It's worse than that...

After my recent rant about email, I realized that the situation is much, much worse than I had initially thought.

I estimated six thousand emails, based on having deleted about 4,500 right off the top, and then clearing out another 1,500 or so from the Sent Mail and In boxes.

What I forgot about, of course, was the couple of thousand or so already filed in various folders. So let's make that an even 8,000 for the sake of argument, and add another hefty novel or two to the stack of Shakespeare.

I'm beginning to feel positively educated.

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In other news: Spring, it would seem, has well and truly sprung, with the scent of barbeque in the air (I'm firing ours up tonight - wish me luck, as the future Mrs. Ricardipus and I once set one on fire), soggy trampled grass underfoot, neighbours digging away in the garden and the backyard full of spring visitors: goldfinches, a house finch, a song sparrow, grackles, red-winged blackbirds, robins, and the usual starlings, house sparrows and doves. No sign of the hawk recently, but we'll wait and see... plenty of tasty prey to snack on.

Here's a truly terrible picture of three goldfinches eating away at the feeder. They're still wearing their winter drab, but beginning to brighten up a bit.

And here's an equally poor shot of a Red-Winged Blackbird... these males do a good job of trying to impress, puffing up their red epaulets and bleeping at each other. Unfortunately, certain photographers don't do them justice. He's a bit out of focus, a bit far away, and clearly interested in something other than the camera.

Strangely enough, I saw one of these in California last week. I'm guessing it was too lazy to migrate up here. But maybe it's supposed to be there, and I'm just being unsympathetic.