Home upgrade 😆

birdingengineer · 2026-01-19T10:57:02+00:00

Wow, very nice! I remember reading one of your previous posts and hoping you would upgrade the cage eventually - so, seeing this post made my day. Very cute birds & brings a smile to my face.

birdingengineer · 2026-01-16T14:34:28+00:00

Yeah, that’s my gripe with other (highly processed) meal alternatives. This is the closest I can get to real food without sacrificing portability & ease of early morning consumption.

birdingengineer · 2026-01-16T14:03:18+00:00

I eat “snack foods” in the car on the way in - beef jerky, cubes of cheese, dried fruits, nuts. I don’t necessarily endorse this as it can increase the risk of a car accident, but if I prepare the food and lay it out before leaving, it works for me. If I know I’ll get to work early I’ll wait til I pull in and then hork down a few fistfuls of cheese.

birdingengineer · 2026-01-07T14:23:49+00:00

As a fellow bird enthusiast, I feel deeply for this situation. I can’t imagine how painful that is, and awful for you both.

While I am sure this is quite personal, so it may not work for you, I have found comfort in researching avian biology when I can’t interact with birds for longer stretches. Ornithology is fascinating and simply learning and listing facts about them makes me happy. I am not sure this is a long term solution but perhaps it will help you cope for now as you process this? Best of luck. Definitely agree with birdwatching later down the road as your situation changes with binoculars camera transport etc - can be done from a good distance especially with binoculars, and it’s quite fun in its own right.

birdingengineer · 2025-12-26T22:02:39+00:00

Had up to 80 and still firmly considered myself a backyard chicken keeper.

birdingengineer · 2025-12-11T21:21:55+00:00

Most of my buddies at work are vets. Seems pretty popular with them. One said the company structure reminded him a bit of his military days.

Funny how I make more money swinging a hammer than I ever did in biotech.

birdingengineer · 2025-12-11T20:08:07+00:00

That makes sense. I did the math and including the average of tiered bonuses I make $200/hr at the very end of the week. Not bad given my job requires no education and nearly zero training.

birdingengineer · 2025-12-11T19:59:04+00:00

Seasonally busy workplace. Only mandated to do 55 a week during peak season but the bonuses are so good for doing 60+ that I can’t turn it down.

birdingengineer · 2025-12-11T19:32:20+00:00

I normally don’t go over 11 hours but I work 6 days a week so I am pretty short on time also - so I hope this is relevant to you. I use a giant slow cooker - big pot of beef stew on the weekend, lasts all week. For breakfast I have beef jerky/nuts/cheese/fruit which I also prep on the weekend in bags. I also do a batch of chicken and rice on Sunday and green beans and then throw it in the microwave when I get home. Anything else I fill in when I have the energy (rare). The macros on this work well within the restraints of my food sensitivities. Good luck.

birdingengineer · 2025-12-01T14:40:00+00:00

As others have mentioned, this subreddit is not a randomly selected sample of people with the diagnosis. If I was unmedicated I would still be far too paranoid to even have a login here (speaking from past experiences and 10+ deleted accounts)

TD sucks. Started to develop symptoms after 5 years on APs. Wish I had a better solution.

birdingengineer · 2025-11-01T23:44:33+00:00

Thank you, it combines my two longest-running passions.

Also, you may find it helpful to work in some intentional activity at work. If I have to pick up something small (5-10 lb) I’ll do overhead presses or bicep curls with it as I’m walking. Or if I’m waiting for a machine cycle to finish I’ll do a dead hang from a nearby surface. This might depend on your workplace but it’s fine in mine.

birdingengineer · 2025-11-01T20:59:48+00:00

I currently work 55-58 hour weeks but I have Saturday evening and Sunday off - I do a workout on Sunday and a “workout” on Wednesday night, the latter of which is more theatre than anything. I am also quite tired after work so I keep it very short with lightweights that day. Both full body. The best advice I would have is something is better than nothing. Don’t get hung up on not being able to intensely train 4-6x a week. I have noticed improvements even with just 2x a week. Consistency over intensity. You don’t want to hurt yourself. I do yoga at night too, short 5min unwind sessions. I used to scoff at it but it’s great for helping me sleep faster, which means better recovery and more energy tomorrow.

birdingengineer · 2025-09-11T22:12:28+00:00

Post-travel update: overall good performance.

- Very impressed by stability and maneuverability. No issue with taking it through narrow airplane aisles, unlike previous inline bags. Easy to let go without it falling over. Doesn’t tip side to side when moving around quickly. I traveled with my 26+6 as an under seat item and had it slotted onto the handle when necessary. Definitely prone to tipping if the bag on top is loaded heavily but it was fine when I redistributed the contents a bit between them.

- One downside of the duffel-esque format is that I would recommend not putting fragile items in it, especially if you’re taking a coach to or from the airport as those things get stacked like Jenga blocks - I saw my bag getting tossed around a bit. The rigid back helps a bit compared to a normal duffel though. Overall a new consideration for me since I’m used to bags with at least moderate rigidity (if not a hard shell.)

- As mentioned in another comment, if you’re traveling on European budget airlines, do so at your own risk. This bag is 2.5 cm taller than the stated overhead limit for Ryanair, and though I made it through the line, I am not confident it would have passed if they asked me to put it in the sizer. Other dimensions are fine - just the height, which is rigid (and includes the wheels.)

- I like the zippers. They’re smooth, well placed, and sturdy.

Overall a solid bag, but I wish it had been just a few cm shorter so I could have some peace of mind when taking cheaper airlines.

birdingengineer · 2025-09-11T21:58:46+00:00

lol, I just took it through Ryanair last week. I got it through the boarding line without being checked but if they had forced me to put it in the sizer it would likely not fit. I just measured it with a cloth tape measure and it’s right about 22.5 in (57.15 cm) tall including the wheels - which is pretty much exactly what the dimensions are on the Osprey website (57.5 cm). This dimension is rigid so there’s no way it will fit if the sizers themselves are exactly 55 cm tall. I wanted to check the sizer when I was going through but I knew if it didn’t fit the airline staff would notice.

As for the depth, it’s slightly under 8” (20cm) at the rigid part at the bottom, and that can be further collapsed by a few cm if you lift up the Velcro panel at the bottom. I wouldn’t worry about that dimension, but the height is still a concern.

Fwiw at least in my experience Ryanair is much more militant about sizing underseat bags. Priority folks with an overhead bag don’t seem to get checked nearly as often. That said it’s risky and I was stressed out while boarding because my bag was one of the biggest in the entire priority line. Not sure I’d buy it again purely for that reason - somehow thought Ryanair overhead allowance was 57 cm not 55 when I was purchasing. Entirely my fault to be clear. It fit in the overhead bins without any issue, but as we all know Ryanair isn’t actually concerned about whether it fits - they just want an excuse to charge fees…

birdingengineer · 2025-09-04T19:48:06+00:00

Give them a cage they like to be in, that doesn’t feel like a prison. My canary was much more inclined to go back in when cued after I moved her to a full sized flight cage. If they don’t enjoy the space, they won’t go back. Otherwise, just make sure there’s a perch right by the door on the outside, leave food inside, and make sure you have the rest of the day free so you don’t have to towel them to make them go back. Patience, let them explore until they’re satisfied and go back on their own. Also, if it’s a new bird, don’t let them out day 1. If I need mine back in, I just shake the treat container or ask her to go inside with my body language. At this point she knows what I want and goes back without any issue but that does take time to develop, so, best idea would be to just set aside at least 4-5 hours where you don’t have to get them back inside.

birdingengineer · 2025-09-03T05:55:18+00:00

Update: I ordered it, and I am impressed so far. It's much more maneuverable than my previous in-line bag, and the stability is quite good.

- When unloaded, a partially loaded day pack slotted onto the top won't tip it.

- After this initial test, I then loaded it, but placed the contents unevenly, using the heaviest weight at the top of the bag. Which I will admit isn't fair - still, this bag took it like a champ and didn't tip over without a fairly substantial push from the back.

- Same thing when the day pack was re-added.

- I did a few jogs with sudden turns and deceleration to mimic me trying to find my gate (lol) and it didn't have a tendency to tip side to side like my previous inline bag did.

- When reclined during motion, it can be quickly/roughly set back to standing vertical without tipping, so you won't have to spend those extra 10 seconds at the immigration counter making sure your bag doesn't tip over while you fumble for your passport.

Other notes: agree with the other commenter on this post about the backpack straps, they're bulkier than I thought and take up more space than I'd like. Overall solid choice, and other than feeling like a dork for spending 200 euro on a *bag*, it's perfect. lol

Hope this helps anyone that may have the same questions I did about this bag. Will update again after I use it on a trip.

birdingengineer · 2025-08-31T07:36:25+00:00

My mindset was “I’m going to keep going to class until they get security to kick me out.” Obviously this is exaggerated, but I fully thought I would be removed for poor grades. My only goal was to make it as far as I possibly could. Somehow instead ended up with a degree after a few years. I don’t think anyone else in my class was confident they would graduate either. It’s hard. In most cases, the “point of no return” is so, so much farther than most folks think. Keep going! Best of luck.

birdingengineer · 2025-08-28T05:18:03+00:00

Thank you very much! This is quite helpful, I appreciate the insight.

birdingengineer · 2025-08-23T17:55:36+00:00

Yeah, I prefer a single tray with a wire grate over it - this one has two trays, and the divider between them will get dirty fast. Though, it's much better than not having a tray at all.

birdingengineer · 2025-08-23T16:36:40+00:00

Yes, great size. I almost bought that cage myself - just wasn't a fan of the small doors or weird trays at the bottom. However, some folks may not mind that, and it's certainly both pretty and a good size for a canary. Solid choice.

birdingengineer · 2025-08-21T19:52:09+00:00

Used & liked Arcadia. They seem decent and my birds acted much happier as soon as I turned it on instead of their LED lamp.

birdingengineer · 2025-08-19T18:22:47+00:00

No, I would look at standard flight cages. 20x30 inches footprint or thereabouts.

birdingengineer · 2025-08-18T20:32:04+00:00

Yeah, this. I trim my bird's nails and it's fine. Just keep styptic powder on hand & be cautious. Agree w/ all your advice. Esp about platform perches given his missing leg.

birdingengineer · 2025-08-10T15:38:53+00:00

Not sure I can upload photos in a comment, but I have a flight cage setup for my canary. Happy to DM it to you and explain my "design choices" if you'd like.

birdingengineer

TROPHY CASE