Los Angeles has been experiencing heavy rains the last few days, which has kept me indoors much of the time, reviewing past field notes in preparation for the Zerbeda conference in three weeks. Today, however, there was a break in the storm at about 2:30 p.m. A short while ago I went outside to take a walk.

I must admit, rainstorms do make me "homesick". I am never more comfortable here than when the weather is, by local standards, "bad", when the air is filled with moisture and the tree branches whip about, lashing the sides of buildings. There is a crackle and energy in the atmosphere that is almost wholly lacking when the weather is "good" (humans do love to place value judgments on things that have no sentience).

It is unlike me to write this poetically. This must be the effect of the human emotion of nostalgia. When humans are experiencing nostalgia, they become florid and biased when recording data. Thus today's field notes serve a dual purpose:

1. To reflect this phenomenon of nostalgia, which I've been witnessing in informants over the past nine years;

2. To mark the day in which I begin to "go native"; that is, to feel like a human insomuch as I begin to exhibit traits endemic to humans. This experience is not to be feared; rather, it is a milestone in fieldwork that I must embrace, as it means I am at last beginning to understand humans on a level beyond the physical and behavioral.

Whether I am nostalgic or not, this weather helps me to feel more like myself than I have in a long while, which makes me feel kinder to humans and less likely to see them as specimens.

I suspect rain has the same effect on humans as well. On my walk, I passed over a footbridge spanning the Los Angeles River (for a history of this river, see also: Year One, Month Two, Days 6-9). The river, normally a trickle of slowly moving water about ten inches deep, stormed through the channel at quite a high level - about halfway up the concrete barrier. Several humans stood on the normally empty bridge, peering down in admiration as the brown water and debris rushed past. I ventured to speak to the humans as a group:

"Wow. It's like whitewater."

A man accompanying his young son said, "It's crazy. It was halfway up the wall this morning. They say it'll rise by another twelve feet by tomorrow. Which'll put it within four feet of here." He indicated the pavement beneath our feet. "Could go higher, even, by the end of the week. This could be the first time in years that this bridge could flood over."

I and the other humans murmured our surprise. Another man took out his telephone and captured photos. I took video myself, which I will post here later. The water is quite dirty and non-potable. Debris is significant.

After this contact I continued my walk for about one mile. I was greeted by smiles, nods and salutations by five additional humans, ranging in age from late 30s to mid-80s. Ordinarily, humans in Los Angeles do not greet each other on the sidewalk. They avert their eyes and set their jaws in a hostile expression designed to evoke avoidance and respect. But as I have noted in several other entries (e.g., Year One, Month Ten, Day 13; Year Three, Month Two, Days 24 and 25), the more punishing and irregular the weather, the greater the number of pedestrians on the streets, and the friendlier these pedestrians seem to be.

I do not know what to conclude from this, except that the electro-magnetic energy of a storm front may alter the biochemistry of humans, making them happier. This is a question for a Field Meteorologist and Field Biologist. Note to self: make contact, ask.

Other updates:

* Field Physician Oribda 9675 visited me at my home and inoculated me against a variety of parasites that commonly afflict humans through food. I should experience no further bouts of food poisoning. FPO 9675 assures me that my constitution is now "iron clad", an expression meaning I can eat or drink anything and have no negative response. This should aid me a great deal when visiting ethnic areas, particularly Indian restaurants, which I have been warned against by several humans of caucasian descent.

* I have been making a study of canines and their masters in my neighborhood in an attempt to gauge the degree to which dogs influence the behavior of their owners. The rains make this difficult. However, from my window I can see that dogs are walked by their owners several times a day, even when the winds exceed 60 miles per hour. Humans regularly put their lives in danger in order to serve their domestic animals' urinary and defecation needs; this is shocking to me, but entirely commonplace to humans, who conduct their duties with the expressionless, slow manner of oft-beaten slaves. Is it possible that canines are browbeating their humans into submission?

* I have intercepted Rebecca's mail twice. She receives mainly bills, but also a magazine called "Entertainment Weekly", which is full of drivel, and catalogs for clothing and furnishings. She has received no personal or private correspondence as of yet.

* I may write about my acquaintance with Rebecca for the Zerbeda conference. During the rains I will continue to revisit past field notes in search of a topic related to her which may be worthy of presentation.

* Dim Sum. I did meet with human acquaintance Derek Lim and friends on Saturday. Derek ordered a great many types of fried vegetables, shrimps, noodles, vegetables and pastries, all of which were delicious. I observed only one human in eleven who could not use chopsticks. He often pulled items, including wet noodles, from shared plates onto his plate with his fingers. He was equally non-proficient in conversation about his work in accounting, causing several humans to turn from him in favor of talking to a neighbor. Note to self: contact a Field Scientist in Genomics. Does mastery of chopsticks signify superior social abilities?

That is all for today. Tonight, I continue to review notes and complete watching another film provided by SAG, the unfortunately spelled "Inglourious Basterds", a tale of bloodthirsty Jewish assassins during the Third Reich.