I've gone from being a pathological perfectionist to being a pathological procrastinator! Stupid @#%*$! facebook... among other things. Seriously - I'm at the point where scrubbing toilets is a fascinating way to spend my time instead of doing something far more important. I don't think this is a change for the better.
Argh!
One exam left though...
I am definitely going to consume some beverages on Monday! But after my exam though... :)
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Bye, Bye Bird
About a week ago, I found a small bird hopping along the ground by our house. This isn't unusual in itself, except that normally the closer I'd get to the bird, the more likely it would fly away - snubbing my human form - as I am incapable of following. 
This bird did not fly away, it just scurried a little faster away from me. The bird did make several attempts at flight, but I noticed its left wing did not return to its normal position after extension. I went inside the house to figure out what kind of bird it was. She was a Common Redpoll (CR), a species I've seen a lot of this past winter and thoroughly enjoyed them clamoring at the bird feeder outside office window. I realized that I hadn't seen any for a few days and noticed in my book that they normally migrate to the arctic around mid-April. I decided I would try to catch her.
It took about an hour - she's a lot smaller than I am so she traveled through the scrub brush with minimal effort. I, on the other hand, looked like a homeless person by the time I caught her -- twigs in my hair, my face scratched by branches in the dense underbrush...
I built a makeshift cage out of a couple of large dollar store storage bins, some shredded paper and some twigs as perches. I spent several hours the next day building something larger and more suitable. I neglected however, to check to see if CR could fit through the holes in the mesh I was using. She pulled Houdini and was outside the fancy shmancy cage I'd slaved over in less than a second - the mesh I had chosen was too big! :)
I tracked down a cage for free (thanks Sharon!) and I set up CR in it. She spent her days outside, and her nights inside. By the 7th day, she was able to fly, but only to places at or below the same height she was at and her wing was now retracting properly. She was much more active than when I first found her and flitted around in her cage continually during the day.
When I checked her progress on the 8th day. CR could fly from the floor to the top of the door frame in our entryway. It was time...
I put her back in the cage and let her rest and eat for an hour or so, to renew her energy reserves. Then I took the cage outside on the patio table and I opened the door to the cage.
I waited...
and waited...
and finally I reached in and brought her outside the cage. She flew to a nearby willow tree and began pecking away at it for food.
I was delighted!
I followed her for a few minutes and took a few pictures. I wished her luck on her journey and hoped that she would stick around for a while. Then I lost sight of her within a thicket of young willow saplings.
I hope she finds her way...at least I know she is much more prepared to deal with the perils out there now that she can fly again.
UPDATE!
CR and her beau may be settling in to nest here! Several days after CR's release, I saw the two of them gathering seeds together under the birdfeeder! Squee!
I'll keep you updated!
This bird did not fly away, it just scurried a little faster away from me. The bird did make several attempts at flight, but I noticed its left wing did not return to its normal position after extension. I went inside the house to figure out what kind of bird it was. She was a Common Redpoll (CR), a species I've seen a lot of this past winter and thoroughly enjoyed them clamoring at the bird feeder outside office window. I realized that I hadn't seen any for a few days and noticed in my book that they normally migrate to the arctic around mid-April. I decided I would try to catch her.It took about an hour - she's a lot smaller than I am so she traveled through the scrub brush with minimal effort. I, on the other hand, looked like a homeless person by the time I caught her -- twigs in my hair, my face scratched by branches in the dense underbrush...
I built a makeshift cage out of a couple of large dollar store storage bins, some shredded paper and some twigs as perches. I spent several hours the next day building something larger and more suitable. I neglected however, to check to see if CR could fit through the holes in the mesh I was using. She pulled Houdini and was outside the fancy shmancy cage I'd slaved over in less than a second - the mesh I had chosen was too big! :)
I tracked down a cage for free (thanks Sharon!) and I set up CR in it. She spent her days outside, and her nights inside. By the 7th day, she was able to fly, but only to places at or below the same height she was at and her wing was now retracting properly. She was much more active than when I first found her and flitted around in her cage continually during the day.
When I checked her progress on the 8th day. CR could fly from the floor to the top of the door frame in our entryway. It was time...
I put her back in the cage and let her rest and eat for an hour or so, to renew her energy reserves. Then I took the cage outside on the patio table and I opened the door to the cage.
I waited...
and waited...
and finally I reached in and brought her outside the cage. She flew to a nearby willow tree and began pecking away at it for food.
I was delighted!
I followed her for a few minutes and took a few pictures. I wished her luck on her journey and hoped that she would stick around for a while. Then I lost sight of her within a thicket of young willow saplings.I hope she finds her way...at least I know she is much more prepared to deal with the perils out there now that she can fly again.
UPDATE!
CR and her beau may be settling in to nest here! Several days after CR's release, I saw the two of them gathering seeds together under the birdfeeder! Squee!
I'll keep you updated!
Saturday, April 07, 2007
My history of first dates = Disasterous in the dictionary
Truth be told, I don't think I've ever had a first date that didn't have some disastrous details. I'm talking about details that are well past having spinach stuck in your teeth - way beyond.
1st date in high school. While walking in a local park, my date reached into his jacket pocket and I saw a flash of light as he yelped and threw the contents of his pocket all over the grass. Spare change in his pocket somehow lined-up just right with a AA battery in the same pocket and current started flowing out of the battery and into the coins! The money was still hot to the touch when we were picking it up off the ground... (in retrospect this is as far as this relationship should have ever gone - but really, who makes good decisions at 15?
1st date with friend after high school (but before University).
We had arranged to meet up at Western Sizzlin' for dinner. Thirty minutes after the arranged time passed and the guy still wasn't at the restaurant. I called his house and his brother answered. My date was on the other line and at the restaurant wondering if I'd called (pre-cell phone days- and yes I'm old, so shut up). It turns out, I was at the downtown location and he was at the west-end location. Neither of us had any idea that there was more than one location in town until that night... (hindsight is 20/20- same as the last, but I was a little older-19ish?)
1st date with post secondary classmate.
It was a cold January evening - my date picked me up at home (he even opened the car door for me and everything!) and we headed out to a movie. We didn't even make it out of the subdivision. His attempt at showing me how skillful he was at power-sliding in his dad's car ended with us stuck in the ditch on a corner. We had to walk back to my parents place and get my dad to pull the car out. Not a stellar moment... (not entirely his fault, as the corners in the acreage subdivision sucked in residents' vehicles on a regular basis - but still...)
1st date with HS.
We were headed out on the August long weekend for a 3 day wheeling trip (yes- this was our very first date and I brought my own tent, etc). At Niton Junction, a Ford truck stopped where the service road meets the Yellowhead and waited for traffic. At least that's what we think they meant to do - they actually stopped in the right lane of the highway instead. HS laid about 60 feet of rubber trying to stop his truck in time. Once HS realized we weren't going to make it, he shoulder checked quickly (I told you he's a professional!) and changed lanes to get around the other truck. We were still doing about 70kph when we past the Ford. There's nothing like a near death experience to accelerate the bonding process...
What about you? Any dirt to dish out? I'd love to hear your stories!
1st date in high school. While walking in a local park, my date reached into his jacket pocket and I saw a flash of light as he yelped and threw the contents of his pocket all over the grass. Spare change in his pocket somehow lined-up just right with a AA battery in the same pocket and current started flowing out of the battery and into the coins! The money was still hot to the touch when we were picking it up off the ground... (in retrospect this is as far as this relationship should have ever gone - but really, who makes good decisions at 15?
1st date with friend after high school (but before University).
We had arranged to meet up at Western Sizzlin' for dinner. Thirty minutes after the arranged time passed and the guy still wasn't at the restaurant. I called his house and his brother answered. My date was on the other line and at the restaurant wondering if I'd called (pre-cell phone days- and yes I'm old, so shut up). It turns out, I was at the downtown location and he was at the west-end location. Neither of us had any idea that there was more than one location in town until that night... (hindsight is 20/20- same as the last, but I was a little older-19ish?)
1st date with post secondary classmate.
It was a cold January evening - my date picked me up at home (he even opened the car door for me and everything!) and we headed out to a movie. We didn't even make it out of the subdivision. His attempt at showing me how skillful he was at power-sliding in his dad's car ended with us stuck in the ditch on a corner. We had to walk back to my parents place and get my dad to pull the car out. Not a stellar moment... (not entirely his fault, as the corners in the acreage subdivision sucked in residents' vehicles on a regular basis - but still...)
1st date with HS.
We were headed out on the August long weekend for a 3 day wheeling trip (yes- this was our very first date and I brought my own tent, etc). At Niton Junction, a Ford truck stopped where the service road meets the Yellowhead and waited for traffic. At least that's what we think they meant to do - they actually stopped in the right lane of the highway instead. HS laid about 60 feet of rubber trying to stop his truck in time. Once HS realized we weren't going to make it, he shoulder checked quickly (I told you he's a professional!) and changed lanes to get around the other truck. We were still doing about 70kph when we past the Ford. There's nothing like a near death experience to accelerate the bonding process...
What about you? Any dirt to dish out? I'd love to hear your stories!
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