Bird coats are made of feathers and also have a mask with a bird's head of your choice. Haven't you seen any? They're everywhere. Very common. Just to seperate the vermin from your average freaky bird-watcher.
"Wear your bird coat next time". What a berk!
Posted by Nameless at September 9, 2005 06:53 AM
Strangely I'm not surprised by the officers reaction. A friend of mine was accused of loitering once because he wasn't dressed particularly smartly. They even went as far as to threaten to do a strip search if he didn't move on, but he knew they couldn't do that, so he just stayed where he was and they gave up.
The strange part about this? He was waiting at the train station
Posted by David Morning at September 9, 2005 01:42 PM
Love it, Socar. Have you thought about submitting this to I and the Bird. I guarantee yours would be the first post with the word "twat" in it! The downside is that you would be opening yourself up to the ridicule of the birding community: "There is no such thing as a seagull!!!" You know how seriously some people take these things!
Posted by Mike at September 9, 2005 06:11 PM
Mike - Actually, yeah, I was thinking I might submit to I and the Bird, although possibly not this entry. I've been doing quite a bit of birding lately, and I was planning on writing up some of the sights I've seen once I've got my notes organized (read: once I've rounded up all the little pieces of paper I've scattered over my apartment!).
I had wanted to submit to the last I and the Bird, but the only recent entry I had involved pet birds, which are against the rules.
Anyone who wants to laugh at me for saying "seagull" is more than welcome--I know just fine it's not a fully accurate term, but the way I see it is this: the purpose of language is to communicate. Everyone knows what "seagull" means, so taking issue with it is just plain pedantic.
David Morning - Augh! That's insane. Hassling folks waiting for the train, indeed! Whatever next? I was particularly annoyed with this Downtown Ambassadors guy because I was just being friendly (wishing him a good morning) when he started pestering me. No good deed goes unpunished, eh?
Nameless - Ha, ha--can you imagine the guy's reaction if I'd showed up the following morning dressed like THAT? Oh, and maybe with a cage or two strapped to my back: der Vogelfanger bin ich, ja! Although, with all the weirdos round these parts, I'd probably fit right in. You even get the occasional nudist. There was a whole naked bike ride, a while back. Merely wearing a bird-coat, that's nothing! (Guys like this probably pick on me because I look like someone who's easy to push around. Small and harmless, sort of thing.)
Posted by Rats at September 9, 2005 06:55 PM
I am an original pop tart fan - brown sugar and cinnamon. None of the frosted ones for me. That's for people who eat fried balogna. (BTW, they're big among elite cyclists as snacks.)
And let's get this straight . . . you can breathe a little so the first thing which crosses your mind is "I want to wander out by the garbage at dawn." Not walking in the warm glow of the late afternoon sun. Not sitting at a café with a cuppa and a biscuit. No, you want to stand by the garbage.
Posted by jk at September 9, 2005 09:07 PM
Your officers are considerably more polite than those here in the U.S.
Posted by webjones at September 12, 2005 05:21 AM
Wow, I guess I should stay away from Vancouver; I fit every one of your hobo criteria! Perhaps you could try offsetting the ensemble with a nice tiara?
Wait, 1991-92? Does that mean you were listening to opera and could speak Italian when you were 14ish o_O?
Posted by Mikey at September 16, 2005 01:02 PM
First of all, just popping in to do a Monty Python-esque "I'm not dead!" (I've been a bit under the weather, is all, but I'm fine now. Expect an update soon.)
Mikey - Oh, man, you don't know the half of it. You're looking at a lifelong addict, here, when it comes to Italian opera. I was obsessed when I was 4, let alone 14. I even wanted to be an opera star. (Pity I have the voice of a crow!)
webjones - Yeah, I've heard as much. Y'all have some majorly overzealous types over there.
jk - While I would eat a frosted pop-tart if I was hungry enough, I would never, ever eat bologna in any form. Ew!
And, yep--out by the rubbish at the first possible opportunity, that's me. Some folks say their life is rubbish, but mine really is! Up with rubbish! More rubbish!
Posted by Rats at September 16, 2005 05:11 PM
Found this rattage and thought you might like it: http://www.lisasnellings.com/ratbag.html
Posted by Camilla at September 20, 2005 06:28 AM
I spotted this on yesterday's I and the Bird. Wow, you must have more reasonable police in Vancouver. Here in Washington, DC, you might be mistaken for a terrorist.
Posted by John at October 28, 2005 08:58 AM