Work occupies my thoughts and my time. Revise and update the Colorado
mailing list. Done. Complete the New Mexico mailing list in preparation
for my approval to practice there. Done. Revise the flyer for the December
mailing. Done. Make a few more changes to the web site. Do the annual
reviews. Finalize the 2004 projections so I can do the 2005 projections. A
staffing change in Denver. Take some on-line CPE... I'm not done yet.
Did I mention the website lately? It's still in process; a good one
probably always is; but we're getting a lot of information there. Check it
out: http://www.taylorandcompany.net/ <http://www.taylorandcompany.net/>.
My daily run has degenerated to a walk. A sharp pain under my right kneecap
won't let me run downhill at all. If I run until it hurts, then try to
walk, it still hurts. If I just do an exercise walk, it doesn't hurt much.
After all the running and racquetball, though, it's hard to consider walking
exercise. But if I don't consider walking exercise, that means I'm not
exercising any more. I have no choice but to change the rules and declare
victory. Walking is exercise. Maybe if I'm nice to my knee for a while, it
will get better by itself.
Last trip I mentioned that I was reading a book called "The Big Year". It's
about listing how many birds you can see in North America in one calendar
year. It's a 2004 book about the 1998 big year. The story is now complete,
and I'm happy to report that the 1998 big year destroyed the old record of
721 with an astonishing total of 745 birds. In 1953 the record was 572. In
1955 it was 598. 1971 626. 1973 669. 1979 699. 1983 711. And 1987 721.
You have to see all the regular North American birds, then you have to have
a particularly bad weather year that blows in accidentals from Siberia and
pushes South American birds up across the border. 1998. A particularly bad
weather year. 721. A record that will never be broken......
