Birds Can Have Multiple Hobbies?

Birds do a lot of things other than cook. Sometimes they sing (but only in their bird baths), play games, sample wines, or even do crafty things. It's difficult with talons, but birds can be quite creative. So in the interest of amusing myself, allow me to share the last crafty thing I've done.

It should be a surprise to no one that Darth Bird is a huge Star Wars Fan. But in case you hadn't pieced that together, there it is.

A group of my friends decided to do a semi-secret Santa around Christmas. I say semi-secret because Darth Bird organized it, and I told him in no uncertain terms that I knew exactly what I wanted to get him, and that I was claiming his name. He didn't really let me, but I was the first person to 'secretly' claim someone. I'm quite subtle.

Truthfully, I had a few ideas for him, but I settled on his love for Star Wars, as I figured that he'd automatically love anything that had Darth Vader on it.



Yes, I can see all the places I should have trimmed. There are a lot. Let's not dwell on them.

My interest in cross-stitching started off strangely. I encountered an old, hardly started sampler of Mama Bird's in our laundry room, and I couldn't leave it unfinished. I don't know why, but knowing it was sitting incomplete bugged me. So I learned the basics, and completed the sampler.



And isn't it lovely. Only I have no idea what to do with it, hence the wrinkles. It just lays around, moving from box to box. Someone I know needs to have a kid so they can hang it in their room. And until then, I'll just try not to lose it.

Another 'hobby' I have gotten into is fitness. I don't go to the gym, since that would be impressive, but I work out and use the elliptical in our basement. I try to run intervals, and lift some weights. Originally I was doing it because I just wanted to lose weight, but I have accepted it's something I just need to do every day if I want any changes I'm trying to make to stick. It's partially how I started becoming more interested in cooking; realizing that I ate out far too often and that if I wanted to get healthy, I needed to eat healthier. Not being a huge fan of vegetables led me to despair, until Fleur Bird's girlfriend pointed me to tastespotting, telling me that they made everything look good and usually had the recipe. And over the months I have slowly gotten healthier, learning to enjoy vegetables as more than necessary evils.

I'm in love with black beans now. I never really disliked them, but I would not have eaten a dish made mostly of black beans and vegetables with no meat. Now I am considering making more for myself, for a fourth time. I have learned.

Realizing I was no longer dependent on meat, I decided to try a powerhouse.



It looked great while I was making it. With freshly sliced cucumber, piles of baby spinach, spicy red pepper roasted hummus, thin wheat bread, what could really go wrong? I looked forward to diving into the ranks of vegetarians, at least for one meal. I brought it to work for lunch one day, and...



And it was okay. The cucumber was too thick, and I didn't have bean sprouts. Lessons learned for the next time I attempt it. Because there will definitely be a next time.

Today's lessons learned:

• Slice things thinly for a sandwich, but not so thinly you lose texture.
  
• Trim your cross-stitching better if you're going to post it online.