Maintaining My Privacy...

I've removed all of my contact information from this blog, as I'm getting unsavory emails and some spamgalore in my IM everytime I logged in, so it's all gone from the main page.

Those of you that know how to get ahold of me, can still get ahold of me, those that don't, leave a comment on my entries, and I get a notification that I've recieved one in my email inbox.

I'm starting to get a little creeped out, so this was my resolution.

Stupid Chuffing Fish!!!

I've recieved 3 betta fish now, from my mom, one has survived, and is enormous, the other (red one) was apparently sick from the get go, and after copious TLC, finally bit the big one after coming back from my trip to Puntzi lake with Cliff. Damnit.

So, my mom gets me one more betta, to replace the now deceased Siddartha, (who I renamed "ugly" because of all of his hideous fish diseases. Seriously. That was one ugly fish...) I decide to get 2 mini catfish, and see if they will be the little tank cleaners that my mom's is with her betta. No dice. Both Blue (Gautama) and Turq, my new turquoise betta attempt to beat the snot out of these two, terrified little catfish. *grumble*

Well, fine! I'll put them in a new, smaller tank, unoccupied by my big, territorial guppies in drag. Lets put this one up on the shelf, and the two larger tanks (I purchased another, with gravel and awesome decorations, to house turq, that was another 50 bucks out of my pocket.)

Wait... I can't see them. They are BOTTOM dwelling fish. Super. Fine. I'll put them in the middle of the two larger tanks on the desk. Awesome, except they are algae and fish waste eating fish, and they are the only things in the tank, thusly no poop to munch on.

Okay. Lets go get some tetras. Harmless. 10 for 15 bucks at the pet store. Awesome cheap and easy, just like my women.

Linds: "Can I put these in a tank with no filter?"

Fucking stupid twat at pet store: "Oh yeah, no problem. These guys can handle it."

Linds: "Sweet! Gosh they are pretty."

I arrange tetras and catfish together in tank. Pretty little zippy fishes. Nice! Pooping and wasting all over the place, lots of nibblies for the catfish. What a great little ecosystem I've got!!

Later that night...

Cliff: "Hey, honey? Are they supposed to be swimming all at the top of the tank like that?"

Linds: "Uhm... They weren't doing that at the pet store. My guess is 'No'."

Cliff: "I think they need a bubbler or a filter or something... Don't tropical fish need stuff like that?"

Linds: "Dammit! That stupid bitch!!! I ASKED HER THAT! Now I feel bad! How irresponsible and money grubbing!"

Cliff purchases me a filter/bubbler at walmart, 20 bucks. I place it in the tank, which is now 1/3 filter, 2/3rds water and plants etc. I'm one catfish and one tetra short now. They've gone to the happy goldfish bowl in the sky. I've also picked up some catfish/bottom feeding tablets for the lone, sorry little catfish in the tank. another 8 bucks out of my pocket.

Linds: "Dammit!"

I pick up a tank with a built in gravel filter and bubbler that occupies the side of the tank. Awesome. 20 more dollars out of my wallet. My last resort, because the tank is too small, and I don't make shitloads of money at my job. I've probably spent close to 120 bucks in fish, fish supplies, tanks, gravel, filters, nets, aquarium salt, water treatment/dechlorinator, medication, and aquarium toys/decorations, including plants. I've followed instructions religiously, gradually aquainted these new fish into their living environment, and spent hours in the past 2 months, pampering these tempermental little shits.

I come home, to find little bodies floating in the bubbling water.

Linds: "Dammit!!!!!! DAMMIT! Waste of my TIME, WASTE of my MONEY, I feel so BAD! I killed these stupid effing FISH! Cliff I'm a bad fish parent!!! BAD!"

I scoop up turq, and toss him into the new, now happily (properly) bubbling tank. Hopefully he does well in there, it's got an adjustment for how much air comes through the filter, and will stay cleaner sans-catfish.

I swear to jeebus above and all that is holy, If these ones croak, I'm getting a pet rock. Zero responsibility, Zero cost, and zero disheartening experiences. This has to be one of the most expensive, effort wasting, time consuming hobbies I've ever decided to pick up. This is why I spend time reading. It costs me less and is far more enjoyable. Plus, I don't end up committing fish genocide.

Does anyone want to buy a couple fish tanks? I've got a 1.17 gallon and 2 - 0.5 gallon tanks, with toys. I need to recoup my funds after this whole fucking scenario.

I tried, I really REALLY tried to make this whole thing go smoothly, what the hell is wrong with me? I feel so crappy.

grmph...

Today, I'm cranky, tired and don't want to be at work. I want to be in bed. I CERTAINLY don't want to be talking to people. Ugh.

That is all.

I Should Readily Admit...

That not a day goes by where I don't think politely to myself "Hey! Linds! Hi honey, how's it going? Good, good. Glad to hear it. Hey listen, why don't you write something in GSD? You know... It's kind of been a while."

Then I tell myself, "Well, Miss Linds, it's not really your fault, is it, that it's because you've been so awfully busy, what with management changes and the unholy mess left after Christmas/Boxing Day sales have blown through my store like the wild typhoon of commercialism and the "Spirit of Giving". (Sure, "Giving" yourself an enormous credit card bill...) And me a giant headache.

The resulting exhaustion from running around like maniacs during the season, and remerchandising the store AFTER the loss of two salespeople due to "seasonal hiring adjustments"... Not to mention the upcoming inventory which should be right fucked, considering the state of my workplace over the past 6 months... *sighs* Things are coming together but God! What an enormous pile of shit to wade through until it's finished... (though, it never really gets "finished".) I'm very, very tired. Bone tired.

However, that's not the only reason...

And then I tell myself it's because I've been so happy, living with my boyfriend, and just puttering along, on my/Our own little cloud nine. How much could I really write about how nauseatingly, incredibly, fantastically WONDERFUL my relationship is, and how complete it makes me feel before I become some sort of online I Heart Cliff fanclub, and I'm his number one super-awesome happyfuntime fangirl? Who the hell wants to read that sort of stuff? Yeah, you're happy, Linds, we get it. Good for you. Excuse me while my teeth rot and then fall out.

Who wants to hear that shit? No one, right? Right.

Well, I am really damned happy. So there. I do Heart Cliff. But trust me, it won't lead up to that point where I've uploaded sparkly MySpace animated gifs for every bloody day of the week up here, and if it does, someone please point it out, by, like, slapping me?

But no, that's not it, either.

It's that I have nothing else to write about right now, and I honestly feel unmotivated to write anything in general. I feel obligated to post in here, instead of wanting to.

I could tell you I did an IQ test on Tickle at 11something pm, a week ago and it told me I had an IQ of 122. (What with Cliff poking his nose in and distracting me, while I was trying to answer in a timely fashion.) I'm sure I could have scored higher.

It told me my strengths lie in art/creative projects, writing/communication and logic/problem solving... Well, goodness golly me... You think? Thank you Tickle.com. Whatever would I do without you? Let me write it out on an online weblog and tell all the people that don't give a shit the stuff I knew already!

I could tell you I got my ring that I got for Christmas sized for my left middle finger, but honestly, it's boring. Well, no... Wait. Not the jewelry, I LOVE the ring, don't get me wrong, but it's not "write worthy" material.

I could write and apologize to my readers that I still have yet to post my compilation album for 2006, "Biologique" up for grabs, because I've been busy. Real busy. Honest Injun. I have holidays starting on the 3rd of February, where I'll have 10 days of doing absolutely nothing in between having crazy-hot sex with my boyfriend and sleeping in obscenely late in the afternoon, to ensure that these tracks and the album art get posted up here. You'll just have to wait for your free music, imported under exceptional bitrate and quality, so really, I'm very sorry. I appreciate your patience.

Oh wait, this is under the assumption that I actually still have readers after this diatribe.

Just... Give me a bit, okay? I know it leads to a more boring work day for you guys, but I'd like to focus on the book I've been hemming and hawwing over, which I'll probably scrap entirely and start anew on. I'd love to work on my website for design that I've been neglecting to work on for months and months. I'd like to put the finishing touches on my digital portfolio, and then go and get the same thing printed all shiny and glossy and posted by my own hand onto some gorgeous charcoal grey 140 weight card stock, in a stunning black, butter-soft, leather folder.

I've just got some stuff on my plate, and my mind in other places right now. That doesn't mean I don't think your sexy and don't want to be with you anymore, baby. Once this stuff is dealt with, I'll be back, and better than ever. I promise.

Listening to: Beyoncé - "Irreplaceable" from the album "B-Day"

Rogg.

A wee roggy from browsing various websites on the internet... Mostly Myspace page layout and glittery graphics pages.

To the "webmaster" (who is more likely some pimply teenaged nerd who picked up one book on code and got daddy's credit card number for web hosting access): Did you actually LEARN how to connect hyperlinks to the pages they are supposed to link to properly? Ever? Did the thought even occur to you? One click on Burberry layouts, and I'm tits deep in Emo pictures. Eurgh! Myspace is the haven for shitty coding. CSS works, kids.

For instance, (though it makes me look completely geeky) take a browse at MY profile. it's simple, there are NO shiny shiny things on it. There's good, interesting music on it. It's not myspace default. This doesn't take much effort.