The fossa. Madagascar seems intriguing in a similar way to the Galapagos Islands in that it has a quite unique environment; while I'm generally more interested in the plants (they are so weird there!), fossas seem to be no exception to the oddness rule. What really interested me when I initially read about them was that they were described as a predator who's ancestry 'predates canines and felines' and that they had retractable claws like a cat, but flat feet like a bear. I guess I would have described it like a predatory version of a platypus, except agile like a margay.

      And the third ingredient in Trader Joe's strawberry-lemonade is aronia juice. And I was like, huh? Interesting. But I suppose 'aronia' is better than 'chokeberry.'

      And, I happened to be sitting on a rock under a tree earlier, and a sprig of eucalyptus leaves fell down next to me. When I looked over, I realized an ant had come all the way down on the sprig, as there was a line of ants going up the tree, but they were nowhere near where the leaves had landed. I wish I could have gotten an account of the ride from the ant; I bet it was awesome.

      Totally unformed thought: stalactites and stalagmites seem either poetic or symbolic all of a sudden to me. The stalactite - as solid as can be matter being sculpted by gravity and a liquid - in turn forming a stalagmite - out of the same medium, but now as if a progeny of sorts - until they finally merge into a single, rocky being after meeting halfway. Or maybe I'm just bleary, and things seem more profound at the moment.

My mom walked in and her first reaction was "That's like you!"

So many...the thought of it almost brings tears of joy....