Dang!

Day 114 (bonus edition): Honest-and-truly, I really have been reading Kilham's "The American Crow and Common Raven," at least in between bouts of playing "Angry Birds" on my new Kindle Fire. Addictive? Nah, I can quit any time. Just because I don't usually stay up until 11:30 doesn't mean I never do, and it doesn't do me any harm to eat dinner an hour and a half late.

Yes, I have gotten all the way through the first episode, "Poached Eggs." Now I am going back to convert all my one- and two-star scores to three stars. This is page one of three. I seem to be stuck on level 21.

I swear they say things. I'm positive I've heard, "Fire away!" and one of the little blue birds who can only break glass says what sounds very like he needs his beak washed out with soap. The pigs...do they really make fun of the birds when they bounce? I'm sure they're muttering, "That hurt!"

I've discovered that the obvious plan of attack is not always the most rewarding, and that if you spend your efforts trying to get a high score because you're sure you know how to destroy the fortifications, you're wasting your time. If you're stuck, try a different strategy, and watch the placement and alignment of your launch carefully. Many times you get good results when feathers line up with shrubs or the background when you pull the slingshot back. That said, here I am on level 21, right where I've been for three hours now. Dang.