Taking Stock

So every summer I try to have some goals to accomplish. And here's how I measured up on this summer's goals.

1. Online course: I completed the online training, and decided not to complete developing the course for this semester, since I was worried about the workload of both that AND the new physics course. 90% complete


2. Calc Phys II: I reviewed the earlier chapters. I wish I'd done more. 50% complete.


3. Florida road trip: Awesome success, though the camping part wasn't, as usual. Also went to Washington DC. 100% resounding success!


4. Renewable electric: Every summer I completely fail at one of the goals. This one wouldn't've required all that much time/effort, but I just never did it. 0% complete


5. Veggie Day: Every week that I was home, I cooked and ate one vegetarian meal a week. I originally set the time limit as being the end of the summer, partially for fear I wouldn't be able to complete it if I thought it was going to be forever. But now that Fall's started I think I can keep it up if I lower it to one veggie meal every other week - in the summer I cooked twice a week, but I only cook once a weekish during the year. I even managed to slowly transition from meat substitutes, though I still like them and think I'll do them occasionally. 95% success - I won't give myself 100% b/c I ate like crap when i was traveling.


6. Additional goal - Exercise: This one I only decided sometime in June, after the summer had already started. When I was home I exercised 3 times a week, and I'm working on continuing this throughout the school year too.

Overall, I'm happy w/ how I met my goals.

(no subject)

I live in an old house, and I've seen evidence of mice in the past (poop under the sink and around the kitchen trash, where there's big holes in the walls for the pipes), but tonight I saw one for the first time - and three feet from the birdcage. I change cage papers around 5 times a week (I aim for daily but occasionally forget), any leftover fresh veggies get dumped in the kitchen twice a day. There's a trash with a lid can next to the cage that I used to dump pellets into but now will not. I'm keeping it away from the cage for a few days, but after that I'll probably return it and use it only for the cage papers and not for the pellets. I Roomba around the cage at least once a week.

So I have two questions. (1) Are they actually a threat to Kappa in any manner? I mean, I know they can be a disease vector, is that really a big deal? Any chance they're rabid? And (2) any ideas you may have to safely keep them away from Kappa (and perhaps the entire house)? Keeping the place clean is of course #1, but I keep the area around the cage cleaner than anywhere else in the house, and the kitchen is two rooms away (and I just cleaned it anyway just in case).

X-posted to parrots101 and parrot_lovers