Monday, June 21, 2004
Nature Boy
Since there's so much nature outside my window, from squirrels to spiders to mockingbirds to woodpeckers, it's understandable to think that I live out in the countryside somewhere, milking cows and making love to my beautiful sheep. But in reality I live about a mile from LAX, which is one of the busiest airports in the world -- not exactly a vast expanse of pristine wilderness.
So where do all these animals come from? Well, they were probably here way before us humans came in with our paved roads and giant machines and transformed their habitat. So they had to adapt, and now we have woodpeckers pecking on telephone poles, mockingbirds imitating cell phones, and squirrels chattering angrily at me from telephone wires.
Oh, but I admire them for that, for I could never adapt to their natural habitat, being far too entrenched in civilization as I am -- the clothes, the showers, the toilet paper, the Doritos, the Regis and Kelly.
But most of all, I could no longer do without the drone of jet engines, the one that lulls me to sleep at night -- like a big robot mama humming a love song for her boy, as he dreams of beautiful, well-fluffed sheep in the next room.
So where do all these animals come from? Well, they were probably here way before us humans came in with our paved roads and giant machines and transformed their habitat. So they had to adapt, and now we have woodpeckers pecking on telephone poles, mockingbirds imitating cell phones, and squirrels chattering angrily at me from telephone wires.
Oh, but I admire them for that, for I could never adapt to their natural habitat, being far too entrenched in civilization as I am -- the clothes, the showers, the toilet paper, the Doritos, the Regis and Kelly.
But most of all, I could no longer do without the drone of jet engines, the one that lulls me to sleep at night -- like a big robot mama humming a love song for her boy, as he dreams of beautiful, well-fluffed sheep in the next room.
