Sometimes things happen.

(This entry is from a few days ago. I wrote it in Mac Journal and it didn't work - I still haven't mastered the program.)

So on Easter Sunday (Happy Easter everyone! I didn’t send SMSes this year because my phone is literally the shittest piece of technology that I have ever had the displeasure of owning. Turns out though, Apple is announcing iPhone v.4 tomorrow, so hopefully I won’t have to languish on the outskirts of the cool kids crowd for too much longer), I took some of my fish that were no longer working for me to Midland Pet and Aquarium centre. (best fish shop evar, though their website isn’t really that great) The only fish that I had in my 2ft tank which I kept were my beloved Yoyos (Botia almorhae).

For two Black Pearl Calvus ( Altolamprologus calvus), one female Kribensis (Pelvicachromis pulcher), two Pictus catfish (Pimelodus pictus) and 4 or five of my grown up bristlenose babies (Ancistrus sp.), I got $90.00 of fish credit. Woo!

(If you want some money for the pictus, tattered_pinion , just let me know!)

So with that we (‘we’ being Gavin and I) picked up 6 Glowlight Chilli Barbs for his 6’ tank (I don’t know their scientific name so here’s a picture... pretty)... expensive little things at $10 each... Well. Expensive for shoaling fish.
Later on I’m going to use the rest of my fish monies to buy a school of Neon Tetras (Paracheirodon innesi)(6-10 I guess, my tank isn’t that big), and this fancy food that Midland was using to bring out the colours in their fish. Exciting!
I don’t know when I will next be bothered to drive all the way to Midland though. Eesh!

Then we went to Aquotix, my second most favourite fish shop in Perth, where Gavin found himself one of the elusive Dragon’s Blood Cichlids (Aulonocara Dragon Blood - it’s a line-bred colour morph, not a distinct species) that he’d been looking for for ages.

Aaand I brought a fantastic Half Moon Siamese Fighting fish. Just today I’ve decided to name him Anasterian Sunstrider. My last fighter was Kael’thas Sunstrider, you see. Kael’thas is a better name, but Anasterian will do for now. I was toying with calling him Kael’thas Sunstrider II, but that just seemed a bit lazy to me. So!
( “Pictures )

( “Pictures )

( Yearly something something, meme something )

So Christmas  was good, if hot. I got really nice, thoughtful presents from everyone and everyone liked the presents I gave them. Joy! So successful all round.
The spoils:
- I got a Western Digital MyBook Terrabyte external harddrive! It's awesome. 7200rpm, too.
- 76L Fish tank, stand, filter, heater, light and cover (JOY)
- The Wind in the Williows centenary edition
- Barbecue recipes book
- Se7en & The Last Samurai

Gavin gave me a pretty silver box chain necklace with... a LLAMA PENDANT.

- "Bizarre Buildings" book
- a nice bag for putting things in
- a mini camera tripod
- hand creme!
- bathy... butter... thingies
- TEACUPS ♥
- cucumber eye thingies... for stress reduction oo

So yeah, one million items. ONE MILLION.

We even got to go swimming on Christmas day, which was good.
Boxing day was ridiculously hot. Some amusing things happened that night, but I think they are for me to know and you to wonder about. I know, I know. Saying that is hideously unfair. :P

Went shopping and found BARGAINS. It filled me with joy. I found things that I actually liked and then I brought them. It was deeply exciting. I got some shoes, a dress, some tops and an EPILATOR. A more elegant and sparkly device of brutal torture has never been concocted. And I paid MONEY for this?

Saw The Golden Compass with arinellen, almightybean, reaps, auntpol, flyingmopsy and frippoi, and Gavin - who didn't want to go and then really liked it. Just sayin'.
I thought it was great. However I've only read the book once a few years ago so I may  have forgotten about parts that were left out, but it made sense to me and to Gavin who hasn't read the book, so I think it was probably a success.
Panzer-Bjorn were just as awesome as they should have been. HESTER AND THAT GUY WERE AWESOME.

Saw Beowulf in 3D with Gavin & some of his mates, I liked it, but it was missing... something. The 3D was totally awesome and made it worth seeing. Would it be worth seeing in the movies without the 3D? Maybe not.

New Years was heaps of fun, thanks to marxipan_xlii, im_the_end and Karlee (Carly? Carlee? Karly? I don't have her LJ :() for organizing it. I stopped drinking when I thought I was drunk enough. I am proud of this.

♥ Today was Gavin and I's (now that just doesn't sound right. Gavin and me, my, blah. Thanks for nothing, brain) 3rd aniversary. :) Aw. We went swimming on sunday. It was stupidly cold. ♥

(I felt like doing something girly and frivolous. The heart border seemed appropriate.)

The architect I'm doing work experience with gave me a really nice Christmas present - Neufert's Architect's Data. It's a shiney expensive book with freaking EVERYTHING in it. Saunas to hospitals. And more! Awesome.

I GOT FISHES TODAY!
I have been waiting for my tanks to cycle and the little one finished today. There are pictures ( behind the cut COMING TOMORROW ). (Or you could look at my Flickr account. They are Yoyo or Pakistani Loaches (Botia Almorphae), and they are fantastic. They grow to about 10cm, my biggest one is about 7cm but they bulk out a lot more than in the photos. (I'm going to move them to the big tank as soon as it has finished cycling.) I haven't got names for them yet. I thought I might use Pakistani names, since they are from Pakistan. (They actually are - they can only be bred in the wild or in humungous farms in their native habitat. I feel a bit bad because of this but the majority of aquarium fish aren't captive bred and at least I know I'll look after them as best I can.) Anyone know some good sources of Pakistani names with meanings?

I know I never got around to Christmas cards, and I feel bad. I do still intend to send people THINGS IN THE MAIL, though. Not dead squirrels, I promise. Not that I could catch a squirrel. Even a dead one.