Don't you know about the BIRD...
...EVERYBODY'S HEARD THAT THE BIRD IS THE WORD!

Warning: this is one of those posts that not a lot of people will be interested in. I don't want to be one of those bloggers who thinks everything within a typical post of mine is all-important. So, if you don't want to deal with personal, mundane, everyday stuff, that's okay. I just thot I'd warn ya.
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Well, I can't move fast enough to keep up with a canine, so I don't have a dog. But that logic won't work here. After all, I can't fly, and yet I have birds. It all began with a visit to the pet store to get some stuff for my finch. As usual, I went to the back to look at the birds, and in one cage were three of them. "Hand-fed baby parrots", the pet-store lady told me. I thot, how great. A chance to have a cool little bird that doesn't freak out when you walk in the room. My finch do that, though. They're neurotic. Especially the male, who yammers solid for 15 or 20 minutes at a time until he's either exhausted or comes to the realization that no one's listening to him.

So I showed the parrots my car keys, letting them dangle thru the cage bars. And these three little birds crowded around the shiny pieces of metal like it was the biggest thing in the world. Truly an "awwwwww...." moment. I went on home afterwards, but it was hard to forget these bird-siblings...they seemed like little people with wings, y'know? So I went back and saw 'em again about a week later. They all perked up when I entered the bird room, and that doesn't happen to me a lot, whether it be birds OR people. And I did the key-thing again, and again, they crowded around, so they could see the shiny metal and analyze it with their beaks. I guess that's how they 'touch' things, since their arms are wings. And I made up my mind I was gonna get one, and made arrangements with the pet-store lady.

So, "bird-day" came around. I had previously made up my mind which one I wanted, but when I came back the following week, I noticed that one bird was a little more laid-back than the others. The pet-store lady and I began selecting various toys for a parrot, because, after all an entertained bird is a happy bird (that excludes finch, of course), and I looked back at the parrot cage...two of them, including the one I'd chosen before, were on the cage floor, eating seeds, but the one little laid-back bird was actually hanging onto the side of the cage, and I could swear he was watching me. Of course, maybe I'm delusional as well. But, I chose him (I think it's a 'him) and took him home. The bird in the photo below looks almost exactly like the one I have:

This little fella is a SUN CONURE. (CON-yer) They can allegedly live for 25 years, so this bird might just outlive me. That's a weird thot, huh? And what a contrast when compared to the finch I have. The finch are just 'nervous' all the time, while the parrot just kinda plays very s-l-o-w-l-y with his toys, and takes his time when eating; patiently picking apart seed shells (it's fascinating to watch that), and of course, he has lots of shiny toys in his cage. And, I've got a new place to put my keys...on top of his cage with a couple keys sticking through. I can stick my hand in his cage, and he'll get on top of my wrist and peck at my wristwatch. Shiny, shiny! During the day, he's very positive and strong; I can handle him a bit but he doesn't like to be fussed over a lot. He plays and eats and drinks, endlessly repeating the process for hours...but, as we all do, he gets tired...

Towards evening, his attitude changes; he gets very still and occasionally will emit a low grunt-type sound...and that's when I can take him into my hands and cover him up, and tonite, he slept that way for over an hour. Another "awwwwww....." moment. A little life right there in my hands. And when he's in my hands, he'll make little whispering "peep" type sounds; he's such a strong fella in the day, but at night he becomes vulnerable; his personality change when evening draws near is quite remarkable. And you know what I'm finding? (perhaps I'm not being startlingly original here...) Hands-on-type pets make you live in the "present", something I have a problem doing more often than not. And I'm glad he's here. He's a cool little guy.
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The reason I think its a male is because a website I went to said the males have a broader and somewhat flatter head than the females. Whatever the gender...this little parrot is a neat little bird.