They're going to release some California condors at the Pinnacles National Monument. Hooray! Every time I see any kind of animal in the wild, it nourishes my spirit. That applies double for birds with 9-foot wingspans and a preference for rotting flesh. I'm glad that through the efforts of captive breeding programs they're maintaining a toe-hold on existence.
I saw a possum tonight. They don't look both ways before crossing the road. I remember once spilling a perfectly good soda into my lap while braking to avoid crushing one of these single-minded little creatures. I got to thinking about it, though, and realized that no animals, present company excepted, look both ways before crossing the street. That would explain why roadkill is most often of the four-legged variety. What is it then about possums that makes me remark that they don't look both ways? It's like they're concentrating on a point about six inches in front of their beady little eyes. They're concentrating so hard on this point that the rest of the world becomes a secondary concern. Why they do this I do not know.
A while back I almost hit a possum with a newspaper. He got so pissed off that he charged at my car. I must have broken his concentration. Maybe he was on the verge of some epiphany, and I came along and wrecked it all for him with my careless newspaper tossing.

cds that I played a little softer than usual so as not to disturb the possums: Songs: Ohia "Ghost Tropic", Eleni Karaindrou "Ulysses' Gaze", Coroner "s/t", and Annbjorg Lien "Aliens Alive"

Now, still quietly: R. Carlos Nakai "Canyon Trilogy"