There's a Civil War Outside My House

Really, there is; a vicious war, fought between ducks and beavers, over who will control the ponds and streams of this fair state for the next year. The losers, it is my understanding, must make do with the lesser ponds and streams of Idaho, until such time as Civil War is invoked again. For the time being, the streets are clogged with bloodied feathers and pelts, and the air rings with the squawking of beaks, and the thumping of flat, fleshy tails. It's really quite noisy, I mean to say.

This is, at any rate, how I visualize the annual UO/OSU football game taking place tonight. The streets are actually clogged with automobiles, a few of them no doubt piloted by ducks and/or beavers of dubious sobriety. The ducks/beavers in this instance are actually people, which probably makes them slightly less dangerous behind the wheel, but that's hardly the point. The point is, Civil War has come to Autzen stadium, and I am trapped in my house.

Which is fine, I supposed. I've got my music, to drown out the dull roar of the stadium (as well as the fuzzy blupt-de-blup of the PA system), I've got my book, I've got my tea, and I've got the game on TV. Yes, the game is taking place literally across the street, and I'm watching it on TV. On low volume, so that it does not clash with the music.

Speaking of music, I've got a semi-interesting program going on, listening to my entire iTunes music library, alphabetically by album, without skipping a single track. This is a very epic endeavor; I've been at it in bursts over five days, and I'm now waist deep in the Beatles Anthology. Why do this? Boredom, you might think. And you're right! But I have rationalizations, too; namely, a desire to look at my collection from a new perspective. I can go a long time without listening to some albums, and that's not fair to anybody.

Of course, my digital album collection, as it stands, comes in at nearly ten days, five hours of continuous tunes. I may be at this for a while.

Pausing the music for a second, I open the window; the roar comes from both the TV and the stadium. It's like talking to yourself on the telephone.

Go Ducks!