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Jethro likes vitamin water…

So, I guess there is some lawsuit about vitamin water and how they lie about it’s nutritional facts, but I like it and it’s got to be better than coke.  Tonight, after tennis, I was hanging out and I decided to put Jethro on the couch.  I have been reading some information on birds and acting out and screaming and they all suggest that birds will act out when they are bored (and when they are not fed a healthy diet).  One way to keep a bird from getting bored is to introduce new toys on a regular basis.  So, when I put Jethro on the couch, I decided to try to find some possible toys for him to play with.  Now, my cousins told me that Jethro is a little nervous around new things, so sometimes it takes like a week for him to be okay with something new, like a toy.

My first attempted toy was a stuffed animal that is a hotdog dog.  Well, that totally freaked out Jethro.  So after a few minutes of him wanting nothing to do with the hotdog dog, I put it on the floor. I then went and got a little teddy bear and graduation barbi (that’s a whole nother story!).  I put those two on the couch, and Jethro wanted nothing to do with them either.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, after I removed those two items, Jethro went right after the remote control and tried to pick it up and play with it.  I started to think that maybe Jethro doesn’t like soft and furry animals, but maybe he likes plastics and bottles…which is when I introduced the vitamin water bottle, and man did he love that!  The only thing I think he liked more was 2 vitamin water bottles!!

After about a half hour of play, I decided it was time to get him back into his cage and maybe calm him down for bed, but he did not want anything to do with my plan.  He wouldn’t step up.  So I let him hang out.  I took the bottles away, but he was still kinda wired.  It took about 20 minutes but then he got up and I walked him back to his cage - and placed a vitamin water bottle in it - and man did he have fun.  He totally ripped the label off - that took about a half hour.  Then he just tried to penetrate it somehow.  A few times he got it airborn and threw it a little ways across the cage.

The excitement lasted about another half hour to hour when Jethro moved on to a little dinner and then playing with his bell.  Then after a dip of water, he’s back at the vitamin water - nope, he’s taking a little snack.  A bird with priorities!!

Posted 07 March 2009 † gregchad § Jethro ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged:

The Power of the wii

So, Jethro kinda has these moments…usually twice a day - once in the morning, once in the evening…where he basically goes just a little crazy.  He sqwaks and talks and chirps, and I haven’t quite figured out what he wants yet.  I go over to his cage to talk to him, and he usually quiets down, but he looks like I am making him even more mad by standing there.  So, I walk away and then he gets all loud again.

When he’s out of his cage, he rarely will step up for me, and instead he cocks his head, kinda in attack position, or he will retreat to the back corner of the top of his cage (on top of it) and take a position back there.  

When he’s in his cage, he’ll start doing inverted laps across the top, and then he will just take out all of his anger and aggression on this little bell that is hanging inside his cage.  Poor bell, cause he really take it out on that bell.

So, you must be thinking, what does this have to do with the power of the Wii?  Well, a friend has lent me his Wii, so I can practice up on my tennis skills.  And, it just seems that everytime I play the Wii, Jethro calms down and gets very quiet.  So, I put the theory to a test this morning when Jethro had one of his fits, and it worked.  He completely calmed down.  Woo-hoo!

Thank you Wii gods.

Posted 28 February 2009 † gregchad § Jethro ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Jethro steps up!

Jethro stepped up today.  Just kinda out of the blue actually.  I got home from an uneventful day at work, but a nice dinner with my friend Liz.  It was late.  About 9pm.  I came in, and immediately let open Jethro’s cage.  I figured he’d been cooped up all day in his cage.  Yesterday, I got home from work and opened up his cage and he walked in and out for a few hours before bedtime.  So, I wanted him to have that same experience tonight.  Once he got on his perch, I came by to say hello to him.  I put my two fingers out, expecting him to tilt his head and puff his feathers.  But, this time, he lifted his leg and put it on my fingers!  Fun stuff.  And so it goes…he’s steppin up left and right!

I figured when he acts out, it’s because he needs a little attention.  So, when he starts yelping a little, or clicking, I go over and pick him up.  I thought he might like to see a little more of the place, so I took him for a walk around the apartment, showed him the office and kitchen and then the bedroom.  We almost went into the bathroom, but I think the mirrors startled him (I think I read that somewhere too - that mirrors freak birds out)…

I think I may just created a monster though.  Now he doesn’t want me to set him down, but I am still getting comfortable with him, too, you know.  I am hoping he’ll be ready for bed soon.  I am getting there.

Posted 26 February 2009 † gregchad § Jethro ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged:

Successful Night 1

Well, Jethro (and I) survived night one together.  I actually fell asleep on the couch early without covering him.  Woke up about 1:30 to go to bed, and when I went to cover him, he seem to move over to the little area that I kept uncovered.  When I woke up this morning, he was in the same place…so I am not sure how comfortable he felt…but he seemed to be quiet all night.  I sure didn’t hear him!

This morning we have been hanging out.  I was doing some work, and Jethro was hanging in his cage - literally actually.  At one point he was doing laps around his cage, hanging upside down as we went across the top rung. And, he’s just been talking away too.  

He says his name “Jethro”.  He says, “Hello cutie”  He says, “hand me a pencil”  and my favorite, “want to play peek a boo”.  My goal - to get him to say “Greg”

Here’s a picture outside of his cage!

Posted 22 February 2009 † gregchad § Jethro ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged:

Jethro.

Jethro arrived this afternoon.  My cousins brought him with my aunt and a friend.  We immediate got him set up in his new digs!  I think he’s diggin it.  My mom got here shortly after we got Jethro settled.  That was nice.  I think Jethro got to experience all of the “crazy” to begin with so now he can just settle into reality - the fact that I am pretty boring actually!

So far, he’s not been all that talk-a-tive.  I have gotten a few whistles (that’s nice!) and a couple, what sounds like, “clucks” (for lack of a better word).  Anyway, he seems to be doing okay.

We think it will take a couple days for him to really get acclimated and then he may take to talking a little more, and hopefully he’ll learn to “step up” and let me bring him out of the cage.

More to come.

Posted 21 February 2009 † gregchad § Jethro ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Jethro Arrives!

I am starting to blog again!  So, horray.  Actually, my good friend, Durban Bud, suggested that I chronicle my life as I take care of my uncle’s African Grey Parrot, Jethro.  Jethro needs a long-term, but temporary, place to stay while my uncle recovers from a medical procedure. And, I volunteered to be the keeper of the bird.  I had to get special permission from my landlord in order to keep the bird, but they agreed, under the condition that if Jethro bothers any of my neighbors, he will have to go!  So, I am anxiously awaiting his arrival any minute.

More updates coming soon.

Posted 21 February 2009 † gregchad § Jethro ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Feelings of Violence

Today is day 2 of being a non-smoker.  I am definitely a little more irritable today.  Answering questions from colleagues was a challenge.  For some reason, at about 4pm, I had overwhelming feelings of violence.  I just wanted to hit someone - anyone.  There was no real reason for my feelings of violence.  I just felt like I wanted to hit someone.

But I am home now and just waiting to be entertained by the Vice Presidential debate.  I think the best advice (for those of us viewers) that I ever heard was “Let Sarah be Sarah” - well, if that’s the case - bring it.  Let Sarah be Sarah.  I can’t wait!

Posted 02 October 2008 † gregchad § Politics § smoke free ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged: , ,

A Brand New Day - October 1, 2008

Today, I am a non-smoker.

I have been smoking since around the time I turned 18 years old.  

I am not sure why I started smoking.  Sometimes I think I did it to try and fit in with my brother and a lot of his friends that were smokers.  Sometimes I think it was a way for me to be different - none of my friends were smokers.  Sometimes I think it was a way for me to not deal with the real issue at that time - accepting that I was gay.  Quite honestly, they could all have something to do with it - or none of them can.  Point is - it’s mute.  I started smoking when I was 18 and I have been struggling with quitting ever since.

This definitely isn’t my first attempt at quitting.  Some of my previous attempts had been “successful”.  There was the time that I quit for more than 8 months.  That was back in 1999-2000.  I was living in LA and worked hard to quit smoking - but Memorial Day 2000 really killed me.  My neighbors and I spent the entire day by the pool - we started with marguerita’s at about 10:30am and we didn’t move from the pool area until after midnight that night (except to go to 7-11 to get snack foods).  Needless to say, it was a messy day - and one cigarette led to another and before I knew it, I was back to a pack-a-day smoker.

I had another somewhat successful attempt about 2 years ago (just a little over actually) - It was actually September 25, 2005.  I wrote in a journal to chronicle my thoughts and feelings.  Somewhere between October 12th and 31st I started smoking again.

Last year, I tried quitting again.  This time I used Chantix - a new drug that helps to block the urges for nicotine from reaching your brain.  It worked like a charm.  I found it easy to quit.  I also used Nicorette gum to help me at the beginning, but within a week or two, i felt very comfortable enough to go nicotine free.  It was great.  It lasted about a month - and then the mind games started.  It had been so easy to quit that I thought I could be the kind of smoker I would really like to be - someone who could come home from work and sit down and have a cigarette at the end of the day.  Well, as nice as that sounds, it’s not for me.  Within a few weeks, one cigarette a day turned into 2, which turned into 5, which turned back into a pack a day.

So, today is a new day - and a new attempt.  The one lesson I have learned from my previous attempts at quitting is that I CANNOT have another cigarette - or I will be a smoker again.  It’s been a little tougher today.  I definitely thought about cigarettes a lot.  I started taking Chantix again about a week ago.  I had my last cigarette before I went to bed last night.  I have Nicorette gum and Commit lozenges.

I am ready, willing and able to quit this disgusting habit for once and for all!

Posted 01 October 2008 † gregchad § smoke free ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

 

Me and the Sphinx

Me and the Sphinx

Posted 16 September 2008 † gregchad § Egypt § Pictures ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

The End of Summer…

The other day, I had to meet a client at 8pm.  As I got my stuff ready, I realized that I should probably wear long pants, because, well, it was starting to get a little cooler in the evenings - and when I stepped outside, I realized that it was almost pitch dark at 7:55pm.  That really depresses me.  Summer is my second favorite season - not that far from third place actually.  Spring is number 1 - by far.  The excitement of the end of winter - a little chill in the air in the morning/evening, but the days are just absolutely beautiful - 78 degrees, sunny, warm - just beautiful…and knowing that summer is coming - which is exciting, the thought of it - but the reality of summer humidity quickly dampens the excitement of 85-90 degree weather - pushing summer into second place.  Fall would be second, if it weren’t for the fact that come the end of Fall is Winter - and I HATE winter.

So, while Summer has not technically ended, but we are a little past the ceremonial passage of summer - Labor Day - I thought I would take a minute to reflect on my summer…

Summer began with a huge personal disappointment.  After spending the first half of the year working to help elect Sen. Clinton the first female nominee for President, I was a very disappointed when it all ended.  I am sure my future posts will delve into my thoughts on this year’s election, but I can say that I still think the majority of the Democratic party made a mistake in not nominating Sen. Clinton.  I think the overwhelming concern behind her candidacy was that there was a certain percentage of people that just would never vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton to be President.  It’s not about the fact that she’s a woman.  It’s about the fact that she is Hillary Clinton.  And that number is about 45% of those that vote.  That’s a horrible number to run in an election.  45% of the voters will not vote for you - and you need 50.00001% to win.  Even if you give the other side a similar percentage - you only have 10% to play with - and you have to win the majority of them.  If the other candidates negatives are lower than yours, than you have to win over even more voters to win.  A very legitimate concern of those anti-Hillary Democrats.  But not a wise one.

While Sen. Obama is definitely inspirational and is definitely bringing more, and new voters into the process unlike anyone before him, he’s still running even with Sen. McCain - and that is just absolutely inexplicable to me.  You can blame it on the Obama campaigns lackluster campaign since the convention - or you can blame the incredible Republican PR machine doing its thing, yet again.  And while I agree that both of those are at play here, I think there is a bigger issue going on.

Just as there are going to be questions about whether we are ready, as a country, to elect a women as President, or a Mormon or a black man - those numbers are difficult to quantify.  (I am not claiming original thought here) - The point is, when a pollster calls someone and asks, “do you think the country is ready for a women/Mormon/black President?”, most people want to answer the “right” answer - the politically correct answer.  ”Yes, I can support a black man for President.”  Call it the “Bradley Effect” as those in the media do.  Anyway, the point is, the question of will you support someone, generically, like a “woman”, a “black man”, etc. is very different that the question, “Do you support Sen. Clinton”.

So, I think what we are now seeing, in the tightening of this political race, is that the amount of people that don’t support Sen. Obama - possibly because he is a black man - is looking to equal the number of people who wouldn’t support Sen. Clinton, because she is Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.  Maybe, I am wrong, and I sure hope that I am - but it is the only rational explanation I can come to about why this race is this close.  Therefore, if Sen. Obama has the same kind of negatives than Sen. Clinton, I think the party made a mistake in not giving her the nomination, because if this race is going to get nasty, and I really think it will, I know Sen. Clinton would have gotten right down in the dirt with those bastards.  I do not endorse these tactics, except to say this.  The Republicans have shown that that’s they way they fight - and they win.  I support sticking to your principles and winning with your integrity in tact, but this time, I don’t want to lose.  There’s too much at stake, and I think this country needs a President with more progressive ideas.

That’s my recap of the entire primary process.  In a nutshell!

My focus, after the campaign ended, was to focus 100% on Reisher Law.  I had a few cases that I was pushing forward and needed a little more attention than I was able to provide while working on the campaign.  3 of them were potential litigation, so I had filed claims in 2 of them and the calendar of events was starting to heat up.  I also had been working on a divorce and those negotiations had reached a point where more attention was required.  As always, there were different issues with my small business clients, and a few people interested in wills and estate planning documents.

My goal was to end the summer having completed those 3 litigation cases and the divorce - as well as manage and maintain my small business and hopefully work on a few wills.  In the meantime, I was hoping to attract a few more clients, and hopefully, come the Fall, I could continue to focus solely on Reisher Law.

As for my case load - I settled 2 of the litigation cases, the third is still going through the motions.  The divorce case finalized all negotiations, and now it’s just a matter of filing an uncontested divorce.  I have worked with my small business clients, and continue to do so.  I picked up a new client over the summer that has been excellent.  I have not followed through with the potential wills/estate planning clients, but have participated in other networking events that have not yet produced specific results, but I hope will soon.

I joined Chemistry.com this summer in an attempt to get out and meet some new people.  It has definitely served that purpose.  I have had fun going out on a few dates.  None of them have materialized into much more than a date or two, but I am glad that I am out there and meeting new people. 

I also joined the Capital Tennis Association and have been able to get out and play a lot more tennis this summer.  I met a really nice guy, Thomas, and he and I started hitting, we both decided to join the CTA and now I have met a lot of new and interesting and fun people.  I am trying to play a couple times a week, if possible, and it’s just great.  I really enjoy it!

As for vacations, I was able to get to my dad’s for a long weekend back at the very end of the spring.  That was great.  I was there during the French Open - so we played some tennis and watched some tennis and generally hung out.  It was quite nice.  Then I got away to the Poconos for a weekend for my friends Jenny and Andy’s wedding.

I spent 2 weeks completely engrossed in the Games of the XXIX Olympiad!!! (see beginning posts).

And then I got to go on my great cross country adventure with Kevin!  Again, it was quite amazing!  My favorite pic from the trip is atop.  Maybe it means something??

Posted 12 September 2008 † gregchad § Uncategorized ‡ Comments (1) °