here at the foxbox, we've come to know and love a beautiful pair of mallard ducks that hang out in our neighbourhood. sometimes they're on our front lawn, picking through the bits of trash to find some semblance of food scraps. sometimes they plop down in the middle of the driveway and rest for a bit. sometimes they get really close and start quacking at me (or maybe it's because i get really close, and that's why they quack...). at any rate, we've all kind of assumed that ducks mate for life -- someone had that tidbit of knowledge stashed away from early elementary school, and we totally ran with it. "awwww, so cute! look at mr. and mrs. mallard" et cetera, et cetera. after a month of bliss, i had a not so pleasant encounter this morning.
i saw three ducks flying overhead while i was walking up ezra street. they landed on a lawn about 20 feet from me. as i approached, i heard loud quacking and saw some...wrestling... then they disappeared around the corner. by the time i reached that point, what i saw caused me to stop dead in my tracks. poor mrs. mallard was being FOUGHT over!! except, she didn't seem so happy. she kept trying to escape, while the two drakes pecked and quacked at each other, beating the other off with wings and head. as soon as one would mount her, he'd just get going and the other drake would shove him off and jump on her back. AHHHHH!!!! THAT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!!! feeling a mixture of disbelief and anger at the stupid horny drakes, i continued my walk home, determined to figure out what the crap just happened.
as it turns out, wikipedia had some enlightening information for me. apparently not all the drakes match up with a female; whoever is 'left out' will band together. "This group will sometimes target an isolated female duck — chasing, pestering and pecking at her until she weakens (a phenomenon referred to by researchers as rape flight), at which point each male will take turns copulating with the female." does this shock anyone else?! i kind of thought that rape was a tragedy only known by our species, but poor, single female ducks also experience aggressive sexual dominance by their male counterparts.
i feel like i was still an innocent little girl, up until this morning's revelations, that thought that cute little animals were nice to each other. my feminist inclinations definitely rile up at the thought of a woman being attacked -- and now i know that that feeling carries over to "the weaker sex" of other species too. can someone get a lawyer for poor mrs. mallard? i think she needs a divorce.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
"For the person with the first initial 'J'..."
the phone rang this morning, 9:27 AM. long distance ring. the thought crosses my mind, it's probably my mom -- and then alaina answers it. "who was it for?" i ask her, to which she replies with in a comical voice, "for the person with the first initial 'j'".
what the crap is that?! we get solicitors calling for joyce ALL the bloody time, usually asking for "Mrs. Moase, please" -- if she's not here (and she never is, because her name is MISS moase), then the person occasionally will ask for Mr. Moase. "ummmm yeah, he doesn't exist...thanks, though, for rubbing that in," was randell's snappy response one afternoon. so now they don't even know her actual NAME? just the first INITIAL of it?! come. on. people.
pick up a copy of errata this week on WLU's campus, the women's center zine. it's got a hilarious story in it about the whole 'Mrs' business. i might post it later, if i have more time...it's really funny.
for now, i should get back to writing for marks, not for pleasure.
peace out
what the crap is that?! we get solicitors calling for joyce ALL the bloody time, usually asking for "Mrs. Moase, please" -- if she's not here (and she never is, because her name is MISS moase), then the person occasionally will ask for Mr. Moase. "ummmm yeah, he doesn't exist...thanks, though, for rubbing that in," was randell's snappy response one afternoon. so now they don't even know her actual NAME? just the first INITIAL of it?! come. on. people.
pick up a copy of errata this week on WLU's campus, the women's center zine. it's got a hilarious story in it about the whole 'Mrs' business. i might post it later, if i have more time...it's really funny.
for now, i should get back to writing for marks, not for pleasure.
peace out
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
i must confess, you're so much more than i remember
over the past week, i have rediscovered the joy that is found in nature. after 6 months of snow (or has it been a whole year??), the grass has reappeared from under it's hiding spot, i can finally feel the warmth of the sun on my shoulders, and most importantly, i don't have to wear my mittens anymore!!
about 2 weeks ago, i started to get irritated with mother nature. we had a teaser of a nice day, followed by a morning of snow-covered cars and sidewalks again. would winter never end? and then this week happened. this glorious, sun-drenched, sweet-smelling-like-earth week. just as i was about to break up with nature for pissing me off, she rewarded me with kisses and smiles...and reminded me of all the beauty that she has to offer.
it's like she knows! knows just how far to push me before i get pouty, and then at the last second FINALLY bursts forth with brilliant dawns, warm afternoons, cool (not cold) evenings, and long, drawn-out sunsets painted with the patterns of joyous dancers in the sky.
it's so much more than i remember from last spring.
and it's only going to get better from here.
my only dilemma? it's paper writing season, ie. never-leave-my-desk month. at least i can justify the walks that i take with needing fresh air to clear my mind...make sure you do the same. the feeling of invigoration and...happiness...when your eyes drink in the vibrant colours, your lungs burst with crisp and fresh breath, and your heart lifts up out of the stressful corners it might recluse to.
trust me, you'll want to take the time to remember.
about 2 weeks ago, i started to get irritated with mother nature. we had a teaser of a nice day, followed by a morning of snow-covered cars and sidewalks again. would winter never end? and then this week happened. this glorious, sun-drenched, sweet-smelling-like-earth week. just as i was about to break up with nature for pissing me off, she rewarded me with kisses and smiles...and reminded me of all the beauty that she has to offer.
it's like she knows! knows just how far to push me before i get pouty, and then at the last second FINALLY bursts forth with brilliant dawns, warm afternoons, cool (not cold) evenings, and long, drawn-out sunsets painted with the patterns of joyous dancers in the sky.
it's so much more than i remember from last spring.
and it's only going to get better from here.
my only dilemma? it's paper writing season, ie. never-leave-my-desk month. at least i can justify the walks that i take with needing fresh air to clear my mind...make sure you do the same. the feeling of invigoration and...happiness...when your eyes drink in the vibrant colours, your lungs burst with crisp and fresh breath, and your heart lifts up out of the stressful corners it might recluse to.
trust me, you'll want to take the time to remember.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
it's about time
blogs. totally hot right now. blogs.
okay, so maybe i'm running a little behind on the blog wagon here. it's like in movies, when one dude is running after the train and successfully jumps into the moving car, and his buddy is just a liiiittle slower than him, and doesn't make it for awhile. it's painful to watch him, but you feel a sense of relief inside when he finally gets in. now the journey can begin! kinda like me. i've got lots to say, most of the time. so, i decided i'd give this whole "share your thoughts with the world" thing a try. and unlike facebook, NOT the entire world will be reading this. it's a bit scary to be opinionated, because someone will always disagree. but that's okay. there are lots of people who will laugh along with or at me, ha ha.
first things first. tonight, whilst sitting contentedly in my living room, signing cards for friends who are graduating, the idea came up to live in a 'cross-gender' house next year. this clearly will not be happening, as randell and joyce and myself JUST got confirmation today that we get to rent a gorgeous house in uptown waterloo together!! however, kevin seems to think he could persuade one of us to live with some of the guys, and HE could take that person's spot. after shooting him a glance that indicated my less-than-thrilled opinion of his idea, i thought i should point out why that would not be a grand idea. joyce was terrified, because of our uncensored approach to conversation between us girls. "Great! I'll finally learn the secrets of life!" he said. okay, fine, not convincing enough. "You'd kill me, Kevin," I said... he looked surprised... "No, wait, you're right, " I ammended, "I'd kill you first." and then we continued throwing chocolate chips at each other, aiming for the mouth, but more often hitting teeth, eyes, or (in my case) the wall behind joyce's head.
i love my house. as excited as i am for my new place, i'm going to miss the ol' FoxBox. in case you haven't realized yet, this is *kind of* an homage to 176-A Clayfield Avenue. my home will change, but there are too many hilarious memories of the last 2 years living here, that i just simply cannot forget. "Why is your place called the FoxBox?" you might be asking. (actually, i totally heard you ask it out loud, cause i'm creeping in the hallway...hi.) let me give you a quick rundown of the evolution of our house name:
Clayfield Women (given by friends)
Clayfield Boxes (changed by us, after we contemplated dressing up as boxes for hallowe'en)
Clayfield Foxes (the less-embarrassing/ awkward name that was written on the Manor's phone list, not including a reference to our girly parts)
FoxBox (written on our fridge, welcoming friends to our place for a party this year. it became a favorite for us.)
aaaaand there you have it, folks. please, hold your cheering and cat-calls until the end.
okay, i'm done :)
welcome to my blog. i'm totally stoked you're here!!
okay, so maybe i'm running a little behind on the blog wagon here. it's like in movies, when one dude is running after the train and successfully jumps into the moving car, and his buddy is just a liiiittle slower than him, and doesn't make it for awhile. it's painful to watch him, but you feel a sense of relief inside when he finally gets in. now the journey can begin! kinda like me. i've got lots to say, most of the time. so, i decided i'd give this whole "share your thoughts with the world" thing a try. and unlike facebook, NOT the entire world will be reading this. it's a bit scary to be opinionated, because someone will always disagree. but that's okay. there are lots of people who will laugh along with or at me, ha ha.
first things first. tonight, whilst sitting contentedly in my living room, signing cards for friends who are graduating, the idea came up to live in a 'cross-gender' house next year. this clearly will not be happening, as randell and joyce and myself JUST got confirmation today that we get to rent a gorgeous house in uptown waterloo together!! however, kevin seems to think he could persuade one of us to live with some of the guys, and HE could take that person's spot. after shooting him a glance that indicated my less-than-thrilled opinion of his idea, i thought i should point out why that would not be a grand idea. joyce was terrified, because of our uncensored approach to conversation between us girls. "Great! I'll finally learn the secrets of life!" he said. okay, fine, not convincing enough. "You'd kill me, Kevin," I said... he looked surprised... "No, wait, you're right, " I ammended, "I'd kill you first." and then we continued throwing chocolate chips at each other, aiming for the mouth, but more often hitting teeth, eyes, or (in my case) the wall behind joyce's head.
i love my house. as excited as i am for my new place, i'm going to miss the ol' FoxBox. in case you haven't realized yet, this is *kind of* an homage to 176-A Clayfield Avenue. my home will change, but there are too many hilarious memories of the last 2 years living here, that i just simply cannot forget. "Why is your place called the FoxBox?" you might be asking. (actually, i totally heard you ask it out loud, cause i'm creeping in the hallway...hi.) let me give you a quick rundown of the evolution of our house name:
Clayfield Women (given by friends)
Clayfield Boxes (changed by us, after we contemplated dressing up as boxes for hallowe'en)
Clayfield Foxes (the less-embarrassing/ awkward name that was written on the Manor's phone list, not including a reference to our girly parts)
FoxBox (written on our fridge, welcoming friends to our place for a party this year. it became a favorite for us.)
aaaaand there you have it, folks. please, hold your cheering and cat-calls until the end.
okay, i'm done :)
welcome to my blog. i'm totally stoked you're here!!
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