It was cold and clear tonight, and looks like it will be so for the rest of the week. There was a dead squirrel in a parking lot, looking like he had decided to take a nap. Poor little guy.

Matt, Greg, and I got together for a preliminary rehearsal for the upcoming Irr.App.(Ext.) live debut. We tootled away on our tin whistles and plotted and planned. It was decided that we needed more scorpions, so Matt and I went to East Bay Vivarium to inspect their supply. They had a really cool Goliath Bird-eating spider, and a Hissing scorpion, and a Thai something-or-other Edible spider (very pretty), but they all had red dots on their enclosures, which means that they are aggressive and/or toxic. Not good pets to own around kids. Same goes for the Beaded lizard, which I hadn't known was legal to sell, since they are venomous. He was cute though, looking for all the world like the Doggie in the window that wants to go home with you. The fact that he was venomous and priced at $1500.00 meant that he stayed where he was. Of additional interest was the Trans Pecos Rat snake, who looked just like the rat snake currently sleeping in the cage next to the computer. I had thought he was a Black Rat snake - now I think he's a Trans Pecos Rat snake. Only he knows for sure.

The continuing soundtrack to my labors: Neurosis "Sovereign", "Locust Star", and "A Sun That Never Sets", Opera IX "The Black Opera: Symphoniae Mysteriorum in Laudum Tenebrarum", Andrew King "The Amfortas Wound", Lo'Jo "Boheme de Cristal", Steve Von Till "As the Crow Flies", and King Crimson "In the Court of the Crimson King"

now: Africa - Music from the Nonesuch Explorer Series