Masterminx

I wrapped up my Business Systems course. I'll probably get an A, or damn near that. I don't think it was a matter of applying myself, but more that the instructor was really easy-going. Our weekly assignments were outlines, for hell's sake. I usually completed them in the time between the end of my working day and the time that 24 started.

My next class is a C programming class. I am hoping that it's very similar to the one in the BS program. I still have those assignments for reference. C is so freakin' boring.

I feel sickly. My head aches, and my stomach keeps twisting up and threating to make me heave. For totally unrelated reasons, my back, calves, and knees are sore.

The latter pains resulted from a hike over a half-frozen, snowy trail in a local canyon. The idea was to go birding and test out the new 10.1 mp camera that KJ bought me as an early birthday/late Christmas gift. (He shops when he has money, which is irregular due to the nature of the business.) Instead, we slogged up through ice and snow and saw not a single living thing that wasn't a plant. As a payback, I gave him the camera backpack to wear about halfway up. I still carried the five pound telephoto lens and the camera, equipped with the smaller telephoto. And the monopod, which became my walking stick.

We probably walked about a mile, total. I know that's pretty wussy--you don't have to tell me. I feel that shame, and KJ laughs at me a little, blamelessly. For him, it was just an easy, casual walk. I felt like my heart was going to explode. I am still not used to the altitude. The fact that I woke up with one of those headaches that nothing seems to fix made it way worse.

We ended up bailing out of there, and driving all around the wealthy parts of town to see if we could spot a deer in the lower parts of the canyon. No such luck.

KJ said he knew of a short, flat trail with trees around it. I decided to try to walk it, so we went to this little stand of trees near the Junior High School. As we walked across the field, and around the baseball diamond, I was amazed by the amount of deer crap on the ground. (It looks like large rabbit poop.) It was everywhere. The trail between the trees was practically paved with deer dung.

It was not easy to keep an eye on the birdies and try not to step in deer crap at the same time. I managed. I got a few shots of a dark-eyed junco female and several snaps of a gorgeous bird I had never seen before. He turned out to be a Downy Woodpecker, and was not very worried about me standing there. Beautiful little black and white bird with a crown of bright red...I was very excited. I added him to my photoblog.

That's it. I need a nap. Or a shower, then a nap. Probably just the nap.