the falcon doesn't answer to any damn falconer

[starfrosting]

It is Ren taxishoes' birthday today! He is the best, all the world should bake him a cake.

Today whilst basking in the sunshine mugs of wine at our feet books spread upon our laps Cathy and I were looking at the birds in the trees surrounding our little stone paved backyard. I was looking mostly in that way when I hear one, look up to see what kind of bird it might be, and flinch when I hear its wings and feel the shadow of death pass over me. But it was nice nonetheless, and Cathy said if she were a nonhuman animal she'd be a songbird. I thought about it, pushed my back against the rotting sunwarmed fence, admitted I'd be a dolphin how sweet it'd be to beat yr muscled sleekness through waves and crest in the air, push through on the backs of waves. Then I said well, aside from a dolphin, I'd be a hawk. You know as much as I'm terrified of birds there are some birds I really like, like hawks. I think I would be a falcon, swooping down wicked fast.

Cathy said, "Whosa top?"

And I almost died from laughter. (First, her use of 'whosa,' which is clearly my influence by way of House. Second, the fact that being a falcon does sort of embody any toppish tendencies I have. Thirdly, the fact that *Cathy* referred to a hawk as a Top of an animal--which it clearly is-- and I'm sure had to link that up to my unfettered bossiness around the house [read: kitchen.]) Then Cathy made an allusion to some Chaucer I've never read about a parliament of birds. Then I thought about being a hawk and swooping down, saying "Give it up, your throat is mine!" to some little bunny. Life is such a delight.

Comments

[materialising.livejournal.com]

Zeus (as hawk/eagle) + Ganymede = top and bottom. For sure. This just happens to be my research area. :)

[starfrosting.livejournal.com]

You are so right on. Thank you for substantiating my claim using the Greeks-- extra apropos.

[climberblues.livejournal.com]

ha! i was just thinking again today how rabbitish i can be (both the quiet side & the trickster side) b/c of that picture of me holding a rabbit i was recently given.

predator/prey relationships are so beautiful sometimes. there's a description in one of derrick jensen's books that changed the way i look at those forever, even if i'm not sure he's right/wrong/who knows. actually there are some interesting ties there to the consensuality of bdsm. mmmm will have to ponder outside of work, yes.

o, there was also an interesting article on cnn.com (yea...) this morning about how bottlenose dolphins have names (but aren't as specialy-special as us all-important HUMANS!, oh no).

[starfrosting.livejournal.com]

dude I couldn't even read the article I just saw the picture, said "dolphins!" in my head, and plotzed.

Trickster rabbits are the best kind.

[climberblues.livejournal.com]

ah, another book rec, which includes trickster rabbits, is watership down if you haven't read that one. just a personal favorite.

plotz?

[starfrosting.livejournal.com]

Plotz, as in Yiddish for when you plotz, pass out, keel over, with joy...it's sort of onomotapaeic, n'est ce pas?

[climberblues.livejournal.com]

oui, c'est tres utile, ce mot. i like muchly.

[starfrosting.livejournal.com]

ah, tu aimes ce mot? j'ai cru que tu es juif?

[climberblues.livejournal.com]

ah non, je ne suis pas juif -- mais il y a beaucoup de juifs en ma ville et mon ecole, et a cause de ca, je sais plus de judaïsme qu'on penserait.

also, my french is really rusty because i've been taking a spanish class all semester ;P

[starfrosting.livejournal.com]

my french is absolute shite as I haven't spoken/studied/read/written it for over a year (and yet, like an idiot, signed up for a french lit and film class next semester. mon dieu.)

[climberblues.livejournal.com]

je pourrais pratiquer avec toi sur email, si tu voudrais. comment dit-on "genderfuckery" en francais, par exemple? ;)

[starfrosting.livejournal.com]

il n'y a pas un mot qui veut dire 'gender' en francais, n'est ce pas? euh, peut-etre 'le baisse du genre'? haha.
mais oui, c'est une bonne idee de ton part. tu as mon [address]?

[starfrosting.livejournal.com]

also, do you know which of Jensen's books that's in? I've got 'the culture of make believe' on Ren's rec, but have yet to dig in.

[climberblues.livejournal.com]

well, it's either in culture of make believe (ahhhhhhh *love*) or language older than words (also *love*), since those are the two i've read that are actually his own stuff (listening to the land is also good, but it's interviews w/ other enviros, not all his own stuff). i think the description i'm thinking of is in LOTW though...i'll check tonight & get back to you. btw i highly highly recommend LOTW, it's much more personal & intimate than COMB (also good in its own right, just prepare to be depressed & have a good support network around you when you read it).

[taxishoes.livejournal.com]

What/who is House?

Also, it makes me grin every time, but you are running out of ways to wish me a happy birthday. I've lost count. Ha.

What nonhuman animal d'you think I'd be? I don't know anymore.

[starfrosting.livejournal.com]

House is the TA of girls that you met last year--remember when my friend Sojo met that creepy porn star, and we were standing by their kitchen table maybe drinking tea? This was last year when I still smoked cigarettes. "House" was how they (Lindsay, Elizabeth Ehrenberg, Sarah Joseph, Kyla, and Helena) referred to their house. They wouldn't use direct articles.

I'm thinkin about what nonhuman animal you'd be, and I'm not coming up with a satisfactory answer. At this point I am thinking something in the mammal family. Something wonderful, with two moods. (Maybe a big cat, haha--I don't know.)

how bout, have a blessed 22nd year out of yr mama's womb? haha! love you.

[taxishoes.livejournal.com]

That's a good one.

So, House said "whosa"??

[starfrosting.livejournal.com]

I think El Ehrenberg started it, along the lines of "who's a Lindsay?" and it just spread outward like an infectious disease from there.

[taxishoes.livejournal.com]

Ah, alrighty.