New Years Resolution #4

Become a falconer.

Ok, sure.  It's just a hawk.  And you probably can't even see it, but my cell phone camera zoom isn't that great, so you'll just have to take my word for it, but! while having lunch at a table in the Disney commissary patio today - a freaking hawk flew up on top of the trellis - roughly 10 feet away from me.  Now, I lived in the country for a long time and frankly, I get rather concerned when wild animals start getting close to humans (it just usually doesn't work out so well for either the animal or the human in those cases).  I've never been so close to a hawk before.  It was quite amazing.  Having just (FINALLY) finished reading the Odyssey, I have to admit that the first thoughts running through my head were wondering what type of omen this represented.  Stupid, but...  true.  The semi-rational part of me doesn't believe in such things, but the other side sort of does.  I digress.  Next, I started imagining how the folks that were staring at the hawk in amazement and awe would react if they saw the bird swoop down, pick up one of the semi-wild squirrels that were scurrying about the patio area grabbing up leftovers and commence with his/her lunch. 

I'm glad it didn't happen, but it would've been interesting.

I had never before realized how cool large birds of prey are and now feel the need to have one rest on my wrist sometime soon.  I can't really explain this desire any better than I already have, so I gotta go do it soon.

Comments

[Arturo]

Word. Any discipline that involves a critter sidekick sounds worth the time. That reminds me of college, as we had a round cafeteria that sat on the man made pond/lake in the middle of campus. My first spring everyone was pressed gainst the glass cooing over the newyl hatched duck chicks.
The cooing didn't last long as the local predatory birds soon started swooping down and grabbing chicks and throwing them against rocks, etc. Of course the cute little yellow chick was one of the first to go. This and a disturbing incident with a flock of ducks proved more instructional than anything else I picked in college.
Hope everything finds you well and congrats on finding a new corporate overlord. Careful what you say about this one on your blog. By the way, when I can get some e ride tickets to ride space mountain? ;)