THEY ARE ALMOND SHAPED

Very often I have more faith in, and affection for, the allegedly wild animals that move quietly among humans in the city. There are the parrots, of course -- a flock of about eighteen of them that come screaming overhead at around eight o'clock in the morning this time of year, heading towards the Western Addition -- and the crows with their extraordinary appetite for stale pizza at all hours; they're rather like college boys but better behaved, and rarely drunk.

There used to be raccoons in this neighborhood, when trash cans were still easy to rob. Now it's harder, they require near-human coordination and leverage. The lids don't simply slide off.

Last night, while being interviewed by the police about what I had seen (violent incident up the street), a coyote casually wandered by on the other side of the street. Five cars with flashing lights, victim howling on the pavement, people clustered in an urban area with no shrubbery, undergrowth, moorland or heath. And a coyote, just casually minding its own business.

It would have been more interested in us if we had been small house pets or little children. But as we were so obviously not suitable prey, or food scrap material, it just couldn't be bothered.

Coyotes are remarkably civilized members of society.


Two of the other witnesses were gay gentlemen, one of whom was quite as beautiful looking as Lesley Cheung. Very lovely features. His Caucasian boyfriend was also handsome, but not as nice. They live three blocks further up the hill, and had just picked up something sweet from the nearby donuttery.


I used to go to that donut place a lot. Three of the employees spoke Cantonese, but only one of them is left now, and though I've known her for years, too much sugar winds me up and knocks me out, which I do not need during daylight hours.
Strong coffee will fail to ameliorate that now.
My metabolism has gotten a bit older.
I'm not a youngster anymore.

None of this has any bearing on the amygdala, part of the limbic system. The function of which kicked in, presumably, when witnessing last night's ruckus. Decision making and emotional response, plus declarative memory and the release of adrenaline. Fight, or flight.
My amygdala were fully functional.

You cannot see my amygdalae in the picture. But trust me, they are there. Both sides. Before going in I dawdled, because I could see that events were spiraling, and being a witness is, in many ways, both a sacramental process and a duty, a necessary human function.
One cannot, must not, look away. Real life is not a movie.
I still do not know how many slasher films end.
Some things one doesn't have to see.
Other things one must.


The amygdala are located just underneath the main part of the brain, sort of centrally above the throat and behind the eyes. They react to stress hormones, which in consequence strengthens memory retention. You'd think that, given this, watching a Mike Meyers movie while swotting for an exam would be an excellent idea, but the process cannot be so finely modulated. You might instead remember how extremely uncomfortable you were at the theatre whenever German declensions are mentioned. When was the last time they cleaned that upholstery?

BTW: Nicotine is also good for short term memory. Try it sometime when studying.
Or witnessing violent incidents. Always cary a pipe with you.



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