Thoughts

Random Thoughts:

John Elway hired to manage operations for the Denver Broncos? Hmmm
Planning to watch the Sugar Bowl tonight. I have no idea if they are contenders or not, but if they win or even just play a good game, it will be the second most talked about event so far this year.
Still trying to figure out if I am willing to wear the perfume I got for Christmas. I was assured it smelled nice, as if I would know the difference LOL
And I know I said I wasn't going to make any resolutions, but I am going to commit to a couple of goals for the coming year. The list so far includes:

An actual exercise plan. It would be great to delay knee surgery, or at least speed up the recovery if it does come to that.
Better discipline on the writing thing. I am also still on the lookout for a writing partner.
Decide what I want from my job and go about getting it.
Set some specific spiritual goals. Not sure yet about how to phrase it, but will probably be a post of its own.
Reach out more and quit preemptively rejecting people before they reject me or clinging to the few who are as screwed up as I am.

Private Thoughts

With that last sentence, I have to say that the last time I truly reached out to someone it came back to bite me. I sort of withdrew into myself for awhile, and threw myself into work, church and family. That's all well and good, but it's time to quit acting pathetic about my life and do something to either change it or change the way I think about it. I am not sure yet how that will change the frequency or tone of this blog. I would like to be too busy to blog, or write only the kinds of things that would attract enough readers to make it something more than a personal matter. Anyways, in case it comes to the need to separate my truly private thoughts from those I can share somewhat, I have created a secure page for the stuff I don't have to edit or spin before posting. Secretly hoping it amounts to nothing more than a collections of thoughts and ideas I can turn into erotica fiction instead of dwelling on :-)

Blackbirds, Updated

Ha ha ha. I played hooky from work today to go to Memphis. Even people there were asking about the bird incident, as was a friend from OK. The CNN van was still in town this evening, so when I got home I looked to see if there was anything new to report.

Long story short, they still think it was some kind of trauma as a result of the birds being startled by fireworks and cannon fire. They went on to say that some birds had been sent to another lab for additional testing,but they thought they could rule out poisoning, as well as the weather.

I had to read it twice though. I find the trauma explanation as reasonable as the weather explanation, but I am still cracking up that they mentioned cannon fire and no one seemed to think that part was odd at all. People were quoted as saying it was unlike anything they had ever seen before, possibly a sign of the end times, and what not, but not a single person (besides me?) thought the fact that someone had shot off a freaking cannon was strange.

Blackbirds

The most interesting thing to happen so far this year:

BEEBE, AR  – Ringing in the New Year took on a different meaning for the citizens of Beebe. Beginning at around 11:30pm, enforcement officers with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission began getting reports of dead black birds falling from the sky in the city limits of Beebe.

Dick Baxter with the Game and Fish Commission estimates that 2000-2500 birds fell out of the sky over the city. Most of the birds were dead, but some were still alive when officers arrived. Three different types of blackbirds fell over a one-mile area in the city.

AGFC wildlife officer Robby King responded to the reports and found hundreds of birds.

“Shortly after I arrived there were still birds falling from the sky,” King said.

King collected about 65 dead birds that will be sent to the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission lab and the National Wildlife Health Center lab in Madison, Wis.

The AGFC has flown over the area to gauge the scope of the event. There were no other birds found outside of the initial area.

AGFC ornithologist Karen Rowe said that strange events similar to this one have occurred a number of times around the world.

“Test results usually were inconclusive, but the birds showed physical trauma and that the flock could have been hit by lightning or high-altitude hail,” Rowe said.

Another scenario may have been that New Year’s Eve revelers shooting off fireworks in the area may have startled the birds from their roost. The birds may have died from stress.

Rowe said that it didn’t appear as though the birds died of any poisoning or other event.

“Since it only involved a flock of blackbirds and only involved them falling out of the sky it is unlikely they were poisoned, but a necropsy is the only way to determine if the birds died from trauma or toxin,” she said.

Testing will begin on Monday.

The City of Beebe has hired U.S. Environmental Services to begin the cleanup and dispose of the dead birds. The environmental firm will go door-to-door to pick up the birds that are still in yards and on roof tops. Residents are urged not to touch the birds without wearing rubber gloves.