October 1, 2026

Rabbit Rabbit

Where: my balcony

When: 12:00-12:30 pm

Bird Species: house sparrow, pileated woodpecker, blue jay

Things I Thought About:

• I am taking a break from a big work mess by sitting on the balcony and plunging myself into despair about realer things.
• I am despondent about Christa Pike. The death penalty is already a moral abomination, but allowing this to happen is a sin. It diminishes all of us.
• I am deeply, numbly sad about Cornell, but I am barely even surprised. We live in a world of Brock Turners, and campuses, by design, are getting less safe for women at an alarming rate.
• Everything is getting worse.
• I'm sad and my ankle hurts and nobody loves me.
• And I have to watch a baseball game later!
• The Wild Card series is the most American loser bullshit that has ever ruined my life. We simply must supply an avenue for the seventh runner-up to take the whole pie home; where would any of us be if mediocrity was disqualifying? That is White Male MBA nonsense.
• I am pissy and my ankle hurts and now people are going to smirk at my baseball take. I stand by it.
• I am actually working on what I think could be a fun little post based on a guest bird submission, but it won't be done today. Another day of sparrows, probably.
• Later tonight I will sit on this balcony and sip a small batch bourbon called Chicken Cock, which is my favorite new brand of liquor I've tried in a couple of years. I can't remember if I told you about it before.

BOTD: the pileated woodpecker. He will be the BOTD tomorrow, too, if I get another whack at him.

I have been hearing this little asshole across the street all week. Across from my balcony is a house, with a bunch of big trees in the back yard, and an obscuring row of younger trees on the berm between the sidewalk and the road in front. Many is the time I have been certain that there is great bird action going on over there that I cannot see. Today I heard him much closer. No one has ever been less equipped to rush into the house to grab the camera than I am in this fucking boot, but I made a hero's journey and discovered they are actually two little assholes. Then I took pretty much the worst series of photos anyone has ever taken of a bird.

I am a big cranky baby, but I am drinking the Chicken Cock and considering also eating a weed gummy before I watch baseball on [checks notes] Peacock.

Send me bird stuff at skwbotd@gmail.com. Spare us all more of this. Seven more days of boot.