The day may come when I see an ant and don't blurt out "Blaaah, Ants" the way Homer did "Deep Space Homer."

But that day is not today.

Glad I missed him.

Michael Petak - Reign or Fall: One of many opening acts I was introduced to (for Love Spit Love around 1994) that I have enjoyed for many years to follow.

Cursive - In the Now: This will likely put Mama, I'm Swollen back in my head for a few weeks.

Boredoms - ?: Taken from a live recording, this is one of many great Boredoms tunes that doesn't really map to any studio release, but captures the energy of the band's live performances.

Tom Waits - Woe: Mellow tune from Blood Money.

Sebadoh - Crisis: Loud loud loud.

Cabaret Voltaire - Burnt to the Ground: Crazy sounds from the crazy version of the band.

Nuno Canavarro - Untitled: From a collection of compelling bips and boops on Plux Quba

Tomorrow is Already Here - Favorite Son: Hi Garret.

Lou Reed & John Cale - Work: From the fantastic Songs for Drella memorial for Andy Warhol, Reed and Cale rip out a vicious tune expanding on their often cantankerous relationship with the artist.

Cursive - Mothership, Mothership Do You Read Me?: A fairly crazy, somewhat miserable tune from the band.

Sebadoh - Happily Divided: Goodness from the lo-fi world.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Intoxicated: From a bouncy recording with Ali Khan's vocals.

Knut - Genoa: From a loud recording that would be with a bear's vocals had it not been instrumental (maybe the bear was sleeping).

Marillion - He Knows You Know: Can't accuse the Random Eight of not being diverse today.

Built to Spill - Stop the Show: My peak of interest with the band was with this release, Perfect From Now On.

Husker Du - Dreams Reoccurring: A short introduction to the longer manic noise conclusion on Zen Arcade.

A pretty couple of young mantid were hanging out in the front yard a few days ago. I like this shot; I think he is ordering an ant-daiquiri from the mantis bar.

Knut - El nino: Early morning scream!

Pit er Pat - Evacuation Days: A haunting, fun tune.

Mozart - Requiem in D Minor Offertorium Hostias El Preces: Not as much screaming in this one as the Knut song.

Tom Waits - Yesterday is Here: Another great Tom tune for the Random Eight.

Boom Boom Satellites - Dub Me Crazy: Out Loud is one of the most fun albums I own.

Toad the Wet Sprocket - One Little Girl: Go 90's.

The Residents - In The Dark: I've enjoyed The Residents over the years, but lately their releases seem pretty hard to get into. This, from The Voice of Midnight, is a CD that just hasn't had much playtime for me.

Sunny Day Real Estate - J'Nuh: Go 90's.

I think Monty is happy here.

The season has progressed to the point where I can no longer comfortably stray from the trails to track insects as the mosquitoes have claimed territory I typically like to explore. Before a hike yesterday, I used bugoff spray, but it just wasn't enough to stop the full-blown assault and I pathetically cowered to the paved bike trails (plus I really came close to wiping out in thick mud while crossing a small stream...I'm sure it looked as graceful as something that is totally not graceful).

Fortunately, insects are everywhere, and I've managed to train my eyes to see them even off the main asphalt trails. It is, admittedly, a little harder to find unique scenes and, overall, somewhat less fulfilling. But, the bites are less as the mosquitoes generally seem content to concede that ground to the lumbering humans.

Nonetheless, today has been an itchy day.

All that said, I really enjoy how the fly is holding on to the leaf in the shot above. Examine how the middle legs are strategically placed in the depression of the leaf vein.

This one always hides from me. On my previous visit to the zoo, she ran and hid in her home as soon as I came near the cage. For this visit, she sat in a sleepy pose, only once looking alert when a bird flew close to her cage.

Sonic Youth - Heady Jam #1: From the self-issued SYR 6, one of the rambling ambient / noisy releases reaching back to the band's experimental side.

Chan Chaya - Sak Kra Va: From the City of Ghosts soundtrack, a traditional Cambodian tune.

Venetian Snares - Des Plaines: A rapid, chaotic electronic track from the vicious Meathole album.

Pit Er Pat - The One Dot: A much calmer song than the last from this unique sounding band.

Mozart - Le Nozze Di Figaro: My adventure into the Figaro opera. I think I'm expecting Bugs Bunny to show up.

The Kinks - Don't Forget to Dance: A recent re-fascination into The Kinks had me load up their songs on the iPod; as I think I've said before, this is a band who has aged very well for me.

Tom Waits - That's the Way: Short tune from The Black Rider.

Flaming Lips - Brainville: A fairly silly song from a fairly silly band.

I'm not sure what they fed her (nor do I really want to know), but she sure did like it.