Happy Hatchday!

The little card that described the birdy in the cage said he was hatched on 20 April 2007. It also called him Sonny. A year later, he has a better name, a willing servant/playgym, and the gift of flight.

Here are a few pictures I took of Rigel this month. There are more on my flickr account.

The Trees Are Confused

There is a very confused tree outside my window. There are, as far as I can tell, four different species of deciduous tree outside my window, which provide me with a nice view. These trees are one of the reasons I am still living in this apartment complex. Its very nice and well maintained, but not "manicured."

So each of these species of tree follow a different timetable for dropping leaves, each has a different idea of when spring has arrived. This I take to be normal. One shed its leaves early, and just this week came alive again. Its bright green leaves are catching the evening sun today. The tree next to it dropped blazing red leaves in three windy weeks in early January. Even so, you can see its buds starting to form this first day of March. To the other side, the tree that dropped leaves without notice in late December has bulbous spongy growth at the tip of each branch.

Then we come to the oddball. As spring springs into action all around, this stubborn plant has yet to drop leaves. Until today.

Then the lazy birdwatching. Its always fun to have a bird join you in birdwatching. He gets very excited about his wild counterparts. Right now there's a dusky pinkish lady cardinal in the crazy tree. She is undoubtedly confused by its behavior.

The weather is a joy right now. I would go running like I did last weekend, but my hot water has gone out for the second time this week. The office is closed, so I won't have a hot shower until Monday afternoon.

Now, I'm off to buy potatoes and pork chops, because I've denied this craving for long enough already.

Maybe Too Harsh?

Yeah, well I don't care.

I stopped in at this town's PetCo over a month ago to pick up my bird's favorite food. I went to PetSmart, which I've been in love with since they opened, but they don't carry my bird's food. After finding the food, I wandered around looking for toys but decided not to get any because several of the unpackaged toys, along with the shelf of medicines and vitamins next to it, were covered in wild bird poop. It was because the store uses signs directly above the section that end up being perfect perches for the wild birds that end up living in the store. I informed them as i checked out, assuming they just didn't notice that an entire row of toys was caked with poop. I went in again a week later with my husband and it was still there. I was mad then, but he held me back from saying anything.

I actually had forgotten all about it and I wanted to get Rigel some new foot toys and stuff this week. I walked around but the first thing I saw was those toys still covered in poop, so I decided to make a point. I wandered around picking up a dozen of the nicer toys that I have wanted to get him, but hadn't due to price. I then picked up the 3 toys that were so caked they stuck together and proceeded to the checkout. I told them I was going to buy all this stuff...but then I saw this, now count up how much money you just lost. Oh, and this isn't all of it, just the worst. You might want to take care of that. Then I walked out before they could say anything, because I'm not interested in their excuses or apologies, I just wanted them to fix the problem.

Bird Comics

For the Birds

I haven't seen this one in a long time...sooooo cute!
Pixar For the Birds

Bird Therapy

Thanks to kiwilito over at birdboard.com for the laugh.

Rambling About School

So most people can crack their knuckles, pop their back, etc. I can (inadvertently) pop my tailbone. It's not a good sensation by any means, but it never really bothered me until now. This summer, Lab lasts 3 hours, and standing all that time is making my tailbone hurt really badly. I've tried various stretches, even did a little yoga today. Yesterday I took a large dose of OTC pain reliever and an Icy Hot patch. It helped eventually, but nobody likes a "burning sensation" that low on their "back," if you know what I mean.

Speaking of Lab, I spent all day Thursday repeating the same reaction 6 times for no very good reason. That put me a day behind most of the rest of the class. I made up a little today, completing Group 3 in 1 day with time to spare. I used that spare time to finish the paperwork for Group 2 lab. May take a moment I say just how much I hate Redox? Because I HATE REDOX! Also, halfway through Lab today, I realized I was wearing sandals, so I spent the rest of the time carefully angling my feet out of view of others. Oops. I survived, despite being nearby during our daily broken-glass incident. It was just hot boiling water, but sometimes its acidic or very basic solutions.

Side note, a comment I left at Shakesville:
Please consider placing a decorative sticker or ornament on your window to keep the birds from crashing into it.
The biology/chemistry building I have classes in this summer has large plate windows on the 2nd floor. You can see bird carcases in various states on the ledge below the window, a large crack in the glass, and impact “smudges” on the glass. Last week we actually saw it happen and the poor bird was still alive enough to crawl to the ledge and fall to the ground. It was very sad for me to watch. I find it kind of twisted that the biology department wouldn’t take steps to prevent it.

Today Is...

Today has been my "Take Offense at Everything Day". Please enjoy.

Observing the Budgie Parakeet at Petco.
Sarah: Awww! I'd love to have one and see my cats play with it.
TJ: What!!!??? *horrified* Maybe I should get a vicious fighting pitbull and see how they play with your little WienerChihuahua. *grrr!*
http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2007/02/toyger_toyger_burning_bright.php

Eating at Zookini salad bar:TJ: I don't know what I want.
Michael: You should just get a Zoo-trip. (unlimited trips to the mega-salad bar)
TJ: Did you just call me a hippo!!??

Later at the restaurant:
Waitress: Is everything okay? Oh, I see it must be, your sandwich is all gone.
TJ: *whispers* I think she just called me a piggy. :(

There were more, I just can't remember them.

Turns Out

Turns out, I didn't already post this, but my last post reminded me. Must fix.

I WANT A PARROT!

Also, turns out, I didn't file my state taxes for the last two years. No, not this year and last year, but also the year before. This may sound like a bad thing, but hear me out. Tax laws say I get all my state taxes back if I havn't set foot in the state for more than a month in a year. I havn't been in state for more than a week in the last 3 years. Wow. I should visit more often, but that's alot of $$$$$ to get back.

See how this solves so many problems? Primarily, I GET A PARROT! Really, are there any more important things that can be solved with money? I think not.

Here's a picture of the breed I want, Dusky Pionus Parrot: