Non-random things about me

1. I like to do little quasi-scientific experiments in my spare time.
2. Food should feed the soul.
3. Non-humans are more intelligent than most of us give credit for.
4. I strive to help my animal companions achieve self-actualization and emotional equanimity.
5. Education, critical thinking and love can solve every important problem.
6. I'm frequently accused of being an unrealistic idealist.
7. I'm a moral realist.
8. I like to grow...

Bloody Bird

True confession. I've been falling behind in grooming so I wanted to trim the birds' nails today. C's nails in particular have been getting a bit too long and spindly... so I worry that he'll get them caught on something, get tangled and trip: ideas I don't much relish, seeing as he has enough physical complications to deal with.

So I did B's nails first. This is because he moves a lot faster than C, and I know I have less chance of getting him calmly if he gets too much of a glimpse of what's coming. Now, anyone who knows B knows that he hates being confined like the devil and gets extremely upset. So, after trying to hold him in a towel to get to his nails, I let him out and just sat him on my hand -- and for the first time EVER in our 20-plus-year-long relationship, he let me clip his nails while just sitting there on my hand. I was so proud of him; it was so much easier on both of us this way!

Cutting C's nails got a bit more complicated. He has the bad wing that gets in the way, and the lucky little front toe that crosses over the long one. I tried to trim his nails the way I did with B, but finally realized that he was getting too excited, verging on panic, and that I'd have to hold him in the towel to keep him still.

When I finally had him ready, I must have been rushing and made a terrible mistake... I clipped a bit too far on his lucky toenail, he squealed and twisted, and then I found some blood on my finger. I had cut too far to the quick. I got out the starch to stem any bleeding, but I feel horrible about it.

And now C's been huddling here on the perch all day with his back to me. He doesn't usually sit like that -- he usually likes to sit out front, facing out -- but he's right. I deserve it.

If you're reading this, sweetie, I'm sorry. Please forgive me.

From the choir

I was browsing Youtube the other day and found a video of a great a cappella cover of The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" by a group called the Dynamics. The Dynamics actually sing all the manic little instrumentations of the original, which I found pretty impressive.

Here's another Youtube video, this one of Ben Folds doing a cover of the same song on piano and some improvised percussion instruments. My favourite version of the song is actually Iron & Wine's acoustic cover, which is very mellow and relaxing... but the birds quite like the boppy a cappella version from the Dynamics and have been singing along as I typed this. If I had it in iTunes, I'd put it next to the Jacques Loussier Boléro in their playlist; they were singing again to that earlier tonight too.
A recent pic of the boys in the shower. As is typical, only C felt like getting clean...