When attacked by an angry crow this morning, I knew to duck because of the dark shape I saw nearing the head of my shadow.

Right away this brought back the memory, long-lost, of my bully avoidance tactics back in my old neighborhood, the "Ward." Walking home from school, I learned to choose a route and a time of day that put my long shadow ahead of me for most of the way. If I saw another shadow looming next to mine, then I knew to walk faster, and if I saw any quick movements there, I knew to duck or run as appropriate. For some reason, this actually worked. The guys who had once pantsed me on Wellington St. were either too lazy to keep up with my fast walk, or irrationally fearful of what I'd do if I knew they were coming.

I wonder what else might have occupied a significant amount of my psyche in those days that I've since forgotten about. Hail the angry crow!

[Unfortunately the same tactic was not as effective in the gym showers of my middle-school, where some curious individuals managed to relieve me of my swim shorts, thereby offering me my first—but not last—opportunity for public nudity.]