I know that a while back I put a Star Trek Movie Countdown timer on my site. Since then the movie has been pushed back four months making that countdown incorrect.
I wouldn't normally care, but I noticed people have arrived at my site by searching for Star Trek Countdown. For some weird reason Sarah's Adventures is listed on the first page of results in Google when you search for "Star Trek Countdown", and the people that get here will have the wrong timer, so here is the new version:
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Blog Teaser: The Big Move
The blog article "The Big Move" will be posted on June 1st.
Until then, here is a preview:
...be on the lookout for danger...
...The Devil and Bill Cosby in Saskatoon...
...The animals of course, can see the future....
...Once we are out of the way, then they can take over.
"...There is something in here... something evil... I can feel it..."
"...How much do you want for one day's rent? Ten bucks?"
Until then, here is a preview:
...be on the lookout for danger...
...The Devil and Bill Cosby in Saskatoon...
...The animals of course, can see the future....
...Once we are out of the way, then they can take over.
"...There is something in here... something evil... I can feel it..."
"...How much do you want for one day's rent? Ten bucks?"
Baby Trauma and Update
On Sunday I got a cockatiel. On Monday I almost killed him.
It is true that I saved his life on Monday too, but I don't think that made either of us feel any better. Joey was over and we were in my bedroom watching a show about ghosts. I actually think both of us were sleeping for the most part. Behind us on the dresser Baby was in his cage.
Baby's cage has a big front door that is secured by a metal rod. You drop it down through a couple of eyelets and the door can't open. I had been leaving the door unlocked though because I liked to open the door to see him better. I wasn't too worried about it because the door is stiff, and I didn't think Baby could open it. It turns out I was wrong.
It scared the shit out of me when I heard the sound of Baby flying around my bedroom. Not only was he was squawking but his wings make a surprising amount of noise. He didn't fly far. He landed on the curtain rod and hung out up there for a while. In the meantime I closed the bedroom door so he couldn't escape further into the apartment.
Baby stayed up there for like three hours. Joanne had gone home and it was just Baby and I in the apartment. Over all these hours, between the closed door, my body heat, and my computer, my room was getting quite warm. I decided that I really needed to open that door and get some circulation going. I didn't think it would hurt if Baby flew around the apartment either, but before I left the door open, I turned on all the lights in the apartment so he could see where he might be flying.
About half an hour later Baby took flight. He made three or four tentative flights at the door, each time turning around and retreating to the curtain rod. Finally he got the courage to go exploring.
I followed him out. He flew down the hallway and landed on a bookshelf. I sat down on the couch and read my cockatiel book. Baby didn't explore any further though, he was just content to hang out on the bookshelf. After forty-five minutes I decided it was bedtime and I tried to pick him up.
I had been trying to get him used to my hand earlier that day by putting my hand in his cage for a while. He was scared of it, and never let it get closer than 10 centimetres, so needless to say I had never tried to pick Baby up before. When my hands closed in on him to pick him up, he panicked. He took off and started shrieking and flew around me in circles. He landed on a different bookshelf, then he landed on the top of the blinds, then back to the second bookshelf again. I was getting worried because I had no idea how to catch this bird. I was afraid to try a fast grab, because I was scared of hurting him. The same goes for when he was flapping his fragile little wings all over. It was apparent that he wasn't going to sit still for me to carefully pick him up.
I tried the slow-as-can-be technique. My hands inched closer and closer in slo-mo, but with each second you could see Baby getting more and more worried. Suddenly he took flight and started flying towards a lamp in the corner.
I have one of those older halogen floor lamps. You know the ones that are considered a fire hazard? The ones that have an 8000 watt bulb in it that burns at just under the temperature of the sun? This is the lamp I call The Moth Killer because in the summer when a moth gets inside the apartment I freak out. I hate trying to kill them, so I just turn on the lamp. The moth is invariably attracted to the brightness and when it flies over top, it is so hot the moth drops dead instantly. This is the lamp Baby was flying towards.
I could tell by his posture that he was going to perch on this lamp. In the split second I made this realization I imagined him getting horribly burned feet at best, and actually catching fire at worst. I've seen a moth erupt into flame before, I didn't think Baby's fine feathers had much chance. I didn't know what else to do, so I grabbed at him in mid-flight.
I ended up pulling several of his tail feathers right out, and Baby fell to the ground. It looked awful because he was still flapping when he crashed, and I just imagined broken bones. I felt so ill over what just happened I felt like I could throw up right then, but I still had to get Baby to safety.
I managed to pick him up and he bit me SO HARD I had blood dripping off my finger from where both the top and bottom part of his beak had me. I couldn't take it, so I put him on the ground temporarily, pulled my finger from his mouth and repositioned my hands. He ended up biting me in a different place and drawing blood there too, all the while despite clamping down on my fingers he was shrieking incredibly loud.
I got him back into his cage and I was relieved to see him climbing around without seeming to have any injuries, but he was not the same. He wasn't playing, it seemed like he was sulking. If I even got near his cage he'd hiss at me and extend his head as far as he could towards me while holding his beak open, ready to strike.
I felt so terrible that almost let my new little friend get burned up that saving him from it was no consolation at all. As I write this five days later and he seems to be getting better, but he still wants to bite me if I get too close. It is a good thing I've got 20 more years to get him used to me again, but I sure hope it takes less time than that. All I know is that when I moved at the end of the month I'm 'giving' that lamp to my roommate.
Baby Update:
After a nice supper of peas (you may notice them all over his face) I let Baby fly around my room today. I don't even try to put him back in his cage, he takes care of that all on his own. I think he had a great day with me tonight, and he even got adventurous and stood right on my keyboard as I was writing blogs. So if there are any typos... blame him.
It is true that I saved his life on Monday too, but I don't think that made either of us feel any better. Joey was over and we were in my bedroom watching a show about ghosts. I actually think both of us were sleeping for the most part. Behind us on the dresser Baby was in his cage.
Baby's cage has a big front door that is secured by a metal rod. You drop it down through a couple of eyelets and the door can't open. I had been leaving the door unlocked though because I liked to open the door to see him better. I wasn't too worried about it because the door is stiff, and I didn't think Baby could open it. It turns out I was wrong.
It scared the shit out of me when I heard the sound of Baby flying around my bedroom. Not only was he was squawking but his wings make a surprising amount of noise. He didn't fly far. He landed on the curtain rod and hung out up there for a while. In the meantime I closed the bedroom door so he couldn't escape further into the apartment.
Baby stayed up there for like three hours. Joanne had gone home and it was just Baby and I in the apartment. Over all these hours, between the closed door, my body heat, and my computer, my room was getting quite warm. I decided that I really needed to open that door and get some circulation going. I didn't think it would hurt if Baby flew around the apartment either, but before I left the door open, I turned on all the lights in the apartment so he could see where he might be flying.
About half an hour later Baby took flight. He made three or four tentative flights at the door, each time turning around and retreating to the curtain rod. Finally he got the courage to go exploring.
I followed him out. He flew down the hallway and landed on a bookshelf. I sat down on the couch and read my cockatiel book. Baby didn't explore any further though, he was just content to hang out on the bookshelf. After forty-five minutes I decided it was bedtime and I tried to pick him up.
I had been trying to get him used to my hand earlier that day by putting my hand in his cage for a while. He was scared of it, and never let it get closer than 10 centimetres, so needless to say I had never tried to pick Baby up before. When my hands closed in on him to pick him up, he panicked. He took off and started shrieking and flew around me in circles. He landed on a different bookshelf, then he landed on the top of the blinds, then back to the second bookshelf again. I was getting worried because I had no idea how to catch this bird. I was afraid to try a fast grab, because I was scared of hurting him. The same goes for when he was flapping his fragile little wings all over. It was apparent that he wasn't going to sit still for me to carefully pick him up.
I tried the slow-as-can-be technique. My hands inched closer and closer in slo-mo, but with each second you could see Baby getting more and more worried. Suddenly he took flight and started flying towards a lamp in the corner.
I have one of those older halogen floor lamps. You know the ones that are considered a fire hazard? The ones that have an 8000 watt bulb in it that burns at just under the temperature of the sun? This is the lamp I call The Moth Killer because in the summer when a moth gets inside the apartment I freak out. I hate trying to kill them, so I just turn on the lamp. The moth is invariably attracted to the brightness and when it flies over top, it is so hot the moth drops dead instantly. This is the lamp Baby was flying towards.
I could tell by his posture that he was going to perch on this lamp. In the split second I made this realization I imagined him getting horribly burned feet at best, and actually catching fire at worst. I've seen a moth erupt into flame before, I didn't think Baby's fine feathers had much chance. I didn't know what else to do, so I grabbed at him in mid-flight.
I ended up pulling several of his tail feathers right out, and Baby fell to the ground. It looked awful because he was still flapping when he crashed, and I just imagined broken bones. I felt so ill over what just happened I felt like I could throw up right then, but I still had to get Baby to safety.
I managed to pick him up and he bit me SO HARD I had blood dripping off my finger from where both the top and bottom part of his beak had me. I couldn't take it, so I put him on the ground temporarily, pulled my finger from his mouth and repositioned my hands. He ended up biting me in a different place and drawing blood there too, all the while despite clamping down on my fingers he was shrieking incredibly loud.
I got him back into his cage and I was relieved to see him climbing around without seeming to have any injuries, but he was not the same. He wasn't playing, it seemed like he was sulking. If I even got near his cage he'd hiss at me and extend his head as far as he could towards me while holding his beak open, ready to strike.
I felt so terrible that almost let my new little friend get burned up that saving him from it was no consolation at all. As I write this five days later and he seems to be getting better, but he still wants to bite me if I get too close. It is a good thing I've got 20 more years to get him used to me again, but I sure hope it takes less time than that. All I know is that when I moved at the end of the month I'm 'giving' that lamp to my roommate.
Baby Update:
After a nice supper of peas (you may notice them all over his face) I let Baby fly around my room today. I don't even try to put him back in his cage, he takes care of that all on his own. I think he had a great day with me tonight, and he even got adventurous and stood right on my keyboard as I was writing blogs. So if there are any typos... blame him.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Quid Pro Quo, Sarah
A couple weeks ago I was playing Warcraft with my friend Bri. When Bri was talking, I could hear her bird squawking in the background. The wierd thing was that the bird was also talking. It seemed like this bird could carry on a conversation with his owner, and that really intrigued me. Over the next week or so I couldn't stop thinking about it. I did some reading about birds on the internet and found out that every day budgies are 'champion talkers'. Suddenly found I couldn't stop thinking about budgies. Early Friday morning I decided I should get one.
I couldn't wait to go to every pet store in town and pick out the perfect budgie. I called my mom and made plans to go bird shopping after work. Then I called my sister and made additional plans to go bird shopping. I was so excited I didn't know if I was going to go with both of them at the same time, or just do it all twice. As it turned out I was so excited I couldn't even wait until I was done work. At lunch time I went to the pet store nearby instead of eating lunch.
The budgies were not exactly what I had built them up in my mind to be. They just sat there squeaking. They were not even moving. Certainly none of them were talking to me. It was strange, but everything I had been feeling all week seemed to collapse into nothing when my mental image met reality. I was about to leave when this weird gray bird with yellow feathers on his head started making eyes at me. He came right over to the front corner of his cage and was looking right at me. He wasn't at all like those boring budgies. This guy seemed inquisitive, he seemed interested in what I was doing. I found myself spending the rest of my lunch break staring at him. Before I left I checked the label and saw that he was a cockatiel. I realized that a smart, inquisitive cockatiel was probably way better than even the most talkative boring old budgie.
I decided that before I did anything about buying a bird I had better check my rental agreement. I was pretty sure it was going to say something like maybe no dogs or cats, but I was also sure that there must be different rules regarding birds. I was wrong. There it was. Point number 6. It was the only one in bold font: no animals of any kind are allowed on the premises. When I read that, it really bummed me out.
I moped around all that evening and the next day. On Sunday I went to meet Megan and Jenn for lunch at a nearby restaurant. It was nice out, and I decided to walk. Along the way was that pet store where I met the grey cockatiel. I knew I wasn't allowed to buy a bird, and I knew didn't have much time, but I really wanted to see him. When he saw me he came right up to check me out and it felt like we were connecting. My heart was melting.
I left the pet store and from the middle of the parking lot I called my land lady. I knew I should wait until Monday because she hates Sunday phone calls, but Isometimes often lack patience. I asked her point blank if I could have a bird. She paused and said, "... yeah, you can have a bird. Can you come over and fix my computer?"
My spirits were high again, knowing I could buy a bird but I wasn't sure that I should. These birds live up to 20 years. I didn't know if I wanted that responsibility. After lunch Megan and Jenn and I went to see the cockatiel, and Jenn simply told me I should get him and give him a good home. That was all the nudge I needed. That afternoon I brought home my new baby.
Chino suggested that I name him 'Baby' and I decided that was a good name. So far he is great. I love him a lot. The only bad thing about getting him is that now I have to fix my land lady's computer.
I hate fixing computers.
I couldn't wait to go to every pet store in town and pick out the perfect budgie. I called my mom and made plans to go bird shopping after work. Then I called my sister and made additional plans to go bird shopping. I was so excited I didn't know if I was going to go with both of them at the same time, or just do it all twice. As it turned out I was so excited I couldn't even wait until I was done work. At lunch time I went to the pet store nearby instead of eating lunch.
The budgies were not exactly what I had built them up in my mind to be. They just sat there squeaking. They were not even moving. Certainly none of them were talking to me. It was strange, but everything I had been feeling all week seemed to collapse into nothing when my mental image met reality. I was about to leave when this weird gray bird with yellow feathers on his head started making eyes at me. He came right over to the front corner of his cage and was looking right at me. He wasn't at all like those boring budgies. This guy seemed inquisitive, he seemed interested in what I was doing. I found myself spending the rest of my lunch break staring at him. Before I left I checked the label and saw that he was a cockatiel. I realized that a smart, inquisitive cockatiel was probably way better than even the most talkative boring old budgie.
I decided that before I did anything about buying a bird I had better check my rental agreement. I was pretty sure it was going to say something like maybe no dogs or cats, but I was also sure that there must be different rules regarding birds. I was wrong. There it was. Point number 6. It was the only one in bold font: no animals of any kind are allowed on the premises. When I read that, it really bummed me out.
I moped around all that evening and the next day. On Sunday I went to meet Megan and Jenn for lunch at a nearby restaurant. It was nice out, and I decided to walk. Along the way was that pet store where I met the grey cockatiel. I knew I wasn't allowed to buy a bird, and I knew didn't have much time, but I really wanted to see him. When he saw me he came right up to check me out and it felt like we were connecting. My heart was melting.
I left the pet store and from the middle of the parking lot I called my land lady. I knew I should wait until Monday because she hates Sunday phone calls, but I
My spirits were high again, knowing I could buy a bird but I wasn't sure that I should. These birds live up to 20 years. I didn't know if I wanted that responsibility. After lunch Megan and Jenn and I went to see the cockatiel, and Jenn simply told me I should get him and give him a good home. That was all the nudge I needed. That afternoon I brought home my new baby.
Chino suggested that I name him 'Baby' and I decided that was a good name. So far he is great. I love him a lot. The only bad thing about getting him is that now I have to fix my land lady's computer.
I hate fixing computers.
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