Today was the first class of the final term, and the kids in my horror class bribed me into choosing where to sit. In my other classes all students get to pick their own seats, but in this tumultuous class I prefer to decide who is sitting where. Somehow, I let them bribe me and pick new places. I bet they will be back in their old places within a week.
Although I hardly ever watch You Tube videos, I really loved this one. It took me some time to figure out what he was doing, but it is really sweet. I love birds, especially clumsy ones. My absolutely favorite bird is the coot. First of all, his feet are huge. They are too big to walk with, and I imagine that even swimming with those flaps isn’t a piece of cake. Second, their bodies are too big to fly.
They have to make a big effort to keep a proper balance even when walking. Third, they make a really cute sound while roaming around through the water. But what I like most is the way the build their nests. No, nest isn’t a proper word for the immense fortresses they build, preferably in the middle of the water. They shlep around with branches, pieces of plastic and basically anything else they could possibly need, and mold it into a huge heap. 
From their fortress, they look around in a self-conscious way: Ha! I might not be the most athletic of all birds, but nobody beats this nest!
