top 5

i've really been into the top 5 list lately. today i want to share the top 5 things that i miss about home that i didn't expect to miss.

1. the carnegie museum. surrounded by beautiful nature, i find myself missing man-made beauty.

2. frick park. which is funny, because i was so sick of it before i left. is this the best that you can give me, pittsburgh? is this "park" all you've got to show me?

3. birds. black birds. a lot of them, in the sky. the other day i saw some in flagstaff and nearly wrecked my car / watching the pattern and the motion of 20 birds in flight together. the shape of their bodies, the color of their wings were so familiar. especially since i spent most of last fall and winter in deep study of the creature along with my assistant, brian werner.

4. a few weeks ago i was at the clinic (my mom insisted that i go, even though i didn't need to) and the nurse had her hand on my back while listening to my heart, and i felt a feeling i hadn't felt in a long time: tenderness. it was well worth the $60 bill that arrived in my mailbox a few days ago.

5. rain at night. i have a vision of myself going to see a movie at the manor, or the regent square theater. and it's raining. and it's night. and i miss that.