This Is Not A Sad Post...

(Picture taken from this guy. Thanks, buddy.)

NY can be a very lonely place. Let's just get that out there. And sometimes I read too much in animal expressions. A true confession. But lately, I've been spending my lunch breaks down by the harbor, making new friends. So what that these friends have wings and don't have any qualms about pooing on top of cars and umbrellas. Who cares that these guys are scavengers. In a sense, aren't we all scavengers deep down inside?!? At least they listen really well, especially if you have food.

Now that I have this whole flock of friends (heh), I have to give out names and remember each of them. So far, I have a few favorites. There is Harold. He is the most outgoing. Nearly every visit I make, he lands on my windshield wipers and stares me down. For most people, after seeing Hitchcocks' The Birds, this would be very unsettling. I just like the attention. (Truthfully though, yesterday Harold gave me a funny look and cocked his head. I think he winked at me, even. I've since rolled up the windows.)

There is Arnold the albatross. Okay, he is not really an albatross, but he is dang big. I think he is the king of the gulls. And he has his own herum, Betty and Bonnie. Those chicks are fierce. (At least, I think they are girls... They are brown and spotted. Basically, I don't know.) Sammie the swan visits every now and then. Swans are such leisurely creatures that you never know when you are gonna see them. They are my "low maintenance" friends. There is a couple of ducks, my favorites are the Mallards (the couple - I'm not on first name basis with them). Crazy Horse is a fun guy, too. He is a gull that always looks crazy. I think he's been caught in one too many nets in his lifetime.

But my favorite guy is Gimp. He looks an awful lot like the picture above. (Maybe he is the same bird?!?) I just met Gimp the other day. He is missing a foot - just the foot and not the whole leg. (He is like a pirate, except his leg isn't wooden.) I think I have a thing for the underdogs.

By now, you are probably thinking - "Shoot. This is sad. She has to bribe some animals to be her friends." But if you read the title up there, you would know that this isn't a sad post. I'll have you know that I have never fed these guys. They must just like my company. So there. Now play this game - When Seagulls Attack.