down at the local s/bux. out of coffee at home. It's a mild and bright early morning. a bird trills a melody from somewhere in a tree i can't see. chwee-u-chwee-u-chwee-u—-chirup-chirup-chirup-chirup-chirup….i wonder what kind of bird it is. i've heard the call in other places other times.
i opt for drip coffee and it is bland, unusual for starbucks. brown water. makes me smile small and think of baghdad cafe. a memorable line (to me) attributable to the character of a stern german woman. i'll have to see the whole movie again to recall the rest.
a dapper man with his two daughters inhabit a bench down the way. he is as subdued as they are frenzied. they take off running and he begins a process of tedious shushing; warning them off this tree and that bush. they're not listening. after awhile he gets off his ass and makes a lame attempt at properly reining them in and they literally begin to run circles around him.there's a playground close by but he seems intent on sticking to the sterile confines of the concrete plaza.
a woman with two dogs–a giant doberman who fairly drags her, and a tiny, ancient black chihuahua arrives–she apologizes in advance for…..and then the barking ensues….so much for peace. i'm familiar with them both, the doberman is most memorable because he let's off a series of bellowing barks as soon as his owner is out of sight and doesn't stop until she gets back. apparently, this is normal behaviour for him. i wonder idly what must happen when she, say, goes to work every day. the little chihuahua is far more cagey and subtle. he prances over to the door a few beats behind her and almost slips into the store when a couple of patrons leave. once she returns to the table the barking, a few people in the smoking circle strike up dog talk with her. the dobie is still a puppy and the greying chuhuahua is 8. he began to go salt and pepper when he was 3. he only looks like a senior citizen. i don't see dobermans very often. most people have wandered off into designer dog territory or opted favour of other currently popular breeds like birnese water dogs. bubba is a majestic highstepper, and clearly a sweetheart, but i can see where they got their guard dog rep from. i'd definitely back off if he started roaring an earnest fuck off or die bark at me.
d.