The parrot meets the roommate...

The Players in this episode:

• Max, the Parrot
• Eric, the roommate

Max the parrot had quite a reputation. If you know anything about parrots, you know that they have the intelligence of a 4-year-old child, and the maturity of a 2-year-old. Which means they don't share very well, they want to always get their way, and they really don't like anyone else interracting with their human.

Eric also has  a reputation. Eric is a force of nature at 6'4": when he comes into your house, he doesn't knock, he just bounds up your front stairs, throws the front door open and starts talking to you, no matter where you are in the house, or in what state of undress you currently find yourself. Anyone's house. If he knows you, he just does this. We adore Eric.

Eric was moving out of my husband's house when I was moving in. Eric had no idea that I owned a parrot, who at the time was sitting calmly on top of his cage in the kitchen, not plotting any sort of attack. When Eric came bounding in that day, he indelicately stomped into the kitchen only to find himself being attacked by some sort of flying creature which might or might not have been a giant fruit bat for all he knew. Eric, all 6'4" of him, hit the dirt.

"Auuuugghhh!", went Eric.

"Skreeeeeeeech!", went Max.

"Auuuuuuuggghhh!", went my husband and I at the same moment.

It was quite noisy for about 10 seconds. Max flew around and around the kitchen, finally hitting the wall and landing in the corner. Eric, finally realizing that he had been hit by a flying parrot and not a giant fruit bat, stopped yelling. I can't print what he said next, but it was justified.

It's been about 20 years since this incident, and people still tell this story at  parties. Eric now has a great family and owns no parrots. Sadly, I had to give Max away once I had kids, about 14 years ago. As i mentioned, parrots don't like to share their humans, and they really don't like to share their humans with little kids in our case. So Max now lives with a nice family who owns a vaccuum cleaner repair shop. He's the shop parrot. I'm not sure if he's attacked anyone lately...

This is an etching I did of Max in my printmaking class at CSUN.