and now i am watching a dozen winged corpses fly somewhat

proudly outside of my living room window.

this sight, juxtaposed with the presence of several handfuls

of pigeon deterring spikes

makes me realize that New York City, as a rule,

is opposed to nature.

Popsicle found a pigeon with a broken leg in our yard the other day. She scooped it up in a tennis bag and carted it down to the vet where it had it's leg taped up. She set it free in Washington Square park. We went back three days later and it was still there. It looked oily and happy. It walked right up to us at the sound of Popsicles voice as if to say "Thanks for the leg wrap, man."

Later, I saw a squirrel in a tree. Cute, fuzzy squirrel like the kind I used to watch from my bedroom window as a kid. My whole life, I have always assumed that squirrels just run away when you approach them. Today I learned that the NYC squirrels are a new breed. The NYC squirrels get right in your face and demand attention. They stare you down until you look away and come closer and closer to you until you either back up or leave--and even then, they will follow you. They seem threatening almost. At one point, a whole gang of them came down on an extended tree branch and were an inch from my face. Scared me to death. I thought they were going to jump me. It's all very Hitchcock.

Thug squirrels.

Only in New York.