No bumblebee
I think the goby may be dead. Or he could be a good hider; it’s always possible.
Some of the rainbows have developed astonishing colours; the males especially have developed some lovely reds on their fins. There is one weedy runt; it will be interesting to see how he goes.
One of the plants, a semi-aquatic one, is not doing well at all… rotting etc. So too are some bits of hydrophilia. The sword-thing, though, seems to be colonising the entire tank. Almost, anyway.
Rainbows
I moved all 9 rainbows, in two lots, and the snail tonight. It makes the tank look quite a bit busier, not surprisingly. Hopefully they will get some more colour now that they’re in an even nicer tank and there’s some light on them too. Actually some of them have such a pronounced black stripe that I have mistaken them for SAEs.
And I haven’t seen the bumblebee at all tonight…
I fed them peas tonight. They loved it. A Colombian eating half an entire pea by itself was quite a feat.
Van Helsing
So, so cool. Much better than I had expected. I’m very pleased with myself to discover that I was right in thinking that the same man who played Beni in The Mummy played Igor. David Wenham as Carl, a 19th-century Q-cum-good Igor, was great… and the Aussie playing Draacoola was fantastic. Very Mummy, which I expected; so close to camp, but just escaping it, with some incredibly witty bits in it. And James loved it too! Even wanting to see it again!
Too, I love seeing the ads for upcoming movies. Chronicles of Riddick looks great, I reckon, although I’m a little sceptical of Vin Diesel I must admit. We didn’t see ads for them then, but both Troy (which I’m seeing on Sunday with Mum, can’t wait) and The Day after Tomorrow look awesome.
I love movies.
I Love Auntie
The ABC, that is; not that I don’t love my aunts, of course. The main reason I started bugging J to get a TV (which took all of 10 seconds or so) was when I saw they were having Doctor Who on: the entirety of 40 years’ worth of excellent scifi TV on the ABC, four nights a week. Yippee! I watched the first number of episodes… after a little while, though, I stopped being conscientious (??) about it because they were just a bit too painful. However, I recently started watching again, because it is John Pertwee! Yeh! What a star. One of the few actors who could get away with wearing a full black-tie suit with cloak around a laboratory and while catching villains, and look incredibly dignified. Of course I remember him as Wurzel Gummage, which terrified me as a kid, but still… what a man. And Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart… what a shame he was in his prime in black and white TV.
As well as the good Doctor, of course, the ABC has a pretty good kids’ line up in general; that’s what I’ve mostly been watching. It all started with Astro Boy… except I am a little disappointed with it, because they’re new, not old, and I think they are much tackier than they were originally. At least I hope so.
Gobies
Thought I had lost the bumblebee: couldn’t see him last night when we got home, and also not this morning with the light off.
Then, when the light came on… he was happily sitting at the front of the tank. Can’t see him again now, but I’m not quite as fussed.
Think I might start ferrying some rainbows across to the main tank. How exciting.
Hanging Rock
I went to Hanging Rock today with about 80 Year 7 students and 6 other teachers. It was An Experience. I climbed the stoopid hill twice, and am therefore aware of how unfit I have become; however, I did actually make it.
On the buses, there were these girls singing along to some daft-sounding songs that I didn’t recognise; as you do, when you are 12 or 13. Then the radio magically played 4 Non-Blondes, “What’s Going On,” and I think they all thought I was very odd, as I sang along to this song they didn’t recognise… as you do when you remember when that song first came out and loved it from the beginning.
Ah, generations.
Teaching film
Don’t know whether I’ll actually get to teach this next semester or not, but I hope at some stage to offer an elective – at Year 10 I think – of film studies. The first term I would call “Help!! The world is about to end”, and do things like The Core, Armageddon, Mars Attacks, Terminator 3, and maybe Thirteen Days (James’ suggestion) as a real-life example. On the way home today I had the idea for the second term: “Thieves, Crims, and Downright Scoundrels”: Hudson Hawk, Thomas Crowne Affair (the original I think), The Italian Job (possibly the remake; not sure); maybe Maltese Falcon. It would be so much fun!!
fish
This is such a boring post I couldn’t think of a good name for it.
Moved the second (and last) SAE last night, over to the main tank; hopefully they will make some inroads into the algae situation.
The harlequins have grown a lot, James pointed out this morning… not that I think they will ever rival the Colombians.
Ajax is a fast snail. I just wanted to mention that.
As well, I found the last goby last night, and he was fine; also this morning; however, this afternoon once again I can’t find him. I won’t go tipping the ornament thing up again, just in case he’s hiding for fun or from stress, but it worries me a bit!
Fish
There are only three neons left. I found one on the filter yesterday morning. And last night I fished out a dead goby. And at the moment I can’t see the second; it is possible James found him this morning and has already fished him out. I’m sad. Not sure whether to leave the others in there for a while, or take all but the neons out.
I fear that the incompetent molly male may be getting some competency back (nudge nudge, wink wink), and soon we will have yet more babies.
Thoughts
I had this incredible, interesting, thought-provoking thought this morning.
Now I have forgotten it.
Randomly Yours, Alex 