There's a morning coffee every morning here at 10:30. It's been going on for years; they had it when I visited here in the late 80s and it wasn't new then. Many collaborations have been started, furthered, cultivated, fucked up, and/or broken at this coffee. More than one published paper acknowledges "M. Coffee" for useful discussions. Much science gets done here; in face about half the papers on my vita since I came here are the result of collaborations that started at coffee.

This morning at coffee, everyone was looking out the same window, jockeying for position and a better view. There was a red-tailed hawk in one of the trees outside, just sitting. This is a chicken-sized bird, with majestic wings and a significant sense of presence.

Turned out, it was hunting squirrel. It made a number of ineffectual passes at a certain tree, and the target squirrel merely scampered around to the other side. The hawk on the wing was not nearly so maneuverable, so would fly on, or land on a branch.

But persistance pays off in the end; the hawk caught the squirrel, dashed down to the ground, where it dismemebered its breakfast and commenced to eat. Before long it had flown off someplace bearing the remains, in hopes, one presumes, of avoiding scavengers. I doubt there are many around in town, though crows are common enough.

I was scheduled to meet with a visitor this afternoon; he didn't show up. I got a call from the next person on the list, saying he'd turned up there instead of at my office, and I get to chat with him briefly, later. Which suits me just fine; he really wants to talk to the lead author of a paper I had only a minor role in. But he's moved on to another institution in the interim.

On Monday, I played for toxicfur a recording of a piece we're working on in Coro; it's a madrigal kind of a thing by Dufay (mid 1400s). Complicated for the sake of showing off, only. She reached over to my computer, poked the "pause" button, and allowed as how music like that is "annoying". Reminds her of all those bad Shakespeare In The Park performances. And she's right. It is annoying. I'm not sure why I'm devoting dozens of hours this winter and spring to learning this stuff. In fact, I'm thinking of dropping out of the group. Which would make me sad.

Anybody else doing NaNoEdMo?. It's National Novel Editing Month; a chance to edit those novels you wrote in November (or some other time). Since my beloved is tied up writing for work all month, I thought I'd give it a try. My NaNo could certainly use another edition, somewhat closer to the always elusive "done" status. If you're reading, I'd appreciate comments. If you're not reading, I can get you a copy.

Still casting about for a suitable Tom Waits song to try reworking and recording. Suggestions are solicited.