Tanaka and Shelly, Both Catching Birds

I knew something was up when I heard Shelly shrieking in the hallway. Sorry to use that word, Shell, but that's a sound that I know is reserved for the discovery of things like roaches and other nasty surprises.

I was still sleeping, it being early and all, when she flung the bedroom door open and said, "Tanaka caught a bird. It was in the hallway. It was in the hallway. You have to get up now and make sure it's gone. I think it flew out the door, but I'm not sure."

In fairness to my wife, no, she wasn't scared by the bird, but I think the situation unnerved her, seeing Mister Tanaka waiting patiently for someone to come by and praise him for catching his first live prey. He was, apparently, holding the bird in his mouth very gently. The only evidence I saw that a bird was even in the house was the three gray feathers I picked up off the floor.

Yes, we promote catch-and-release birding here. Good job, Boy!

***

It was just as well that I was up, as I had to drive to Paranaque today to pick up a loaner cell phone for Shelly, who is catching a bird of a different sort, as she's off to Los Angeles via Hong Kong this evening. We were going to pick up the phone, which will temporarily replace her malfunctioning BlackBerry, on our way to the airport, where I would drop her off for her flight this evening, until Bobby and I realized that, due to Manila's pollution- and traffic-reduction scheme, I couldn't drive the car into the city during rush hour, which is when I needed to be there to drop her off. One day a week, based on the last digit of your license plate, you're forbidden from driving in the city. On Monday, you can't drive in the city if your tag ends in 1 or 2, on Tuesday if it ends in 3 or 4, on Wednesday if it ends in 5 or 6, etc. Ours ends in 5, so she'll get a ride to the airport, and I'll pick up the phone during non-rush hours.

Her trip will be short -- she'll be back on Monday after a one day meeting and a couple of days with her mom, who is flying in to see her for the weekend.

I'll be at home with the bird catcher.