a little clicking call and she shows up in one of her usual spots. The fence. The gutter overhead. Or the jutting wisteria branch. She's comfortable enough with me that she'll trot around while I water plants, digging for bugs or grabbing peanuts when I put them out. The little hopping gallop is endlessly amusing to me. Birds are cool.

That Collared Dove, man.
Felt victorious when I figured that out.
They look downright regal.


In WTF news... Real Madrid bought Gareth Bale. Not sure if I want. The midfield is already cramped. Could be great, but if our bug-eyed, crinkly-eared hero doesn't get the minutes he deserves, we're gonna have a problem. Gif courtesy of his new adidas campaign.

Oh lawd.

*wibbles*

Life and Death...

Our little garden is doing well. The squash exploded in size and is producing faster than we can keep up with. First time we've tried straight-neck squash and it's good. Tasty. It's overwhelming the basil and tomatoes at the moment. Hopefully it'll spend its energy producing rather than growing/suffocating the basil.

The first mutant.

I tried to modify my sleeping schedule to something reasonable when it started slipping again. Backfired on me as it always seems to. I haven't slept with consistent hours for a week. A bit crazy-making. Why do I try? Lol.

I've determined that we've lost a scrub jay. And I think it was Aoi. Haven't seen him since that massive thunderstorm we had. Our backyard has been his territory for more than 8 years. And suddenly... he's gone. Of course, I have no idea how old he was when he first came here. I'm concerned he may have passed. It's like losing a pet. I'm bummed. I'm planning to immortalize one of my last interactions with him in comic-form.

Sora, Chibi, and Tasu all visit regularly. Tasu has learned to not screech constantly, but is still kind of stupid and won't come near me. All signs point to Chibi inheriting Aoi's dominance. He's a genius. Sits close and watches me for long minutes while I peel peanuts for him. Figured all that out quickly. Sora is still my girl. Chill as ever, but a little less tidy than she used to look. She was probably close to Aoi's age and has been here for 5-6 years. Gettin' old.

Otherwise, it has been towhee takeover. They're everywhere. Oh, and a couple of mourning doves showed up last week that I've never seen before. I'm not entirely sure that's what they are. They're the right shape and have the characteristic wing-whistle, but they're the palest mourning doves I've ever seen. They're silvery-white. And one of them is enormous. A scaled-up version. I wonder if it's mixed with a rock dove or something. Haven't gotten a picture yet, because they're pretty jumpy. Rad-looking though.

Football season has begun again. Real Madrid won their first match, but they're not looking super solid yet. Ancelotti is playing Mesut out of position. The Isco/Özil dynamic will have to be figured out. The energy already feels better than last season though.

Death is back! Tod 2.0... the Dark Tod.
Fiercer. Darker. Just as fabulous.



Then he got up the next morning and played a soccer game and scored a goal. The Death nail-polish probably needed a bit of touching up after that.


On a last bright note. Junsu is still granting three wishes during 'Genie Time' on his tour. Fans have begun requesting favorite songs and are coming prepared with printed out lyrics. Kind of hilarious.

The ones where he doesn't know the melody well are really impressive/lulzy, but this one is Busker Busker's big hit from last year 'Cherry Blossom Ending'. Sweet song.


Cute.

Pure Junsu spam...

Incredible
Turns out that I love this track way more than I thought I would. It has been stuck in my head since it was released. Catchy as all get out. Quincy's delivery is as dull as his step-father's. Sorry, Diddy. WTF is a spaceship candy? Anyway, love the track. So bright and fun compared to Tarantallegra. And it's just ridiculous and fun. Should've gotten a dancer to be on the bed with him instead of a model. Models tend to be graceless and awkward. Can't have that lack of enthusiasm next to DAT GOLD SUIT. He literally 'put his swag on'. Hahahaha. Bless him.


LOEN's Showcase
It was only 30 minutes, but pretty great. Tarantallegra, 11AM, Sorry, and Incredible. The 11AM performance is really something special. Done like the MV with just the vocal and then adding in live piano. He looks so happy to be on stage. Adorable and having fun with the audience, as always. His 10+ years of experience is really showing. Always on-point and charming.


the Grammys
Put him on the home page for a bit, which came as a sweet surprise. Lovely interview. The highlight: "I'm not trying to overestimate myself of anything, but Music is me."
Reminds me of his lyric from Mozart, "I'm a major, a minor, a harmony, a melody... I'm a forte, a piano, a dance and fantasy. I... am... music." Damn right.


Ask in a Box
Another interview... less serious. More the typical bubbly Su. Chunsa Junsu FOREVER. He'll never live that down. Chicken love. Kindred spirit on the math front. And shorts. Good heavens, boy. Lots of shorts during this promotional period. Gone his whole career wearing only pants and suddenly his legs are everywhere. Checking my kpop tumblr is like wading through a river of Junsu legs. Maybe he overcame a complex after having dozens of fangirls filming him play soccer in HD. LOL.


Fantasy
One of my favorite songs on the album, especially after I saw clips of the first concert. It's infectiously happy and flirtatious. This particular clip reminded me of old performances of Michael Jackson... like Another Part of Me. So playful with the fans/dancers and looking like he's having the time of his life.


Incredible Rehearsal
Looks like the LA dance team will be at the two shows back in Korea. I love the Korean dancers, but these guys are simply another level of professional talent. They helped Junsu reach his true potential as a dancer after a career of doubting himself despite his natural ability. Yunho was always 'the best dancer in kpop' and to say otherwise was blasphemy. That was never actually true, but I don't think Junsu realized what he could do until he got out from under that shadow. Jeri Slaughter challenged him, thereby erasing any of those doubts. The LA crew will bring out the best in him at the concerts. Can't wait to see them do Turn it Up, Fantasy, and No Reason. Gonna be a beautiful thing.


Right in the feels, too. Dance rehearsals are the most fun part of being in a company. Everyone knows what they're doing... just marking timing and spacing... so fun. I miss it.

Bambayaaaaah!
Done.