Fish!

So I made you wait more than a day for the answer. Sorry.

What do "yesterday's" two objects (homeless stuffed animals and a pile of gravel) have in common?

Anyone who has visited my home in the past TEN YEARS or read this previous blog post should have guessed the answer: A fish tank.



Specifically, it's a 65-gallon fish tank that we emptied back in 2000 when we moved to San Francisco (then back to Chicago). It got filled with stuffed animals during the move, and the stuffed animals didn't leave it again until four weeks ago. Frankly, the jokes about it needing a crane arm to look like one of those arcade games never got old.

But now that joke is so 2009, because the fish tank is a proper fish tank again.

See?



We tested it first to make sure it held water after almost 10 years of being dry. Success.

Then we called in Cousin Bob, who is our experienced aquarium man in the family, and he helped us buy a new filter and get the gravel clean and all the fun stuff.

Here's Cousin Bob on gravel duty (remember this photo is four weeks old, the Christmas tree is down by now):



And here's my husband assembling the filter:



Then we put in half a dozen hearty starter fish (zebra danios) and let the tank cycle for a month to get the bacteria on track.



This coming weekend we'll get the water tested and -- voila! -- add fish!

But not this kind of fish. This is Baby X. We do know the difference. :)

Life: 8 Random Things About Me

Thanks to Periapex at Life's Context for tagging me. I think. (That's an "I think" for the tag. I'm not in doubt about who did the tagging.)

The Rules:

1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.
3. At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’ve been tagged, and to read your blog.

So, what are the eight random things about me?

1. I have had job titles with both "chief" and "engineer" in them, but not at the same time.

2. I own two custom-made ballroom-style corsets, but I haven't worn them in a few years because I've gained a few pounds and they no longer fit right. You can find photos of me wearing them (and 20 pounds lighter) on this page and on this page and on this page. The site and photos are totally G-rated.

3. I once won a Magic: The Gathering card game tournament at a local comic book shop. I sold all my Magic cards shortly afterward and recouped my investment. If you gave me Magic cards now, I'd be clueless what to do with them.

4. I hate crunchy vegetables. Over-cook and puree them, and you might get me to eat them.

5. Because of dust allergies as a kid, my parents had to take the carpeting out of my bedroom and get rid of my stuffed animals.

6. I have a 60-gallon fish tank in my family room. The fish tank has not had any fish in it since 2000; instead, it's full of stuffed animals. It kind of looks like a broken carnival game. It's been like that for so long, I hardly notice it anymore, although I'm starting to get embarrassed by it.



7. I've had 24 teeth pulled by an oral surgeon. Because my teeth were too big for the size of my jaw, when I was 8 years old, the oral surgeon pulled 10 baby teeth, and when I was 10 he pulled 6 more baby teeth and 4 permanent teeth. When I was in college, he pulled my 4 wisdom teeth. Bonus: The tooth fairy paid double for the pulled teeth. Don't worry -- I have a full set of teeth now. :)

8. I'm good at keeping secrets, which sucks when you're a blogger.

My victims? I'll tag:

Catherine at Sharp Words, Cromely, MamaFlo, Monique, Brady Frost, Don at Driving to Oahu, and Tina at The Creative Nerd. For some of you with writing-specific blogs, consider this a challenge to keep the list of 8 facts writing related.

You may have counted only seven tags. That's because I'm leaving the last spot open for you non-bloggers. If you want to participate, feel free to post it to your page at a social networking site, or leave it in a comment, or email it to me. Whatever makes you happy.