I like having birds as pets because they are easy to take care of. When I was young, I used to have pet finches. I used to also have three quails but after they had passed away, it was difficult to get another bird because I had grown really fond of those quails. I miss those quails because they were quiet and friendly. I enjoyed feeding them lettuce from my hand and watching them play around in our backyard. It was amazing watching them lay eggs, although none of them ever hatched.

After my attachment with those quails, I never wanted to get another bird. However, when my dad asked me to consider getting pet birds again, I told him no. Then, a few days after having that conversation with my dad, a parakeet had flown inside our garage. My dad was able to catch it, keep it in our small sunroom until my parents had purchased a bird cage for it. So now I have a new pet bird, a parakeet.

My whole family and I have come to really care for that parakeet that we ended up buying another parakeet to keep it company. We also purchased a bigger cage and toys for them to play with. I have noticed that each of my family members always spends a part of their day with the birds. They have somewhat become a part of our family because there is always someone there to feed them, play with them or talk with them. There is not a single day where any of us has neglected them.

Lately, my brother and I have been spending a lot of time with the birds because we have been trying to train them. It would be nice to have birds that can talk, sit on my finger and eat from my hand. My brother and I learned that it takes time to train parakeets. In order to start training birds, a person has to gain a bird’s trust. It is difficult to gain a bird’s trust because every time I stick my hand in their cage, the birds fly around in their cage and avoid me. But luckily, for the past week my brother and I had made very good progress with the birds.

It did not take that long for my brother and me to have the birds eat seeds from our fingertips from outside the cage. We did that for awhile. After that, we were finally able to stick our hands in the cage to feed them. The hardest thing we have been trying to do is have the birds sit on top of our palms to eat. The birds are not scared when I put my finger inside their cage, but when I open my hand is when they become frightened.

Yesterday, when I came home from work, my brother told me how he was able to get the birds to sit on his hand and eat seeds from his palm. I was excited that I wanted to give it a try. I put some seeds on my palm and put my hand inside the cage. Before I knew it, one of the birds was not afraid to sit on my hand and eat. I am glad my brother was able to train them to do that because our next step was to have them sit on our finger and bring them outside the cage. I cannot wait for that to happen.

However, after all the progress my brother and I have put into gaining our parakeets’ trust, my mom decided to put her hand inside the cage and grab one of the birds. What my mother did had terrified the birds that after all that training my brother and I had invested in has been a waste of time. Once again, our birds are scared to eat from our hands and even from our finger tips. I was so angry that I had to start all over again. I do not know if I should give up trying to train our birds because my mom will always scare them. Maybe I should not care about them anymore because training birds just takes too much time.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Reflecting on American Pleasures

Ever since one of my friends has been to deployed to Iraq, I have realized the care package I have made for him has gotten heavier. My package for him has gotten heavier because when I plan to send out the package, he would call to let me know other things he needs. Therefore, instead of wasting money on packaging supplies, I decided to send all his stuff at once.

However, after talking with him today I suddenly realized that there are a lot of diverse products in America. Maybe us, Americans, and generally Western societies have gotten use to the expensive pleasures of life such as the Internet, iPod, or television. We have also gotten use to being exposed to different varieties or flavors of a product such as hot sauce! By being exposed to the expensive pleasures of life and the variety of products have made me realize how I have taken advantage of the simple pleasures of life.

When my boyfriend was deployed in Iraq, he would remind me how much harder he has it than I do. When I would complain to him about my friends or how one of my friends had irritated me, he would tell me of the friends that he had lost in Iraq or the ones back at home whom have forgotten about him after he enlisted. He would utter, “At least you have friends.” Listening to him utter the word “have” sends shivers down my back, makes me feel selfish, and most importantly, it makes me feel dumb. I hate hearing that word! When I told my boyfriend I am on my bed, he would remind me how he misses his cozy blanket and soft pillow at home. He would then describe how he has spent the past few nights sleeping on the desert floor with no blanket and his backpack as his pillow. Most of the time I am speechless. I do not know what to tell him, so I respond “I’m sorry to hear that.”

When I get phone calls from my friend in Iraq, I will admit, I get nervous talking to him. I really do not know what to say. Before I pick up his phone call, I already know what he has been going through. I bother not asking him how he has been because he always tells me “You already know.” Therefore in order to help boost his self-esteem, I try to tell him the nonsense that I have to go through as a civilian in order to help him make his life in Iraq not as difficult. However, it does not help him because I know that my problems in America will never surmount to the experiences he has to endure while living in Iraq.

I wonder if Americans understand just how lucky they are to be exposed to a variety of products that other countries do not have. Or, maybe Americans have become dependent on expensive pleasures and the variety of products that creates them to devalue their simple needs just as sleep and friends. The little sacrifices American troops stationed overseas have to undergo, leads me to question if Americans will ever make the same sacrifices. But then again, I guess that is the reason why many Americans choose not to sign on the dotted line.

a distant mind @ 10:18 PM

Friday, October 5, 2007

The Real Monsters of Halloween

I had lunch today with a friend I used to work with. It was good to see her and catch up with what has happened at work since I left. With what she had told me, things have not changed. One of the leads only works the easy shift, Monday through Friday mornings, the manager doesn’t close on the weekends, and the employees have been slacking off. What was shocking was how the manager and another lead have been stealing money from the register. Also, one of the employees uses his laptop during work!

I thought about the manager when I used to work there. I did not like her management style. My manager would let employees get away with things. All the employees and leads did what they wanted to do because they knew they would not get in trouble for it. Sad to say, but it is true. I felt that some people needed to get reprimanded for their behaviors. Some of the these behaviors have hurt the company and have caused innocent workers to suffer through it all.

I am glad I left. There was no way I was going to put up with the way the store was being managed. I could not deal with workers getting angry with each other and everyone doing what they wanted to do while my manager would hide in the stockroom and giggle about the chaos that was going on in her store. Not to point the blame at anyone, but she was partly to blame.

There was also no way I was going to stay for another busy Halloween season. It is the busiest season of the year because everyone can celebrate it, including adults. After experiencing what it was like to work during the Halloween season for the past four years, I prefer to stay away from it—including from last minute shoppers. Some customers buy their Halloween costumes last minute hoping their size and style is still in stock but to their dismay, it isn’t. For a shopper’s convenience, the store carries Halloween decorations and costumes three months before Halloween. That is enough time for customers to plan ahead and avoid last minute shopping. However, it never works.

Two experiences I believed to be outrageous during the Halloween season were having customers fight over costumes or the manager yelling at customers and kicking them out of store. Although those were always fun to watch, it was stressful work. I have had customers dig through my basket of go-backs (products people decide not to buy during checkout and must be put back) looking for costumes or accessories they hope to find. Some have been lucky. Those that are lucky have realized that parts are missing or the costume is damaged. What I would find funny is hearing customers talk about wasting their time driving around in search of a particular costume. Once they have found what they have been looking for, they end up not liking it and rather look for something else instead. Good luck with that! I don’t understand what goes on in human heads.

I wonder if the new employees at my old work know what they are getting themselves into with this upcoming busy holiday. I feel sorry for them and for my friend who has to put up with it all over again. Here is a piece of advice, with only less than four weeks until Halloween, avoid the rush in the store. Instead, buy it online!

a distant mind @ 8:26 PM