Today I saw my first cicada from Brood X. And I realized that my brother and I – being rather poor as children and lacking things like television to keep us entertained – used to love collecting their shells into huge jars. We were also morbid little beasts – as befits the children of a homicide investigator, I suppose.

I’m looking forward to recording the cicada symphanies. I like bugs. I hate snakes, but I like bugs. I don’t really like them in my hair, though, and so I may need a new floppy hat for cicada season.