SIMON THE AFRICAN PENGUIN

This post is for TT and Kate who spent last night checking email and waiting for this post.

Yesterday I decided to go to the National Aviary. I don't really have this extreme interest in birds or anything I just needed something to do. I borrowed Brandi's car and had google tell me how to get there. According to Google it should have taken only about 16 mins to get there. I saw the Aviary. I saw it 15 mins later but didn't end up parking for another 30 mins. There was no sign saying that the road I was about to turn onto turned into a highway with no exits for a good 5 miles. And not all exit ramps have an entrance ramp on the other side.

Once I finally arrived it was well worth it.
I had a staring contest with a bald eagle and lost.
I learned all about the tucan's hollow beaks.
I tossed fish and a pelican caught them in midair.
I held up frozen fish and the birds swept down and grabbed it out of my hand.
A vulture soared by and brushed my head.
I had to slam a door in a roseate spoonbill's face so he wouldn't escape.

But by far the coolest thing were the lorries (above)
I walked into their room with a little cup of nectar and instantly I had five on my hand squabbling over the nectar, three on my arm trying to scramble to hang on, one on each shoulder, and even one on my head. I wish I had had a camera. I must have looked like the bird lady in Mary Poppins. "Feed the birds. Tuppence a bag."
After the food was finished most of them flew away. Except there was one on my hand who started licking my hand, (They have these really long tongues.) one sat there and chatted to me, while his friend tried to chew off my hair band. It was the amusing,

I went to the gift shop so I could find a postcard of the lorries to send to Gami for her bulletin board but the only postcard they had was of Simon the African Penguin.
Me: Do you have any postcards of the lorries?
Store Lady: Oh, no we only have the penguin.
Me: uh...
Store Lady: His name is Simon...He's from Africa.
Me: um...But I didn't see Simon the African Penguin
Store Lady: Oh, that's because he's not out. You only get to see him if you're with a school group.
Oh of course! why did I think of that? I mean of course I want his postcard now. NOT.

The drive home only took an hour. It wasn't my fault that all the detours I had to take because of construction ended in the middle of nowhere familiar. Actually nothing is familiar here. There's no lake to tell me which way is East. I have no idea what direction downtown is from Pitt or anything else. I just drove.

I got home only a little stressed out and was suppose to go to campus, but had no interest in ever leaving the house again. Plus Pittsburgh is disgusting. It's gray and wet without actually rainy all the time. It makes you want to curl up. So I called mom and she told me to go cook.

I found this recipe for Greek Beef Stew. The recipe called for red wine. Not even thinking about it I tried to buy some along with all the other ingredients. Let's just say this didn't go to well. In my mind it wasn't alcohol. I was cooking with it. But that's not how it works. Duh, you might say. But I mean I wasn't thinking about drinking it I just wanted to cook with it. But I got carded and it took me going around with the cashier a couple of times to realize that I couldn't buy it because I wasn't 21. But the stew was amazing anyways. Even if I did have to chop 2lbs of onions and couldn't see through my tears because of it.

I'm off to Penn State tonight. Larry gets a visitor.