Bird Attack!!!

After yet another red-letter day, I decided take a nice, long, iPod-fueled walk up along the lakefront to work off my frustrations. And they are many. The way this layoff business is sorting itself out has churned up so many demons I thought had been dealt with and banished years ago, but I guess I always knew they were lurking, just waiting for the perfect moment to surface. Which is why a brisk, five-mile hike after the slough of perfidy in which I've been spending my days lately is just what the shrink would order (if, indeed, I had actually GONE to one--and I may yet). It makes me a little easier to live with of an evening. I think.

Anyway, I was strolling (well, really, more like striding. Or maybe stomping) along the lakefront just north of Dempster thinking of serrated verbal retorts to fling at those who deserve them, when something slammed me in the back of the head. It felt like someone hitting me with the palm of their hand, just a bit TOO hard for a friendly "hey there!" that was meant for the shoulder but came down wrong. Already primed and steaming, I whipped around to find... nothing. But I didn't IMAGINE it. I was still kind in shock from the blow. Then I saw the starling swinging rather woozily on the branch of a nearby bush. It looked as if it had had the sense knocked out of it (if starlings HAVE any sense to begin with). All I can think is that it was headed for its perch and somehow I got in its way...

Well, it was so absurd that I had to laugh about it. Which lifted my spirits a bit.

I did look around to see if there were any OTHER starlings gathering, perching, waiting, beady eyes shining. Nope. Just the one scatterbrain.

Once I got home, though, I washed my hair. Two times. You never know where those birds have been!