Gully.... and Pidge!

Gully stopped by to say hi today! He also brought with him his new lady friend! So Gully is doing quite well for himself in the wild. The picture's blurry but I was excited my little friend stopped by to visit.

Boston!

One of the many amazing views from the 50th floor of the Prudential Center. Boston's still one of my favorite cities.

Gully, the Dove Pigeon

Steve jumped back into the apartment last night on his way out to have a cigarette yelling, "Baby! Come here! Come HERE! Come here now!" So I get up to see what could possibly have freaked him out so much. "Look at what is on the balcony," he says. So I did. And there was a pigeon all comfy on the back of our balcony chair. I love birds so I immediately began a conversation with him, and let him know that if he stayed I would buy him food, and give him water, and call him Gully. Gully had a tag on his ankle, which led me to think he is someone's pet, but who keeps a pet pigeon? So anyways, I left him some water in a bowl and bits of bread and we left him for the night.

First thing this morning I ran to the window like a little kid looking for Santa Claus, to find that Gully was still there. He hadn't moved all night, or it didn't look like he did at least. So I texted my sister to tell her about Gully, and she let me know some doves look like pigeons, so this very well could be someone's pet. Now I was a little concerned thinking that somewhere someone is very sad at the prospect of their lost dove. So once again, I let Gully know that if he stays, I will get him some bird seed today and take care of him. I also let him know that I would like to let him in but, he could very well be a pigeon, and what if he tried to eat my fish. I don't think pigeons eat fish, actually I think they eat garbage, but regardless, I can't let him in. Not long after, he perched himself on our railing, looked around and took off to someone else's roof. I was a little sad Gully left and a little worried he wouldn't be able to take care of himself. So I wished him good luck.

So after work today I was uploading the pictures I had taken of him, getting ready to blog about little Gully, when Steve, once again getting ready to go outside to have a smoke says, disappointed at the loss of his smoking spot for another night, "Gully's back." I jumped up and ran to the window and lo and behold, there he was. Little Gully had returned! Well now I'm really excited because I once again think I have a pet that will come visit us every night. So I got him some bread and put his water bowl out again and apologized for not having any wild bird seed, but he had left, and how was I to know he would return? So for another night, we have a pet dove pigeon named Gully.

addendum: I learned all about homing pigeons last night in researching Gully. I was all set and determined to find this guy's home. Then I read the link posted by someone and was horrified. We are getting seed in case he comes back tonight, and I've left him a water bowl. Maybe he is better off just hanging out on my balcony. Who knew I could learn so much about a little bird.

Mes coeurs

where was i when the west was won
out sailing, sailing, sailing
the winds had whispered i was not the one
ever so like me, failing, failing
the days grow long and shorter the nights
refuge, i sleep and surrender
where was i when my heart was spun
sitting in silence, i couldn't defend her
what seeks me through the wild, distant change
i am trailing, trailing, trailing

Molly!

My car is officially paid off, 1 year and 2 months early. Which had me reflecting on what the poor car has been through over the last four years with me as her owner. I nearly totaled her in a three car accident in the ever so useless state of Connecticut; I've had a friend drive her in the Massachusetts winter, because he was used to the weather so he'd be better - I thought - then he drove into an icy snowbank and scratched up the fender (you know who you are); I've hit the pole in my parking garage and smeared her with yellow paint (which is completely unnecessary given the vastness of my parking spot); my uncle, although he denies it, backed into her knocking off my Honda emblem (and my brothers awesomely replaced it transforming her back from Ghetto Molly); I have hit countless curbs; Molly has driven many a mile to and from Boston; she has braved through the snowstorms in Morris Plains never once injuring me; she was hit by a holiday mall driver while I was getting cut off..... And all the while E.T. has cruised around in the back seat.

Now kids, notice how E.T. is buckled up. Safety first.

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

A Day In A Park In New Orleans

Let me paint the picture for you. I'm in New Orleans for work, but took today off to explore and go on a cemetery tour. So I got up, feeling a little off from the two hurricanes I consumed the night before, but still I get motivated and get out the door so I have a full day to play. I wanted to grab a croissant or something and keep walking. Actually I wanted to go to Cafe du Monde, but I have issues eating alone, which is kind of where the story starts. I had passed by the famous cafe and just couldn't muster, whatever it is people muster to sit and eat alone. At around 11:30, sitting on the banks of the Mississippi I decide I just really need to get food. Wandering down Decatur, I stumbled upon a Walgreens and grabbed a water and a muffin, a coffee cake muffin, you can imagine my excitement. I wandered back to a park I had found earlier when a friend called. In order to balance the water, the muffin and the phone, I spotted an empty bench just outside the park, sat down, chatted, ate my muffin. I was thoroughly enjoying my morning, eating my muffin, saying to my friend on the phone how nice it was in New Orleans. A bicyclist had sat on the park wall in front of me, while talking on his cell phone, a couple people sat down on the bench and had gotten up in the course of our conversation. As the details of the Massachusetts health care system were being given to me, in my nice, relaxed on vacation little mind frame, I look up and the man who was sitting on the wall, had cock in hand, no more than five feet from me, and was jerking off. I shall file this day under, "Things that would only happen to Jen."

this would be the fenced wall where captain homeless biker was having his one man party.

addendum:
don't talk to strangers. don't let them guess where your shoes are from. don't be nice to people. they steal your money. i just paid $20 to learn to run away from strangers. just like my parents used to tell me. they were right about that one. score 1 for parents. score 0 for jen trying to be a nice human.