Some More Thoughts on Squirrels

I love watching the squirrels run around campus. They're such precious little creatures. Eyes that push the limits of beadiness to unbearable limits, that bore into the depths of your soul until you unleash an irresistible... squee. And a very very thin ring of white fur surrounding those beadular eyes, while the nose twitches and the mouth frantically stuffs itself on acorns below... Acorns are really cute too, come to think of it. The way the top shell fits around the bottom nut... that would be a great pencil box design for some Asian stationery store.
I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing a squirrel's tail oscillate in a wave with its body lines, acting as a counterweight. I like how the silvery sheen on the bushiness of the tail settles on the very edges like a halo or a cloud. And the little paws that effectively function as hands...
I do think the squirrels have been getting fatter. They do fatten up for the winter, right?
And now it's time for a picture of the scariest man in the world. The world of Parallax, I mean.
Is this a not-so-subtle and ego-gratifying way of saying that I'm working on Parallax again? You bet it is.

An Assemblage of Random Thoughts

I'm going to record some recurring thoughts that occur to me as I walk around campus, in order that I do not forget them only to think them again.

Are there any mammals with fur that's not some variation of brown? Yellowish and reddish count as brown, as do white and black. I know some primates have brightly colored butts, but those are on skin and not fur. Why are feathers on birds so brightly colored and fur on mammals so drab?

How come I never see squirrel poop on campus? For that matter, why have I never seen a squirrel in the act of pooping on campus? What does squirrel poop even look like?

Where do all the dead squirrels and birds go? If most of their deaths resulted from predation, then it would make sense not to see their bodies. But I don't think any squirrel/bird eating predators live on campus. So where are the carcasses of the squirrels and birds who died of old age/sickness/starvation (although the last option is highly unlikely on a college campus)? I wonder about the lack of bird carcasses in Cerritos as well.
Or am I just extremely unperceptive?

That's all I can remember for now. Perhaps I'll append to this list later.