One evening on my way home, as I strolled through the hallway to my apartment, I saw small movement by the door frame of another apartment.
"Probably just a frog," I thought.
No. Mouse.
So began my "I miss nature/animals" thought. I only see dogs on the street, on leashes. I only see cats in windows ... or at my friends' place farther up the avenue.
Rats, mice, cockroaches -- that is my nature now.
A girl my age in the apartment one floor below me has a bird. I hate birds. I'm not alone in this campaign against pet birds because I once saw a Post-It note on her door that read something like "This building does not allow dogs or cats for a reason. Please keep your bird quiet."
So, I find nature elsewhere; usually, on a movie screen. Recently I saw "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" and "The Montreal Girl." Both featured a big animal of some kind, ox-related or cow-related, respectively. And I admit that I couldn't take my eyes off of them.
"MMMM ANIMALSSSSS," I thought, but not in a get-in-my-belly way.
Tuesday marked six months of living here, which is twice as long as I lived in LA. Progress!
