When it comes to birds. DX

So, I was in PetCo picking up Lupin

some Avi-Cakes (her “dee-ner”), and decided to take a quick peek in their bird section. I was really surprised- it had been nearly ALL emptied out!! o.O Only about three or four parrots remained, along with about three cockatiels, and some other smaller birds.

So, I thought I’d go in and actually see who was there. There was Rascal, a Senegal parrot whom was very quiet, a baby parrot (green, blue and grey in colour… not sure what kind it was any more) and, Aruba, a wonderful little Red-Shouldered Macaw.

So, I talked to him a bit, just to see how he would do. Here’s what I got:

Stretching, and clowning around, following my finger, which I kept outside of the cage…

As he was just a youngster, he was rather quiet (not vocal), and took to me pretty well! But he moved around that cage really well! So, I decided to try my luck and pet his wing, just lightly. He didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he put his head up against the bars, and I pet his head, lightly. To my surprise, I found he still had quite a lot of feathers coming in! But…. I got to do this!!

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! ^___________________________________________^

Oh my God, he was SOOOOOO CUTE!!!!!!

*WANTWANTWANTWANTWANTWANTWANT*

Mostly because I don’t want the WRONG kind of person to buy him ($900 clams! o.O), and then not take car of him and turn him into a grouch. He’s such a sweetheart!!! I told the lady at the checkout that I hoped that he’d go to a good home, ’cause he was so wonderful. She seemed to be a bird owner too, so she knew exactly where I was coming from. (:

I’d wrap him up and take him home in a heartbeat, if I had the money and space to take care of him, and if Lupin would permit it. ^_^;;;

Anywho! The POINT of this post!!!

So, as I was making friends with Aruba, this older guy (I dunno… in his 60’s?) walks in with his wife and walks up to this Senegal Parrot and just puts his hand right up to the cage.  And then goes, “Oh, this guy ain’t too friendly!” when Rascal freaks out and flaps as fast as he can down to the far corner of his cage, furthest away from the guy.

Well, no shit, dumbass! You DON’T just walk up to a bird’s cage and SHOVE your HAND at it and think it’s going to LOVE you!!! You have to give it (or any other animal) time to get used to you! I told him (multiple times) that you have to talk to a bird first (making your presence known), and then perhaps you can get closer. Then, the guy goes and jingles his keys over at two other parrots in a cage behind me. A Sun Conure and another green parrot (again, not sure what type it was, the cage wasn’t labled). But…. THEY WERE BABIES!!!!

ONE, certain types of METAL are POISONOUS to BIRDS (ZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINC!!!) and TWO, babies wouldn’t KNOW any better and could/would BITE those keys!! (God knows where THOSE have been!!)

*facepalm*

Oh, how I WISH people were more educated! DX

Then, to top it off, this guy goes and leaves the bird room, walks around to the other side or Rascal’s cage, and waves his hand at him. Scared him again.

People like that drive me up the wall. :/ So, in closing, don’t do what this idiot above did….. just take your time, and be kind. Duh.

Katie out.

Or, so I say. (;

So many things to do today, and so little time to do them all. Gotta’ lesson plan first, as it’s a job requirement. My apartment is visually screaming at me to clean it, as it’s rather messy. D: (Guh.) Reece is sitting on the floor, waiting to be washed, along with various items to be put away (hats, mitts, sketchbook, t-shirts…). Dishes…. ugh. Nuff said!

I took care of my gorgeous roses today- most of them did very well over the week. However, all of them save for two were ready to be dried today, so I hung them up to dry, and trimmed the two which are still blooming beautifully. (:

For me, keeping flowers alive for a week is amazing!! XD But, I managed to do it! I never seem to do that well with cut flowers, but I do love having them. (:

I can’t believe it’s March next week! The lousy Smarch weather is on its way, as the earth is deciding whether to warm up or cool down. I think this is going to take a while… XD

Also, I’m testing for my Brown Stripe next month! WOOO!! Better make sure I start reviewing ALL of my forms and sparring! :O

Ah… what else? I’ve got some interesting crock pot recepies I’m going to try this week- perhaps I’ll take pictures and post ‘em. There’s one that’s like… cheesy chicken tortillas… I can’t WAIT to try it! But, with all this rain we’re supposed to get,  I might make the Wild Mushroom & Beef stew, first. ^_^ I’m looking forward to walking into a great smelling appartment! :-9

I also made my first attempt at Peanut Butter Candy, which seems to be a local thing around here. I’d actually not seen it until recently. It’s basically peanut butter in a slightly solidified form with chocolate on top. Pretty good, and VERY rich. This first time wasn’t quite a success… XD;;; It was … well… it was something. (LOL) Let’s just say I owe my love a pie even for taking a bite. XD (Which, I plan on making this week.) The next time I make it, I’ll be sure to make it in a wider and longer pan, so the peanut butter is thinner. And no graham cracker crumbs. ;P

Hmmmm… what else? My Iris is coming back! Slowly but surely, I can see it, as the snow melts. I’m ready for spring, and for my flowers to come up!

That, and I’m considering this messenger bag:

Mostly for transporting items to/from school (read: work). Plus, it’s got lots of POCKETS. I love me a bag with lots o’ pockets!!

Siiiigh…. ‘kay. Back to lesson plan writing with cleaning…. to the sounds of… Disco Duck?! XD At least the Seventies on Sunday crack me up.

Talk of fundraising in the newsletter has made me think about the 2011 National State Games.

Once Grad School is done, that will be my next big goal, besides earning my First Dan. I’ve never been to a National Games in my *life*. It’s going to be damn exciting, and I can’t wait to begin seriously preparing for it in place of droning away at the computer cranking out some paper.

Bring it on!!!

1. I have a wonderful boyfriend. (;
2. I have a great little cockatiel. (:
3. I have awesome family.
4. I have a steady job. ^_^
5. I get some really great students.
6. I can still play video games.
7. I’m moving up in Tae Kwon Do.
8. I can wake up with positivity!
9. I stay connected with my friends. (:
10. I have a place to live of my own. (:
11. I can still draw.
12. I have an good, functioning computer.

Just felt like being thankful this morning, and picking up my positive mood even more so I shine! ^_^

So, I got to have an unexpected Halo: Combat Evolved marathon this weekend. *griiiiiiin*  Lots. Of. Fun. Because I really had yet to use my PPKs for video gaming (of which they were intentionally conceived for, along with headphone usage), I thought I would try ‘em out.

TV: HD set

Lighting: One 60w bulb, with a lamp shade. Natural light during daylight hours. After 4h30, only the light from the TV and the lamp were available.

Game Mode: Co-op Campagin

Total Play Duration: I estimate anywhere between 4-8 hours. (Very nearly finished the entire campaign mode in a day!)

Pros: Excellent with lots of light. In playing HCE, in the lighted environments in the game, the glasses were awesome!! No eye pain or strain, and the enlargement was pretty helpful. Great for flippin’ around in the Warthog!

Cons: Absolutely horrible in dark game environments (at night, in ships, in the Halo, etc.). Even with purple or blue lighting, the overall darkness was hard enough to see through on its own, but the glasses made it much worse. So, I would take them off when we were in dark settings.

In a nutshell, that’s pretty much it.  Did it help me to nail more aliens? Ehhh… probably not, seeing as my aim deterioated steadily throughout the hours of game play. I’ll probably reserve these for computer use, for now. (Until I get a more comfortable pair.) I do have to say, though, they’re rather snug under a hairband! LOL

1/11/10, 5:15 PM, First Evening

Wow… they DO make everything bigger! (Perhaps an even bigger lens would have been more beneficial?) I really noticed this when I looked at the items around me, compared to my computer screen. (Lupin looks like a fattie! XD)

The size is a mite large…. the arms of the glasses go WAY past my ears. I’d estimate there being a good half an inch past my ears if I wear them as close to my face as I can. However, with the size of the lens (I prefer to look down at the screen), I wear them perched on my nose. (Like so.)

I don’t think I’d advise walking around in them, though. As they do make things bigger in perspective, it’ll mess you up right quick. Take a walk with these babies off.

The amber shade isn’t really that bad, either. I mean, the pages aren’t white, but they’re not bright yellow, either. More like an off-white, which is fine to me. I’ve got no problem currently looking around at the screen. Looking down is rather a habit, though…. so I may need to do something about that. So far, there’s been no additional eye pain or strain as I sit here and type with these. The rest of the night will see, as I continue to work on the computer as I normally would for Grad School.

So far, commenting on facebook is easier…. I like that. Reading everything easier. (:

I wonder how the comfort of these will work out. As the PPK’s arms are rather… skinny, sliding them back and forth on my ears might be a bit of a pain. *shrug*

As the evening has worn on, I’ve noticed a few things:

1.) Moisture does seem to build up on the lens close to your face. It doesn’t interfere with visual acuity.

2.) Taking them off makes my eyes feel like they got a breath of fresh air. I can really see how blue the light from the computer is.

3.) My eyes were already hurting a bit when I got home- this has not increased. Nor has it decreased.

4.) I don’t mind looking around with them on at non-electronic items.

I can’t wait to try them after my eyes have been refreshed (read: a good night’s sleep). It should be interesting using them at school tomorrow, in an overhead fluorescent  lighted environment.

*****************************************************************************

1/12/10: 7:59 PM

Well, I took the PPKs to school today, and received many questions from my students about them. Mostly, “Are those computer glasses?” and, “What’s with your glasses?” and, “You’re wearing glasses now?” So, I explained to them the purpose behind the glasses, and the additional benefits of wearing them for computer work and gaming. Plus, I dropped the Gunnar name and website a few times. I’m tempted to make a J’*heart* Gunnar Optiks bumper sticker for my desk or something. (;

My eyes were in no pain from doing any work at the computer at school or from looking at the white board with them on. Now, I was diligent with them at the computer, but shifting from IWB to student gets a little difficult. As your perception is distorted (read: enlarged), when turning from the IWB to face a student immediately (in the relative dark, no less), that task was difficult to do. So, I had the glasses on and off at points during 6th period, when the students wanted ALL of the lights off (UGH). But I still managed, anyways. I think, that…. if you’re literally nose-to-nose with an Interactive White Board, you won’t need the glasses. Staring at it from a distance is a different story. (Actually, I wonder if the glasses have the same effects with watching the TV in the dark? I’ll have to see during the next class movie.)

The glasses came home unscathed, and I put them on (still pain-free), and got down to work. Now, I’ve noticed that they definitely don’t take that end-of-the-day-tired feeling away (chuckle), but neither do I have the excuse that “my eyes are too sore… I’m gonna’ take a break from grad work now…” and slack off for a few minutes. :/  As a matter of fact, it’s 8:06 right now, and I’m still staring/typing/working at my laptop in my regular lighting and bird conditions with my eyes feeling as good as if I’d had a restful night’s sleep! (Wow!) Okay, well… at about 8:20, I’m feeling tired eye-wise, but that’s normal after a full day’s work, and then some. I’m still physically going strong at the computer here, banging out my first assignment for Practicum II.

So far, the only complaint that I have about these glasses are the arms. They’re a wee bit too thin. As I tend to slide them back and forth as I see fit (I still think I’ll go for a pair with larger lenses next time), they hurt the corner of my ear where it attaches to my head (if that makes any sense). So… either the material could be thicker, or softer.

And a post, of course.

*contented sigh*

A few AWESOME things are happening this month. ^____________^

1.) Second-to-last Grad Course (Practicum II) begins!

I can do this, I can do this! We’ll just walk right through the project- all of the preliminary work has been done since September!

2.) Return to Advanced Class!!!  

I am SO looking forward to this!!! (This is due to the fact that the above assignments are due on Tuesday nights. Makes Mondays a bit more painful, but I’ll get through it.)

3.) Six-month Anniversary!

We’ll have made it this far, mon bien aimé et moi. (: I can’t wait for the rest! (;

4.) My Birthday!

Wow…. 28 years on the face of this planet…. some days it really feels like it, where as other days, it doesn’t. Heh.

5.) Brown Stripe…?!

Potentially. With the cementing of Chima Cho Dan, I could quite possibly test if I’m approved by a SWAT member. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!! (This may be the calmest month, grad-work wise to do it in, too!)

6.) Short week next week!

Yay, MLK Day! Thank you for giving us the day off… as long as we have no snow days. (:

Now, it’s off to get me some Weezer. ^_^ (I owe it to this video, where the Kermit icon is from.)

****** 未来へ。。。かんぱい！！******

I GOT IT!! (As long as I walk myself through it slowly at this point, that is.) Maybe I can test this month! ^_^v

Now, I’ve realized, that the National State Games are only in a YEAR. IN A YEAR!!!!!!!!

Guess what that means after Grad School is done this year (HELL YEAH!! >:D)??

TRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!

Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!

Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!

Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!

Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!

Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!

Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!Train!

That’s about all I’m going to be doing, really. Yep. I am SO fundraising. *nodnod*

Looking forward to that new sparring class on Friday. Hopefully I can make it. (:

So, I woke up this morning with a surprising amount of positive energy and hopefulness.

Then, I beat it down with a stick and slept in a bit.

Could be ’cause I was up later than I should have been (I blame CLAMP), or could be that I just didn’t want to leave vacay-land.

Either way, today didn’t end up being so bad! *grin*

I did 40 push-ups this morning, after not having done them every morning since God knows when.  (:

Even though I stayed late to make my first awesome flipchart, I treated myself to some pizza and shared it with the brother-unit. The beeb was happy to see me when I got home, and that was really nice.

I fried some grad work fish (should be all done with Nat’l Board Cert course tomorrow! YAY!), hung out on facebook, and finally took the plunge and bought a pair of Gunnar Optiks’ PPK glasses in Chrome. Apparently, they’re Neo-Scopic, even though they’re gaming glasses. We’ll see if these glasses will do what they’ve advertised themselves to do- reduce eyestrain. (Will it help with any of my mild bloodshotness going on, too? Hmm…)

So, only time will tell. And, yet again, I have just enough to pay rent, and will be waiting breathlessly for payday. (Paying for TKD and other necessities on Friday. D:)

*looks up & thinks*

Good thing I already went grocery shopping. XD

The winter sun after a storm.

A foot of snow to make things picturesque.

A finished sock (or soon to be finished sock!)

Good neighbours.

A cute cockatiel. ~:>

The peace and quiet of one’s own home.

Snow right before Christmas.

A nice cup of tea.

:3