When it rains...

The Flu.Here's a quick update:

(mostly because I spent the night sleeping on the floor of my bathroom with the flu...)

They identified the owner of the car that hit me. No one is sure if it was the same guy that was in the car. (why no one knows that is beyond me...) I have to go downtown for a photo line up to try and identify him. The police told me that the woman was a hooker he had picked up just minutes before. No one knows why she was driving and where she is now. The owner, who the police have talked to on the phone, says he does have insurance (I have a strong feeling he is lying) and that he just can't find the paperwork. Until then, the cops have impounded his car until he can produce said documents. I have accepted that I will never see a penny.

Not me...My neck is much better but for some reason I am now knee deep in the flu. Massive chest congestion, fever, aches and to top it all off I spent all night with my head in the toilet. Nice. I went to the doctor today; it's going to end up costing me about $800 to get me back into shape with physical therapy and meds. That's my cost. My car is going to be AT LEAST $500 (the deductible) and they will most likely raise my rates.

I am so angry and frustrated and tired. It's probably mostly the flu but I still want to inflict some kind of damage on this person. I know I won't feel that way tomorrow but today, at this moment, that is how I feel.

Them thar scary aminals.

So I finally figured out my costume.

Tippy Hedron from The Birds. Ain't I cute? Too bad you can't see my face; I looked much more shocked than the lovely Tippy. Unfortunately, I lost the bird that was on my wig half way through the night. But at least he's flying free, pecking the eyes out of someone else. (they grow up so fast!)

I'm not really afraid of bird mutiny. A flock of seagull pecking at me is frightening but less likely to happen. There are tons of other kinds of groups of animals that I find much more frightening. Elephants are the first that come to mind. I've been doing some light research about the plight of elephants since last week when I saw some old footage (When Animals Attack! ...thanks Fox network...) of an elephant killing her trainer at a Hawaiian circus. It's shocking and horrifying for some many different reasons. These incredibly emotional creature have a great capacity to love and to rage. (You can blame the rage on us wacky human, pouching, torturing and killing them... an elephant really never forgets.) Sure, you mess with a baby, Mama is gonna whoop your ass. But it's more than that. Now and for the last decade or so, elephants have been terrorizing people. They have been found to be more aggressive and even attack without any provocation, crushing villages to the ground in the middle of the night. Some researchers have stated that this new generation of elephants are the product of our mistreatment and that they suffer from a kind of PTSD. There is a whole generation of kids subjected to watching their parents and families poached, hunted, tortured, kidnapped and killed. After this trauma, they are troubled and act out, especially where humans are involved.

Elephant crushing, a way of training wild elephant for preforming, has been condemned by dozens of organization. Poaching, although still going on, has been reduced since the 80's and early 90's due to strict patrol and tougher laws. But it's probably too little too late. Check out the links for more on these amazing creatures.

-http://ngccommunity.nationalgeographic.com/ngcblogs/
explorer/elephant/
-http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/02/16/
1140064206413.html
-http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/unforgettable/
emotions.html

Articles about scary-ass birds

• Barbie Runs for Her Life From The Birds
• Woman Savaged By Swooping Gull
• Chicago residents seek to avoid dive-bombing birds