A Rat with Wings Finds a Nest

This is bizarre. I've never seen a nesting pigeon before. This pigeon tried to keep it cool. But you can tell from the expression in its eyes that it knows it's trying to get away with something. It probably just accidentally landed in another bird's nest. Anyway, I saw this nesting pigeon on Hennepin Avenue, and immediately ran home to get my camera. Some people in New York call Pigeons Rats with Wings (the same people who call the ground, "the floor"). I don't think that's fair. Sure they flap around in your hair every once in a while, or get in your way on the sidewalk, or maybe even poop on you (which has only happened to me once). But they don't come into your house and gnaw holes in your box of Grapenuts. They don't scurry. They don't have pink, hairless tails.

The Problem With Books

I have a book problem. Here's a sample of books that I own that I still haven't read. These aren't even close to the top of my Books I Own & Still Need To Read list. Some of my more urgent reads? 1. New York Trilogy, Paul Auster 2. Young Hearts Crying, Dick Yates 3. Victory, Conrad 4. Moons of Jupiter, Alice Munro 5. Herzog, Saul Bellow. Plus I've got a half dozen books that I'm about half way through (Gotham, The World Is Flat, A Crown of Feathers, Dutch Shea Jr, and others). And still I visit the public library at least once a week. Is it possible that I spend just as much time looking for books to read as actually reading books? I'm currently reading Black Swan Green by Dave Mitchell. There isn't enough time to read everything I'd like to. I get the NYer every week and the Paris Review once every three months, and how about the hour I spent this morning reading the NY Times? My problem with books is just that I love them too much.

My room-mate's car nearly got stolen last night. Apparently the thiefs couldn't quite jump start it. The steering column has been wreched out of place. Every coffee shop in town seems to have a robbery story, from armed robbery to over night break in. It's strange. I started at a new coffee shop last week. And the first thing I was shown was footage from a surveillance camera of three men breaking into the back room and pilfering the safe. This was during business hours and the store was full of people. There's a strange crime wave going on. Is Minneapolis simply unconditioned to criminal activities? It definitely gets quite after dark. I rarely see cops. And I never see cops on foot. There just aren't enough people walking around. I've known several people who've been mugged. I guess you're an easy target if you're the only person on the sidewalk.

This has nothing to do with Minneapolis, but I picked up the new New Pornographers album after deciding in advance that I wasn't going to get it. I bought their last record, Twin Cinema, and barely listened to it. I thought, do I really need more of the same? More (obnoxiously?) tight, super frenetic pop songs? But I had a chance to listen to Challengers in the store, and well, I liked it. The new record is sweeter, there's a little more breathing room, I guess. And I'm a sucker for Neko. On a related note that does have to do with Minneapolis, I'm getting impatient for a good Minneapolis band to come out with a new record. I find myself prowling the record stores pouring through the local stuff hoping to find something cool. I picked up a bunch of promising stuff this past winter (Mouthful of Bees, Winter Blanket, Signal to Trust, and even Ela. Though Ela's actual record, compared to a live show, is pretty flat). So my question is, where're all the good bands at?