Nautical Disaster

Good ol' Bosco really threw me a curveball. One day he's lively and vibrant, and the next he's dead as can be.



Since he didn't even last 10 days in my care, I'm starting to think that the bowl I've been using for these Bettas is either cursed or highly contaminated with disease. Either way, I'll be taking him back to the store this evening, so hopefully they've got some pointers that'll help end my deadly reign of terror.

Currently: Huddled for warmpth under several blankets - cold enough out there for ya!?

How's About This Weather?

What can I say; it was absolutely beautiful outside today. Though I didn't actually check a thermometer, I'm fairly confident we were nearing the high teens. It's the kind of weather which awakens certain primitive cravings in a man.

First and foremost, when the weather is this amazing, the "clean your car" survival instinct kicks in. I'm not sure why, but on that first day of nice weather it's almost impossible not to break out the pressure washer and Shop-Vac.

Secondly, it's also of the utmost importance that you go out and hunt down some brewed goodness. The coming of Spring is also the coming of the "fridge must be stocked with beer at all times" period. This continues roughly until the end of the Stanley Cup playoffs...which neatly runs right back into Spring.

Thirdly, it is virtually impossible to avoid migrating to the nearest patio. As sure as Canadian geese migrate south, Canadian hu-mans migrate to patios as soon as the mercury enters double digits. It's also nice to still see the sun after 4:30pm.

Currently: Contemplating a quiet book read on my own patio before bed...

Highliner Draft Dodger

Seeing as how most of our indoor plants have stabilized and don't appear to have immediate plans to expire, I decided it was time to try and inject even more life into the ol' living room.

Fish are cheap, so...



Catholics have a new man in a fancy hat, and now this apartment has Bosco, the latest in the storied line of Skinner bettas. Blinky beget Blinky 2.0 beget "fish that died before being named" beget Bosco. Like counting the months on the hills and valleys of your knuckles, he's destined to live for quite some time, like his predecessor Blinky 2.0.

The original Blinky and fish #3 didn't fare quite so well, despite being aqua-matons that "are hardy enough to survive almost anywhere."

Currently: So very, very tired. Damn you, hill training!

Crack-Caffeine Junkie?

Just could it be possible that these unfortunate (re: absolutely fucking relentless) symptoms I've been experiencing are due to caffeine withdrawal? Though it's often misleading to try and do your own medical research - as invariably you start to think you're sick or dying from anything you read about enough - it's remarkable how many of these general symptoms I'm experiencing.

I fiddled around with this online test and easily checked off more than half of the symptoms as yes. Obviously, to "wake up feeling tired" or experience "periods of fatigue during the day" are not insightful indicators of any one thing, if anything at all, but I guess it's the cumulative number of the withdrawal symptoms which counts.

But if any of this is true, I can certainly sympathize with my poor body for the rounds I put it through prior to not feeling the greatest. For a good chunk of March I was up at all hours of the night working on assignments by maintaining an irregular sleeping pattern and worshiping caffeine. Sure, with school and work and my woeful student finances I was also stressed out, but I wouldn't really say any more so than usual.

I suppose it's reasonable to expect that sleep deprivation and stimulants could start to pound me into submission.

I've purposely avoided caffeine for the past few weeks, and haven't felt all that great the entire time. This morning, however, I pounded back a cup of joe, and for the most part, felt great all day. I guess I'm still undecided if that's a good thing or a bad thing...

Currently: Trying to tear myself away from watching hours upon hours of Six Feet Under.

Totally Orwellian

So, it only took months upon months, but I finally finished reading George Orwell's Burmese Days. I really enjoyed Animal Farm. I absolutely loved Nineteen Eighty-Four. This book, on the other hand, was an absolute bore. In case you've ever been tempted to give it a read, the main character blows his brains out. Shoots his dog too. There. I've ruined the ending for you, and spared you the trouble of slogging through its loathsome pages.

As well, Nicole and I have been reduced to the level of mere commoners - those unwashed masses - ever since our free satellite hookup was disconnected. To be more accurate, Bell "upgraded their system" rendering our pirate card useless. With no signal, we've resorted to watching DVD boxsets of television shows. Two seasons of Futurama and some of Six Feet Under are what we've already downed. We've also got some Curb Your Enthusiasm waiting on deck.

You'll probably have noticed that my updates have been rather sparse over the past few weeks, and that's because I haven't really been feeling all that well. I'm not sure if I'm sick, malnourished, or my body/mind is simply turning on me, but it hasn't been a real treat. For hours of the day I'm absolutely exhausted, with tension enveloping my temples, neck, jaw, and shoulders. On top of that, my mouth and throat are soooo dry...no matter how much or how little I drink. Cold sweats. Loss of appetite. Yet no fever or vomiting. To be completely honest, this has been going on for over 3 weeks now, and I'm really starting to loathe it. I'm usually a big baby when it comes to being sick, so I can't imagine this has been a picnic for those around me either.

Glad I could paint that lovely picture for you! Bah!

Currently: Putting the final touches on my first commercial website layout.

Wooo!

I'm Awesome
My oh my, look who's sitting at .500 with an impressive GAA below 8.0!

With two decisive ball hockey victories over the weekend, I believe it's now fair to say that I "bring that shit" when it comes time to play. Sure, some may argue that the guys playing in front of me were the real contributors to the victories, but I'm gonna milk this for all it's worth.

The only downside to the entire outing was discovering that the mounds of fertilizer Russel used last time to melt the remaining ice had soaked into all my equipment and was breaking it down. Bring out the duct-tape!

I'm Retarded
I must be cracking up. I dragged my post-Wrestlemania butt out of bed to make it to my 8am class, but things did not seem quite right. I arrived about 10 minutes early and was surprised to see that I was the first person there. Usually there's a few early-birds, especially on days when we've got readings to finish for a class discussion.

At 5 minutes to, I was still the only person there.

At the buzzer, I was the only person there.

Apparently the tours of the Edmonton Max were today (Monday) and this upcoming Friday, not Wednesday and Friday like I'd imagined. I can't believe I was the only student in the whole class who managed to mix those dates up. Thank God my tour group is the one going on Friday!

I'm Net-savvy
I've managed to con Nicole's brother-in-law into thinking that I know a thing or two about computers and website design. He's asked me to be the webmaster for his chiropractic clinic's website, and we're finally on the verge of launching.

I anticipate many caffeine fueled evenings.

Currently: Baking a delicious chocolate chip snack cake.