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Kenshin said we'd post pics of Zippy after we brought her home, but gently caress that. This is Zippy.  She likes beans, spicy peppers, and anything she can crack open and get seeds out of. She hasn't come home yet, but she has already filled my life and new house with bird toys and play areas, my sundays with cooking for her, and my free time with learning clicker training. This might bother some people, but I'm so happy. Clicker training isn't going very well so far. Probably because we see her only once a week and using sunflower seeds as a reward doesn't work well when that's her main source of food at the moment. That will change when she moves in with us, and I expect training to go better then.
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Oct 27, 2012 05:13
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| # ¿ May 3, 2024 13:48 |
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Today was the last visit with Zippy before she comes home for real! I carved her a pumpkin, but she hated it  It looks great in my new living room at least.
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Oct 29, 2012 02:54
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Birds are assholes. At Zazu's, a large number of birds will say "HI!" or "I love you!" when you approach them. Not one of them means it, they all want to bite you and know that the stupid humans will come right over and provide lots of entertainment for them. Yet I go back every week. One bird named Mika has taken to following me around. This would be easier if she knew if she liked me or not. Sometimes she wants to step up and hang out and eat a cracker. Sometimes she wants to own the food cart and bite my ankles.
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Nov 1, 2012 03:26
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Zippy's home!  She's been very quiet, which is unusual for her but not unexpected considering the circumstances. She's been willing to step up though, and came out to play after a few hours with encouragement and sunflower seeds. I'm also pretty sure the new play corner is Zippy-Approved™  After busily rubbing her scent on the whole thing and chewing her new toy she is fast asleep 
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Nov 3, 2012 21:59
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Honestly there's no real steps to setting something like this up. I purchased the net with toys already attached through amazon pretty cheap ($45 for the whole net was cheap in my mind). I got some eye screws and screw-shut hooks of the type that come with bird toys to stick it to the wall and picked up the chain and ropes at the hardware store. It's all interchangeable (and cheap!) so she can chew the gently caress out of whatever her little heart desires and I can change it up at will. The only issue I've had is trying to figure out how to get some rope perches like this: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...517&cagpspn=pla on the wall. I really want them up, but the screws are metric and I'm in America where all stud screws are fractional. I finally got some conversion mounts so I can get one end in the wall easily, but screwing the other end on is a problem (PS, Zippy finally ate one of the various mashes I had ready for her, YAY!)
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Nov 3, 2012 23:22
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Joe Don Baker posted:Oh that's easy. I thought you knotted the whole thing by hand. I wish! Sadly I have a thing called a day job.
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Nov 4, 2012 01:53
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Oh my goodness, look at that angry little baby birdy That picture made my morning
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Nov 4, 2012 16:45
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Yeah, that pic about sums up our nighttime routine we've set up in all of two days. We got pretty lucky with her. She's thrilled to just be a part of our activities and wants nothing more than to be in the window of whatever room we're occupying. Singing and dancing is the way to her heart and because we figured that out she has loved all our visitors that have come to meet her. I also lucked out in that the transition from seed to fresh food has gone incredibly smoothly. She lost 10g in her first day here but has more than made up for it in eating today. She loves all the fresh bean/grain mashes and fruit/veggie chops I prepped for her. She even eats the sprinkling of organic pellets I leave in her bowl overnight in case she gets peckish. Asking her if she wants a bean is like asking me if I want chocolate
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Nov 5, 2012 06:52
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Oh man, peep looks just like a budgie a friend purchased which I eventually wound up caring for after she got caught up in horses. Takes me back to the good old days of Pippin Budgies for life yo.
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Nov 7, 2012 02:36
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Dawwww, look at the snuggles  What kind of pet shop just has Hawk-heads and toucans kicking around? I was under the impression toucans were hard to care for/expensive due to their highly specific dietary needs.
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Nov 7, 2012 07:37
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I fed my bird a ghost chili this morning. Later I let her eat out of my oatmeal bowl (I make it pretty plain) thinking she'd turn her beak up at it, but she wound up liking it. My oatmeal is really spicy now
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Nov 7, 2012 18:15
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Rytlock has a secret secondary profession.
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Nov 11, 2012 21:38
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Zippy has also decided that whatever I'm eating is absolutely delicious and she must have it now, OMG. I've actually started leaving new foods I want her to try around the house. I'll eat from the pile in front of her and let her "find" it during exploring time so she feels very clever for discovering a forbidden treasure. Like plum. 
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Nov 17, 2012 06:19
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Omg, birds on bowls eating things I've been sorely tempted to start a birds eating things tumblr because it's so drat cute the way they use their feet! Speaking of window perches-  It's pretty much Zippy's favorite place to be.
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Nov 20, 2012 02:17
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I've dyed a cat with kool-aid to match my hair before. Now I need to see a blue and pink budgie. You could use several spray bottles with different colors and name the budgie Jackson Pollock. Happy Turkey Day for all you US bird crazies. What better to be thankful for than a bean the size of you? 
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Nov 23, 2012 05:38
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I taught Zippy to wave this morning! She's so smart got the idea withing three clicks! Just a little more refinement and I'll try to sucker Kenshin into taking a video to share 
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Nov 30, 2012 17:43
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Congrats uglynoodles! Does he have a name yet? I can't wait to see what he looks like, he sounds pretty unique!
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Dec 1, 2012 18:55
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Uglynoodles, if your list of stuff to buy for your bird doesn't include some natural branch perches it should! Those dowel rod perches are really hard on birds, they need variety for their little feet. If those are too expensive and you have access to bird safe trees you can also just cut your own branches. I did that for my parakeets for years, it was great because they could just chew them all to pieces and I'd replace them as needed. My current bird is in love with rope perches, you could try some of those too.
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Dec 2, 2012 22:33
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 I'm so sorry for your loss. It's a small consolation, but I bet that little guy had the best day with you. He received more love and attention than many birds I meet, and that he could know someone so caring was a blessing.
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Dec 3, 2012 16:32
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I just picked this sprouter up for my bird and it's great! http://www.amazon.com/Sproutamo-Easy-Sprout-Sprouter/dp/B000GHUD86/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hpc_2 I've been making batches of sprouts in a glass jar for weeks, and this thing makes it even easier with my work schedule. Cheap too.
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Dec 7, 2012 18:25
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No molding yet. My current self made mix has several kinds of beans and quinoa- the quinoa's shorter sprout time than the beans/lentils has me checking it constantly but it still looks and smells fine. I'll probably change up future mixes so the times are all even but so far so good.
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Dec 8, 2012 09:44
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That's amazing uglynoodles! He's super cute! Congrats on your new, smart, adorable little family member Also, if you can record him talking I'd love to hear it
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Dec 9, 2012 22:06
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Today was a good day for Zippy. I have been trying to get her to eat more greens and eating them in front of her doesn't work. However, I made glop for her with lots of finely chopped greens and she loved it. Turning the top of her cage into a very leafy green jungle was also very successful. She mastered the retrieve trick today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z62boJDXEc It's even better now than it was in this video-she'll get it from one side of the table and bring it to my hand on the other side. Her wave is spot on cue now too, and she'll do it all the time to try to earn treats Edit: I totally got her to roll on her back!!! All you conure owners probably think that's nothing special, but as wonderful as Zippy is she does not cuddle beyond head scratches and she certainly is too dignified to roll over. This was a huge step! Lenswork fucked around with this message at 05:49 on Dec 10, 2012 |
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Dec 10, 2012 02:39
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Are you fading the clicker and setting him to cues only over time? I only use the clicker when modifying or training new behaviors with Zippy. He might be too set on the clicker instead of paying attention to your cues. Also I now hide my clicker at all times because Zippy will try to play with it to figure out how the magical box produces treats. Adorable, but not the behavior I want. Boxes. Not just for cats. 
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Dec 14, 2012 06:07
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If Zippy is out of her cage and I leave while Kenshin is home she'll wait on the doormat like a sad puppy. She would probably stay there until I got back if she had a choice.
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Dec 18, 2012 05:37
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I would totally send a Christmas card every year to an adoption agency. Instead this year we were able to take Zippy to her previous owner's holiday party to show off how well she's doing. (We took her to a ton of parties actually. She did fabulously at all of them and charmed everyone ) I experienced the same difficulty trying to adopt a parrot from a sanctuary too. DarkHorse already explained the sanctuary mindset well. The place I volunteer doesn't adopt birds out ever because of this kind of paranoia. The birds are all fabulously cared for and live cage free lives, but the sanctuary is full because no room can be made for more birds. Upside- I have access to all the free cages and stands I could ever need since the birds come with all their stuff and don't need most of it after they move into the big flight.
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Dec 27, 2012 04:22
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Wow, they wouldn't even be willing to consider someone who would beg to try to rehabilitate a neurotic plucking bird? drat, that's really stubborn and sad
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Dec 27, 2012 04:33
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Well thankfully the bird is very quiet at night and in the morning. I think I have the only bird that won't greet or say goodnight to the sun.
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Dec 29, 2012 05:09
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Try offering your bird warm (not HOT) veggies. Zippy often ignores the more nutritious stuff until I serve it to her warm. Broccoli in her dish? No thanks, but warm steamed broccoli from my dinner plate is the best stuff ever. Making veggies toys can work too. Weaving leafy greens through cage bars worked to get my bird eating them, and she also loves it when I jam the leftover stem-chunk of broccoli or cauliflower on a butter knife and prop in in her cage for chewing. Someone here mentioned hanging a carrot by a string in the cage, that sounds fun too. The best tip is to just keep offering it. It could take a month or two of tossing a small dish of veggies out every day, but the bird will eventually get curious. Lenswork fucked around with this message at 01:38 on Dec 31, 2012 |
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Dec 31, 2012 01:36
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That's a great idea! Until I can get to the pet store down the street I have a few things in her busy box I can pull out and modify too. Thank you
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Jan 3, 2013 02:14
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Pip pip pip posted:Zupreem club just sent me an e-mail about a website they're sponsoring to analyze different bird foods: http://www.birdfoodfacts.com/ I wanted to like this, since 80-90% of my bird's food is fresh/homemade, but I tried recreating the latest version of her morning mash and found the whole site hard to use. The pellets I feed aren't even on that list.
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Jan 4, 2013 06:11
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I buy these: http://www.totallyorganics.com/ Literally the best food (in my opinion) that isn't fresh. My bird ate it the first time I presented it and still loves it. Also not super expensive. A 4lb bag is only $14. I pick it up from the two specialty bird stores I frequent. They have a list on the site of stores that carry the brand, but don't be discouraged if there's not one near you as it is incomplete. You can also get it from the website it seems, even though the shopping cart is poorly designed. Edit: I am adamant about feeding a fresh, low fat diet because a seed diet with some fruits and veggies here and there killed the budgie I owned until I was 20. She lived for 10 years at a healthy weight, but fatty liver disease and tumors killed her. I still get choked up and feel guilty knowing my childhood buddy could still be alive if I had taken better care of her. Lenswork fucked around with this message at 22:38 on Jan 5, 2013 |
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Jan 5, 2013 18:59
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RE: pistachios- Zippy discovered these over the holidays at my mother's place. They had a dish full of nuts I had to hide because she was crazy for the pistachios and was refusing all other foods. If anyone else makes/wants to make their own parrot food this recipe was a raging success today at my place- http://parrot-chow.livejournal.com/24403.html I came home to an empty food bowl for the first time ever. The mix is very flexible and allows for experimentation, and the grain to bean ratio makes the finished food very pretty and attractive to people and parrots. I break up the recipe to serve grains and beans in the morning and fruits and veggies at night since the bird likes variety. Also I don't want to leave cooked veggies or fruit in the bowl all day and it's easier to make her try new veggies when I'm present. Just soak the grains and beans for a few hours followed a quick simmer for 15 minutes to soften it up a bit if your bird likes that. I made enough for 2 months yesterday with just 30 minutes of effort. Lenswork fucked around with this message at 02:47 on Jan 8, 2013 |
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Jan 8, 2013 02:45
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Andrias Scheuchzeri posted:I've read that greys are particularly into mimicking rude bodily noises. I have no idea if it's true, but I'm ready to believe it. At Zazu's the greys in the special needs aviary can make some pretty funny sounds when they feel talkative. I don't spend much time in that aviary though, so when I do walk in the birds always go silent and stare at me. The only noise is songbirds. However, it's the middle of winter and there are no songbirds outside. It's the greys filling the silence
Lenswork fucked around with this message at 06:37 on Jan 13, 2013 |
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Jan 13, 2013 03:17
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H110Hawk posted:Met with Jerry yesterday. Things went well. We've pretty much decided we're getting either a green or ivory-billed aracari. Just trying to secure or build a cage. I wish we could find a cage around here for free to extremely cheap which could house birdy while we build a nice looking one. I just spent some time googling aracaris as pets and their care needs and I am now super loving jealous of your pet-to-be. Someday I swear I will have a large flight and a toucan, they sound like fabulous pets!
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Jan 15, 2013 06:58
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There is no such thing as too big. The only thing to keep in mind will be bar spacing since Cockatiel heads can fit through the bars of some large cages meant for big parrots. I wipe Zippy's cage down with a 1:1 apple cider vinegar/water mix between the big "haul the cage outside for a wash with the hose" cleanings. I'm fortunate enough to have a space I can do that in. Otherwise the whole bottom comes off her King's brand cage, which fits in the shower, and the entire cage is screw free and easily dis-assembled should any mess get too scary... I may be a bad parrot owner but I ditched her cage grating. I hated scraping the poo off it every day and she doesn't play on the very bottom anyway.
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Jan 21, 2013 03:13
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Welcome to Zazu's House! My time there is usually very limited, but today I had a camera and 4 hours! This is the "Special Needs" flight, housing roughly 30 birds:   It has a large outdoor area and a garage-like space that closes for the winter. All the birds here are the small ones (Amazons, greys, mini-macaws) and the large birds that for whatever reason would be eaten alive in the main flight. The only caged bird here is one with a brain parasite; he is responding well to treatment, but he can't get around well on his own yet. These two are my best buds:  Chicky-Poo the double-yellow head sings opera with me, Pancho the Red-lored likes to get jealous and tries to whistle with me. More amazons:  On the left is a mealy and the other two are a bonded pair of orange-wings. One can't fly well, so I pick it up off the floor a lot and help it keep up with its friend. Bald birds!   The left image is a bonded B&G pair. The first time I saw a naked bird inflate its crop to appear intimidating I thought the bird had a horrible tumor- it's perfectly fine. The right pair is a B&G named Tony who acts tough, until he waves at you. The Severe is named Lovey and she super sweet and gentle, but has bad feet and likes to stay in one place. Bath time!   The greys are very funny, even when they are being assholes.  I dare you to turn on the water. The greys are also fearless, and get a kick out of swinging from chains on the ceiling.  The guy on the bottom with the over-preened head is odd-couple bonded with a B&G. They look very funny when they sit and preen each other. This is the big flight, which is at capacity with almost 90 birds:   The big flight is infinitely louder than the small one, but it can be a lot of fun. The only birds in cages here are new birds, ones receiving veterinary care, or birds that actively seek to hurt other birds. I feed/water all these birds once a week, and scrape/sweep the floors when I have time. This is Molly  She hates you, and it's personal. She dive-bombed my foot just after I took this picture. She dive-bombs everyone. There's a video the Bird Tricks people made at Zazu's where she looks all sweet and cuddly, and it's a total lie. The only person she likes is the owner Christy. This is Fiesta.  He's a good boy. Some more macaws.     Every person has a favorite bird and every bird has favorite people. I love spending time there. Right now a third flight is being built- the plan is to house special needs macaws in the new building and make the small flight into a small birds only place. All the birds at Zazu's like interacting with people and being hand fed- you can get half the large flight dancing if you sing loud enough, and birds will come out of nowhere if you start handing out treats like fresh birdie-bread. The owner often gets birds relinquished to her that do NOT like people, or are species she can't care for like cockatoos or anything smaller than a severe. Those birds all go to Bob's: http://macawrescueandsanctuary.org/, where he has outdoor flights for a variety of species and a hands-off policy for birds that just don't want or need people. Lenswork fucked around with this message at 07:05 on Jan 25, 2013 |
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Jan 25, 2013 06:59
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I have no idea what Fiesta is, nobody I've asked can tell me. I would personally guess Shamrock/Greenwing. There are a lot of naked and partly naked birds at Zazu's, but it is never due to their care there. Some birds don't ever break the habit, but I've seen a few regrow their feathers just in the few months I've been volunteering. I approve.
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Jan 25, 2013 17:31
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Awwww, all these baby birds looking so fluffy and cute! I'll just go back to cleaning up big, old, hormonal bird poo (oh god it smells when it's wet...) Has anyone else here tried crushed walnut shell for the bottoms of cages? I just put some in today and the bird is scared of it, but I think it looks pretty classy. I'm hoping it'll be less smelly than paper towels.
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Jan 27, 2013 22:37
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| # ¿ May 3, 2024 13:48 |
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She hasn't been laying thankfully- she's just really horny. I'm hoping we can make it through spring egg-free, which isn't impossible as her previous owner said she has never layed. The poop is unfortunately just part of what birds do at this time of year. The large flight at the sanctuary smells just vile, like the worst wet-dog, when the floor has water on it right now and we can't open the windows because it's so cold.
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Jan 27, 2013 23:50
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