Gilead
Fig. 1. “Elon Musk shared a video of his entrance on his Twitter account.” Photograph attributed to Elon Musk, October 26, 2022, via the New York Post,[1] fair use.
I am way down on a list to join Post (apparently no connection to the Washington Post), a social network meant to foster civil conversation based on real news. If it does anything like it claims, it might even be a network my mother might be willing to join. But if you sign up through this link, I get a bump on the waiting list.
Gee. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this before: Be one of the cool kids! Get in on this whatever! But you’re gonna have to wait!
I’m waiting for: Now, you can invite your friends!
Kali Hays, “Elon Musk fired dozens more Twitter staff the night before Thanksgiving — days after saying he was done with layoffs,” Business Insider, November 24, 2022, https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-fires-dozens-more-twitter-staff-night-before-thanksgiving-2022-11
Laurel Wamsley, “Looking to leave Twitter? Here are the social networks seeing new users now,” National Public Radio, November 24, 2022, https://www.npr.org/2022/11/24/1139079748/leave-twitter-social-networks-mastodon-hive-post
Fig. 2. My kitchen exhaust fan, on the wall above the stove. Photograph by author, October 14, 2022.
How big are the gaps with that kitchen exhaust fan (figure 2)? Apparently large enough for a chickadee to find its way through. I awoke this morning, seeing something fly in a straight line between my front room and the kitchen. Investigating, I found a chickadee, trying to escape, but you know, the glass in my kitchen window is, well, glass. While the poor bird was cowering behind my portable dishwasher, I opened wide my front door and pushed open the screen door, started my coffee (which begins with grinding), took my shower, and hoped the bird had found its way out. I’m still hoping.
I am, of course, also hoping this little bird drew some comfort from the warmth that I assume had attracted it in the first place and wasn’t too terribly traumatized by the experience.
Update: Either the little chickadee found its way in again or had never flown out the first time. I opened the door again and I’ve now taped something up over the fan hoping to avoid a repeat visit; the time I’m away working would be a long time for a little bird to feel trapped. I’m hoping, again, it flew out, but I’m now rather skeptical, even with a little chickadee, I think I ought to have heard the flutter of its wings.
- [1]Thomas Barrabi, “Elon Musk barges into Twitter HQ as deal nears: ‘Let that sink in,’” New York Post, October 26, 2022, https://nypost.com/2022/10/26/elon-musk-barges-into-twitter-headquarters-as-deal-nears/↩