If I do not go away, ought I to get another parrot? My living expenses for the year, especially if I don't get the full 12 k, will be close to maxed out - I built some amount of leeway into the calculations, but not much, not at all.... There's no way basic living costs will be less than 6 k. And the school tuition is 3.3 k. If I get 8 k in grants, and take away 2.5 or 3 k from the summer, I'm looking at having... say 1 - 1.5 k left over. That's... not fantastic. The bird itself would be close to 1 k, and then its upkeep would probably be at least .5 k. No es bien!

If I do get 12 k in grants, then I'm set. Hakuna matata! Say 9 k total, counting the kitties' care and tuition, then that leaves me 3 k in grants plus perhaps 3 k from the summer job - enough to get my license and cover nice things like wedding gifts and extra parrots.

But that's only this year. Granted, if I don't go abroad this year I just plain can't go for school at all. Even 15 k would barely cover getting me into Australia via USAC. I'd need to take an extra job. Much less New Zealand! And since I don't want to go just for a summer, I'd be sunk. A Masters' would be my only option left - that or independent travel. There's no doubt that if I don't go for '09 I'm not going for '10. So I'd be home; I'd have the time and resources to care for two parrots, once the initial purchase price was resolved. I even already have the cage. But would it be wise of me to do so? Any large parrot is going to be hitting sexual maturity and the difficult phase right as I graduate from college and am looking for a Master's program. What will that do to my job pursuits? It's not wise to tie yourself down, Dad says, and I hate it but he may be right. Even if I get a bird suitable for an apartment, I'm still limited. Especially since the adolescent phase is going to peak again right around the time I get done with a Masters' and am looking for work or a Ph.D.

That in mind, if I were to get a parrot, what would be a feasible choice? Large macaws and cockatoos are out of the question, as are Amazons. Much as I love them, they're too destructive, too loud, and too time-consuming. I don't want to deal with the neurotic tendencies of a Grey, yet, though when I have the time I think they'll prove fascinating. Likewise, hawk-headed parrots are just not on. Conures are lovely, but unless I go for another Py they're much too noisy, and besides, I want a bigger bird. Lories and lorikeets are too messy; parakeets are too small. I've never been drawn by the Senegals and Meyers, either.

Some of the mini-macaws could be an option. Illigers, yellow-collareds, and Nobles would probably be best, as Hahns sound a bit more trouble than they're worth. But these guys are all pricy, $700 and up, except for the Hahns. They're destructive, too - not that any parrot isn't, but they do have a reputation for it, unlike Vasas and eclectus parrots. And they can get loud a few times a day. At Crowell this wouldn't be a problem; in any other apartment it might be. And they're still a bit small for what I'm looking at.

A galah, goffins, or Ducorps 'too might work. They're not nearly as loud as their larger brethren, and they're much less stressful - and they're cuddly, too! They're not picky, though they are apparently very very messy, feather dust and flinging stuff. But they're also even more expensive than the mini-macaws. 1.5 k for a Rosie, and 1.3 k for a Ducorps? I don't think so! Even the goffins is $850, and I'm just not sure I ought to spend that much.

Not that eclectus' are any cheaper, and by all reports they have their own special set of problems. The cost of food would be much higher for these guys. The males would be shy, and the females you'd have to be leery of spooking, lest they bite - hard! On the other hand, they're not supposed to be nearly as loud or as destructive as the 'toos and mini-macaws, and they really are gorgeous birds. Of course, they're not as cuddly... but they don't have much of a reputation for being nippy, either, which means a lot.

I like the idea of Vasas, lesser or greater, quite a bit. But would Saiwe be able to handle having one around? I don't want my darling, bratty little GCC to get territorial on me and attack the Vasa - he'd wind up dead meat! The head-hunting stories sound none too pleasant, either, and Vasas apparently take a bit to warm up to new people. I haven't heard of them being nippy, which is good, but... they are strange. And I'm not sure I like the idea of the bird perpetually trying to mate with me at all, like the males apparently do. As for the females - well, some people might find that bald head attractive, but I certainly don't! And they're Old-World birds, too, which means they'd have to get vaccinated against Polyoma and Sarc - I think the 'toos would, too. On the other hand, they're less likely to get hit by hawks if they get loose, which is a Very Good Thing. And they seem to have very fun personalities, even if they're not as cuddly. But is the tradeoff worth it?

Then too there's the idea of living with Michele. If we go in together on a parrot, it needs to be one she can tolerate - okay, so that leaves the entire list open. But it also needs to be one she actively would want. I know she's into the eclectus bunch (and oh, aren't those Vos females lovely?) I don't think she's as fond of the mini-macaws. She loves Greys, though.

Meh.

But if both she and I get parrots, there's the necessity for another cage. We've only the one at present: and that not big enough for much. A Grey, sedentary as they are, would work; a mini-macaw perhaps, though I'd wince. I wouldn't want to put a 'too or eclectus or Vasa in it at all, active as they are.

And then there's the necessity of harness- and flight-training. Will we have enough hours? If we're living on Crowell we should, but what if we're in Modesto? That... wouldn't necessarily be good, especially since we couldn't take the birds to class. We could perhaps keep duplicate cages there, but that would be expensive, even if we did get them at fantastic deals.

Just my bit of rambling...