Watch FCC chairman Tom Wheeler talk to a guy with a parrot

Tom Wheeler is a busy man: not only is he running one of the most critical agencies in Washington, he’s been dealing with the hot-button topic of net neutrality practically since the first day he set foot in the FCC’s office a year and a half ago.

Don’t let anyone tell you he doesn’t have time for a parrot, though.

Shortly after his address at the broadcast-focused NAB show in Las Vegas this week, Wheeler was spotted on an escalator having a conversation with a gentleman with an emerald green parrot on his shoulder — because it’s Vegas, and it’s a trade show, and, you know, why the heck not. The audio’s a little difficult to hear, but it seems to go something like this:

Man with parrot: This is [inaudible] Yaffa.

Wheeler: Hello, Yaffa!

Man with parrot: Our mission is to spread love and peace.

Wheeler: How could you be against that?

And with that, the all-too-brief escalator ride came to its end; the encounter was over. For Wheeler, back to the Title II grind; for Yaffa, back to the mission of spreading love and peace. Equally important jobs, I’d wager.

Thanks, Josh!