I had a match, but she had a lighter

[thorne_scratch]

I am not dead. Still buried under work, though.

So, about an hour ago I was hauling ass down Route 123, on my way to work, balefully cursing the potholes under my breath and wondering why it is there is never a single road in Virginia that is not under construction at any given time. It was your usual middle of the week work commute, with the added contemplation of just how drunk it is possible and/or acceptable to become on a Wednesday Cinco de Mayo. When all of a sudden, I see what looks like two largish grocery bags or crumpled boxes in the middle of the road. There are some smaller crumpled things sifting around them. Oh good, I think, something else that can possibly take out my alignment.

But as I get closer, it turns out they are not boxes or bags. They are, in fact, a family of Canadian geese, two adults and four tiny, fuzzy goslings, regally marching their way across the highway.

Any normal hostility I feel towards Canadian geese (damn things used to crap all over the pool and were a bitch to clean up after, though I do give them some reluctant respect. They're part of the "large birds who will immediately fuck shit up in a hilarious way as long as it is not you getting attacked" group that includes geese, swans, ostriches, cassowaries, emus, and squeemu) was immediately swept away by fond memories of "Make Way for Ducklings!" So I slammed on my brakes and sat in the middle of the road as they waddled their way across my lane. The person in the lane next to me stopped, and threw on their hazards for good measure, and so did the driver in the next lane over, and we all just sat there with goofy smiles and watched the geese do their thing. The parents were each herding two of the goslings, who peeped and scrambled around their feet, clearly asking their parents if there was a pool and cable TV at their eventual destination, and were they there yet.

No one honked (except the geese); no one drove on until they were safely across. It was an unexpected feel-good moment, all the better for coming in the middle of the week and completely out of the blue. I feel a great encompassing fondness towards all humans and avian life forms at the moment. It will have probably faded by the time I leave work today, but for right now, the memory still makes me smile, sitting here at my desk. Happy Cinco de Mayo; may there be tequila for everyone tonight, and no hangovers tomorrow.

Oh yeah, and I also bought a house. Or possibly a small European principality, judging from the check I'm supposed to write. More on that later.

Comments

[aphelion-orion.livejournal.com]

Whooo house! Congratulations?

Also, man, I love these unexpected bonding moments where you just share something with total strangers. Kind of restores my faith in humanity just a little.

[likethewatch.livejournal.com]

Another hilariously large and dangerous bird is smellslikecher.

[soranokumo.livejournal.com]

That with the Canadian geese is just awesome, and also, yes. XD That happened once with me and my Mom on the way to or from school, only it was a bunch of pheasants, I think? A woodland bird! With a really long train of babies, trying to cross the road. So cute. And there was a lady with her kids behind us who seemed annoyed we had just stopped, until the birds passed in front of our car and started into the next lane, at which point she saw them and started laughing and pointing them out to her kids.

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I hope it is a very good one for you, too.

Congratulations on the house!

[d0rkgoddess.livejournal.com]

I love your random little entries... and this one made me feel all warm and fuzzy. =) No drinking for me (gotta work in the morning and don't relish working with a hangover) but it is bound to be a good day.

[sheraton.livejournal.com]

*Squee* Ducks and ducklings! Thank you for a happy thought. Oh! *Two* happy thoughts. HOUSE OF YOUR OWN how awesome is that? ♥

I think Rissi has ducklings in common with you, but not cars. My only encounter with avian road-crossing involved getting out of the car to convince the young turkeys to move out of the middle of the road and off to safety!

Silly things didn't want to finish crossing; we saw this once a year for about 3 years, I think.

[twigcollins.livejournal.com]

Was it this time a few years ago with the gay ducks?

[mewsrissicat.livejournal.com]

*grin*

Does your principality get a castle and a moat? You've always wanted a moat. I can tell, every time you pass the pirhanas in the pet store...

[alhazred.livejournal.com]

That's better than the time a friend and I were driving up a mountain and nearly swerved off of it to avoid a giant spider scurrying across the road. (It turned out to be a leaf.)

Also, can I move in with you? I promise I'm housetrained.

[m-steelgrave.livejournal.com]

Be sure you have the house inspector check for goats and/or hookers in the pipes. The seller should totally have to pay to fix either of those things.

(Also, congrats on new digs and on avoiding goose-doom.)

[kadrin.livejournal.com]

More than once in Switzerland we had to stop for cows. Many, many cows. Moving slowly, at an angle to the road, and occasionally being very curious about these big metal boxes with people in them. It was great.

I am prepared to believe that geese might have been greater.

[velithya]

MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS heeeee

Oooh house! I look forward to seeing more info :)

[squeemu.livejournal.com]

Eeeee, birdlings! Adorable! And day-brightening! Today seems to be a day for wildlife. Baco and I saw some adorable fuzzy birds with really long beaks today while I was checking traps.

Also, congratulations on the house! I HOPE THE POST OF EXPOSITION COMES SOON <3

[mistress-259.livejournal.com]

I had a moment like that years ago with a family of ducks, except I had noticed them in my rearview mirror. I stopped, concerned, and was delighted to see the cars behind me and those in the oncoming lane all stop to let the family pass. It put me in a good mood about human nature for the rest of the day. There's still hope for us left!

Scary birds

[les-champignons.livejournal.com]

I feel like I'm totally going to rain on this feel-good parade, but...

I really really hate those birds. To be fair, I really just dislike birds. I blame Alfred Hitchcock for scarring me for life.

Also, did you know that they are actually called Canada Geese, and not Canadian Geese? I only know this because every time I talk about them to my dad (which is more frequently than you would imagine), he reminds me. Every. Single. Time.

And my Avis Cyrus icon scares the bejesus out of me.

[velithya]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY