(no subject)

Yesterday was our 13th anniversary. Given the year we've been having, that's probably appropriate. Anyhow, it was pretty low key, given that we are broke until payday. The last thing I bought was my bus pass and while I was at the grocery store getting it, my gaze fell upon these silly little figures with a tillandsia glued on the side in the plant section. The figure I spied was a pair of blue rainforest frogs, and they struck me as looking like a fat, middle-aged couple, leaning on each other and holding each other up. Perfect. A whole $4. I've never given John a plant before; although he's been know to give his mother a cactus for gifting occasions ("Because you're prickly, and you're a thorn in my side!"). I didn't give it to him until this morning, because he confessed to not having gotten me anything either, and didn't want me to. However, the little plant was getting squished in my purse, so I gave it to him anyway, and it made him laugh.

I wasn't really expecting anything, but actually, I was kind of wondering if he'd gotten me a camera or something. My great aunt's estate sent me $800 last month, apparently the last bit left after all the taxes and all had been paid, and I told John we needed to put it aside and not spend it, so we could put it toward the trip he wants to take later this summer. It seems to be gone already, and I have no clue where it went. I know I havn't really made any big purchases, and neither has he, that I know of. And I'm quite sure we didn't spring for pizza that often. I mentioned this to VT on our walk at lunch and she offered to send me a spreadsheet she uses for a family budget - not that they always stick to it but it helps. Something we should have started a long time ago, I know - I'll try to put it to use.

Anyway, when I got home, the house was empty, except for Dad, who said "Happy Anniversary!" and explained that he'd sprung for Chinese take-out. When John got back with our regular orders, he laughed and told me the woman at the counter is always happy to see us and remarks on how the kids have grown, but her husband in the kitchen gets cranky, because he knows he's gonna have to cook something; most of their customers just seem to order off the steam table - but I like to order something off the menu, usually mu shu. So she yells into the kitchen and he yells back. We don't know Chinese, but it sure sounds like he's swearing.

So, thirteen years. Where has the time gone?

(no subject)

Yesterday was our 13th anniversary. Given the year we've been having, that's probably appropriate. Anyhow, it was pretty low key, given that we are broke until payday. The last thing I bought was my bus pass and while I was at the grocery store getting it, my gaze fell upon these silly little figures with a tillandsia glued on the side in the plant section. The figure I spied was a pair of blue rainforest frogs, and they struck me as looking like a fat, middle-aged couple, leaning on each other and holding each other up. Perfect. A whole $4. I've never given John a plant before; although he's been know to give his mother a cactus for gifting occasions ("Because you're prickly, and you're a thorn in my side!"). I didn't give it to him until this morning, because he confessed to not having gotten me anything either, and didn't want me to. However, the little plant was getting squished in my purse, so I gave it to him anyway, and it made him laugh.

I wasn't really expecting anything, but actually, I was kind of wondering if he'd gotten me a camera or something. My great aunt's estate sent me $800 last month, apparently the last bit left after all the taxes and all had been paid, and I told John we needed to put it aside and not spend it, so we could put it toward the trip he wants to take later this summer. It seems to be gone already, and I have no clue where it went. I know I havn't really made any big purchases, and neither has he, that I know of. And I'm quite sure we didn't spring for pizza that often. I mentioned this to VT on our walk at lunch and she offered to send me a spreadsheet she uses for a family budget - not that they always stick to it but it helps. Something we should have started a long time ago, I know - I'll try to put it to use.

Anyway, when I got home, the house was empty, except for Dad, who said "Happy Anniversary!" and explained that he'd sprung for Chinese take-out. When John got back with our regular orders, he laughed and told me the woman at the counter is always happy to see us and remarks on how the kids have grown, but her husband in the kitchen gets cranky, because he knows he's gonna have to cook something; most of their customers just seem to order off the steam table - but I like to order something off the menu, usually mu shu. So she yells into the kitchen and he yells back. We don't know Chinese, but it sure sounds like he's swearing.

So, thirteen years. Where has the time gone?

(no subject)

This is a really nifty little video. I always wondered why flying fish have that extra long lower lobe on their caudal fin (tail); sort of the opposite of a shark. This shows what it's used for - the fish is actually extending his glide out of the water with it by beating the water as if he's swimming!

Longest recorded flight for a flying fish:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7410421.stm

Around here, flying fish are more active at night, and in Avalon, out on Catalina Island, there's a very old tourist attraction of boats with spotlights taking visitors out to see them skimming along the water. This reminds me of a story someone told me when I first started working here; one of the older biologists - retired now - was piloting a small boat at nighttime out there. He was standing up, driving the boat along at a pretty good clip and looking over the windshield, when a flying fish jumped and smacked him right in the face - and they are hard bony little fish, too. He went flying into the back of the boat, while his coworkers were wondering why they'd suddenly stopped. Broke his nose, I think. Ouch. Hazards of being a biologist?

(no subject)

This is a really nifty little video. I always wondered why flying fish have that extra long lower lobe on their caudal fin (tail); sort of the opposite of a shark. This shows what it's used for - the fish is actually extending his glide out of the water with it by beating the water as if he's swimming!

Longest recorded flight for a flying fish:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7410421.stm

Around here, flying fish are more active at night, and in Avalon, out on Catalina Island, there's a very old tourist attraction of boats with spotlights taking visitors out to see them skimming along the water. This reminds me of a story someone told me when I first started working here; one of the older biologists - retired now - was piloting a small boat at nighttime out there. He was standing up, driving the boat along at a pretty good clip and looking over the windshield, when a flying fish jumped and smacked him right in the face - and they are hard bony little fish, too. He went flying into the back of the boat, while his coworkers were wondering why they'd suddenly stopped. Broke his nose, I think. Ouch. Hazards of being a biologist?