A Fish Tale. AND I WON AN AWARD!!!

Okay.  I confess that I’m a little nervous about sharing with you my latest tale of fishy woe.  Because the last time I talked about my fish, I got HATE MAIL.

That chick was mean.  Her words stung.  Hurt my feelings.

And then I shook my head and reminded myself these are fish we’re talking about.  Sure, lovely little creatures that swim around and are peaceful to watch.  But, at the end of the day, still just fish.  They have memory spans of about two seconds. and die when you look at ‘em sideways.  People flush them down toilets everyday.

So I’m telling my story, even if it does leave me open to more hate mail.

Bring it on, b*tch.

Anyway.  Moving right along.

As I shared with my Facebook friends yesterday, I have raised my fish to be tough mother-effers.  Gangsta fish.  Ghetto fish.  Marley and Jackson have lived through a lot.  Days when I let the tank get so dirty that you can’t even see them swimming around.  Green, slimey days of wondering what the outside world looks like.  I’ve tested their will to live, and they have survived.

But the other night, I pushed them to their limits.

It had been awhile since my tank had been given a real good, thorough cleaning, and after the pump stopped (from being too dirty, I figure), I decided enough was enough.  I had to clean it.

I began by scooping some of the old water out into a pail, then netting the fish and putting them in there.  I left them on my kitchen table and went about the gross job of completely emptying the tank of all the water, slime, rocks, and fake plant decorations.  Then I set about scrubbing the walls of the tank, the pump, and all the other fish-tank-parts that I don’t even know about.

While at the sink  working away, I kept hearing the odd “bloop” sound.  Every time, I’d check the pail and see the fishies still swimming away.  No worries.

But then I heard a BIG bloop, and then a repeated “whap-whap-whap” noise, and I knew without even looking that Marley had escaped the pail.

I checked, and sure enough, there the damn fish was, doing the funky chicken on the table, and then it slipped right off onto the floor.  It thrashed around some more while I shrieked and screamed and tried to figure out how the hell I was going to catch it.  Suddenly, it became very still, and I was sure my Marley was a goner.  I grabbed the big cup I’d been using to scoop water with, and gently eased him into it.  As soon as I did, he sprung to life again, and I squealed and dumped him back in the pail, fully expecting him to float to the surface immediately.

He didn’t.  He kept swimming.  Hallelujah.

I began working quickly, afraid he might try this trick again.  I re-assembled the tank with a new filter and the new tank accessories I bought them, then began pouring fresh water in.  As soon as it was up high enough, I tossed the fish back into the tank, and let them get acquainted with their new surroundings.

Still, I feared for Marley’s life.  Well, as much as you can fear for a fish’s life.  Not only had he flopped around out of water for a good three or four minutes, but I had also completely altered his environment.  Clean tank, fresh water, different tank stuff.  I worried it would be too much of a shock to his poor little fishy system.

I should know better than to underestimate my fish.  They are determined.  They do not die when you look at them sideways.  They are TOUGH.  Proud of them.

I know.  I’m the girl who laments daily that I want babies.  But I swear, I’ll take better care of my children someday.  Promise.

So my fish survived, I have 55 followers now and I’m getting ready for my first giveaway, and you know what else makes this a great week?  I WON AN AWARD!!

My very first bloggy award!!  The Versatile Blogger Award!!

I’ve seen this jazzy green button on other people’s blogs and yearned for it.  Pined for it.  Wondered why nobody, in the past five years, had bothered to award ME with it.  I’m a Versatile Blogger, right?  I deserve a damn AWARD!!

Enter, my new blog friend, Kristine.  She’s originally from a town just across the river from my town, and through the magic of the interwebs, we have “met” and now read each other’s blogs.  She told me my recent tour of my town post made her homesick, as she once spent many great times at our local bar, Gavan’s.  Go visit her at Kristine’s Place!  Thank you so much, Kristine, for passing The Versatile Blogger award on to me!  Made my day!!

So there are RULES with the Versatile Blogger award.

1. Thank the person who gave the award and link back to them in your post.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass this award along to 15 recently discovered blogs.

So here are 7 things about me:

• I’ve had my ears pierced since I was 4, but only recently have started wearing earrings every day.  And now I’m kind of obsessed with earrings.  Even contemplating getting a second hole pierced so I can wear more than one pair at a time.  Send me links to your favourite Etsy jewelry shops.  I can’t get enough.
• I can’t watch scary stuff before bed or I psych myself right up into believing there are intruders in my house.  Lately, with my new addiction to True Blood, it’s vampires.  All over my house.  I have to run up the stairs to my room and literally leap from the doorway into my bed.
• I crave movie theatre popcorn, daily.  I would go to the movies every day if I could afford it, and if I could find friends to come with me.
• I hate being wakened by an alarm clock.  I wish I could just go in to work whenever I wake up naturally.  I think I’d be a more pleasant person if that’s how the world worked.
• I didn’t have any allergies when I was a kid, but as an adult, I’ve discovered I can’t hack cat hair or whatever is in the air in the spring and summer months that makes my eyes swell up and my nose clog.
• I have an imaginary boyfriend.  His name is Dexter.  Waiters give me funny looks in restaurants when I’m out with friends and they ask how to split up the bills, and I point at nothing and say, “I’m with him.  Yes, I know.  He’s invisible.”
• I love Wade Redden, Grey’s Anatomy, spaghetti, Elvis, my family, the Ottawa Senators, banana-flavoured popsicles, taking pictures, Edward Cullen, pool noodles, the Quyon Flyers, my friends, Friends, McDonalds, Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory, my guitar, Friday, and Christmas Eve.  Not necessarily in that order.

And now, to conclude this long-ass post, here are 15 blogs that I would like to pass The Versatile Blogger Award on to!  Please visit any or all of these links - all wonderful blogs, wonderful people…and of course, very versatile. :)

• A Small Town Kind of Life
• All Along the Hightower
• Amberly Adventures
• Back to Abnormal
• Blogging With Stacy
• Cover to Cover…And Everything In Between
• Life’s a Beach
• Living a Goddess Life
• Mom2MemphisAndRuby
• Mommy World
• Park Avenue
• Sharon’s 101 List
• Simply Stephy
• The Johanson Journey
• The Johnstons

Have a great day, everyone.  LONG LIVE MY FISH!!!