Animals of October

A dearth of animal encounters yesterday, largely because I have started a new job and so am chained to my computer and confined to my study. I considered squeezing out a blog-post about the computer mouse (why is it a mouse? What's up with that?), but I doubt anyone really wanted that, least of all me. So, instead, I used Microsoft Excel to help me generate a random number and turned to page 227 of the Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, as featured in a former post . I landed upon 'Gabriel Hounds', who are deadly cryptids from British mythology who visit the houses of sick people as a sign of imminent death . I therefore present to you this prose-poem thing about the work ethic of these death-beasts and their boss. Views entirely my own. Gabriel Hounds They say hell hath truly arrived when the hounds need a spreadsheet.  When they lope up to Gabriel, tails between legs, and implore him to download Excel. Hell hath truly arrived when Gabriel, normally so supercilious, conced...

Hungry bread and butter hustle You’ve been doing it a while, it is only fair Where’s your relaxation? Where’s the time required for your health? ~ Animal Collective, ‘Who Could Win a Rabbit?’ Lyrics by Noah Lennox I was put in mind of this song yesterday after a call-out on the radio for songs themed around rabbits (it was, apparently, the anniversary of the publication of Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit). ‘Who Could Win a Rabbit?’ is track two of Animal Collective’s album Sung Tongs , and is a typically weird, jangly, hooting-and-howling tune from these purveyors of surrealist forest-folkrock from their headiest days of jangle and screech. I often return to Animal Collective at this time of year because they remind me of my days as a fresher back in 2005/06. This was a time pre-Spotify, just on the cusp of music streaming becoming a thing, so we all trooped up to University with choice selections from out CD collections which we would swap around for burning to our various c...