If you haven't yet, please respond to my necklace design poll.

In other news, Kanika has finally figured out how to jump to the shelf where Hyacinthe (my betta)'s vase is. So far she's knocked off several of my candles and broken two of the glass jars they were in. Hya's gotten very fierce (jumping at me every time I feed him), but Kanika is more interested in pushing all the little glass half-marbles onto the floor to play with. And she's not quite tall enough to reach in the vase yet; but judging from Hya's reaction, I have no fear that he can take care of himself (it's a pretty deep vase, anyway, she'd have to jump in to get him if he swam to the bottom).

And I have pictures! Not the best, because I didn't have very good lighting and I neeeeeeeed a tripod (can't hold the darn thing still for the life of me!) -- but look how adorable she is! I got her in a sweet mood and put her on a chair that I draped with a red chenille throw, and she was my little model. ;-)


(I know the last one is really blurry, but she's making such a cute sillyface!)

--------

Also, my dad got me something for Christmas/birthday that I actually like (for the first time since I was 8)... this ring. I've been wearing it every day since; I looooooove the color of the amethyst! It looks fake 'cause it's so vivid, but it's real. The first photo is clearer, but the second is more true to color (sadly. If it was more blue it'd be vivid violet). (the ripply reflection is 'cause of my fingerprints)



Why did he get it for me? I don't think this shows that he's learned anything about me -- amethyst is my birthstone, and all my friends (and plenty of random people) know that I hate gold and love silver (though I forgive that in this ring). He got my mom and sibs jewelry too this year. I feel ungrateful... but I hate telling people it's from my dad, 'cause then they will most likely assume that I have a good relationship with him, or worse, that I'm some spoiled teenager (because everyone thinks I'm at least three years younger than I am) whose parents get her whatever she wants.

And I just plain don't like it that my dad wants a relationship with me. I don't want one with him, because I know him very well, and I know that he does not want me to be who I am and will not accept me for who I am. He knows next to nothing about me and refuses to learn because it would hurt his pride to admit that he has never sought my heart.

Why do I wear it? I think, honestly, I like it that my dad went out of his way for me (even though it was only in a financial sense). That matters to me. Even though consciously I almost resent the ring, resent what it represents to me.

If you haven't yet, please respond to my necklace design poll.

In other news, Kanika has finally figured out how to jump to the shelf where Hyacinthe (my betta)'s vase is. So far she's knocked off several of my candles and broken two of the glass jars they were in. Hya's gotten very fierce (jumping at me every time I feed him), but Kanika is more interested in pushing all the little glass half-marbles onto the floor to play with. And she's not quite tall enough to reach in the vase yet; but judging from Hya's reaction, I have no fear that he can take care of himself (it's a pretty deep vase, anyway, she'd have to jump in to get him if he swam to the bottom).

And I have pictures! Not the best, because I didn't have very good lighting and I neeeeeeeed a tripod (can't hold the darn thing still for the life of me!) -- but look how adorable she is! I got her in a sweet mood and put her on a chair that I draped with a red chenille throw, and she was my little model. ;-)


(I know the last one is really blurry, but she's making such a cute sillyface!)

--------

Also, my dad got me something for Christmas/birthday that I actually like (for the first time since I was 8)... this ring. I've been wearing it every day since; I looooooove the color of the amethyst! It looks fake 'cause it's so vivid, but it's real. The first photo is clearer, but the second is more true to color (sadly. If it was more blue it'd be vivid violet). (the ripply reflection is 'cause of my fingerprints)



Why did he get it for me? I don't think this shows that he's learned anything about me -- amethyst is my birthstone, and all my friends (and plenty of random people) know that I hate gold and love silver (though I forgive that in this ring). He got my mom and sibs jewelry too this year. I feel ungrateful... but I hate telling people it's from my dad, 'cause then they will most likely assume that I have a good relationship with him, or worse, that I'm some spoiled teenager (because everyone thinks I'm at least three years younger than I am) whose parents get her whatever she wants.

And I just plain don't like it that my dad wants a relationship with me. I don't want one with him, because I know him very well, and I know that he does not want me to be who I am and will not accept me for who I am. He knows next to nothing about me and refuses to learn because it would hurt his pride to admit that he has never sought my heart.

Why do I wear it? I think, honestly, I like it that my dad went out of his way for me (even though it was only in a financial sense). That matters to me. Even though consciously I almost resent the ring, resent what it represents to me.

If you haven't yet, please respond to my necklace design poll.

In other news, Kanika has finally figured out how to jump to the shelf where Hyacinthe (my betta)'s vase is. So far she's knocked off several of my candles and broken two of the glass jars they were in. Hya's gotten very fierce (jumping at me every time I feed him), but Kanika is more interested in pushing all the little glass half-marbles onto the floor to play with. And she's not quite tall enough to reach in the vase yet; but judging from Hya's reaction, I have no fear that he can take care of himself (it's a pretty deep vase, anyway, she'd have to jump in to get him if he swam to the bottom).

And I have pictures! Not the best, because I didn't have very good lighting and I neeeeeeeed a tripod (can't hold the darn thing still for the life of me!) -- but look how adorable she is! I got her in a sweet mood and put her on a chair that I draped with a red chenille throw, and she was my little model. ;-)


(I know the last one is really blurry, but she's making such a cute sillyface!)

--------

Also, my dad got me something for Christmas/birthday that I actually like (for the first time since I was 8)... this ring. I've been wearing it every day since; I looooooove the color of the amethyst! It looks fake 'cause it's so vivid, but it's real. The first photo is clearer, but the second is more true to color (sadly. If it was more blue it'd be vivid violet). (the ripply reflection is 'cause of my fingerprints)



Why did he get it for me? I don't think this shows that he's learned anything about me -- amethyst is my birthstone, and all my friends (and plenty of random people) know that I hate gold and love silver (though I forgive that in this ring). He got my mom and sibs jewelry too this year. I feel ungrateful... but I hate telling people it's from my dad, 'cause then they will most likely assume that I have a good relationship with him, or worse, that I'm some spoiled teenager (because everyone thinks I'm at least three years younger than I am) whose parents get her whatever she wants.

And I just plain don't like it that my dad wants a relationship with me. I don't want one with him, because I know him very well, and I know that he does not want me to be who I am and will not accept me for who I am. He knows next to nothing about me and refuses to learn because it would hurt his pride to admit that he has never sought my heart.

Why do I wear it? I think, honestly, I like it that my dad went out of his way for me (even though it was only in a financial sense). That matters to me. Even though consciously I almost resent the ring, resent what it represents to me.

I love both "Snapdragon" and "Tangelo", so I went for the name that'll shorten easily. So girl-fishie's name is Tangelo! I'll prob'ly call her Gely or Gelo for short. Hya and Gely... Hyacinthe and Tangelo... anyway. I wish I could show you guys how Gely dotes on Hya! He's not quite so fascinated with her, but he likes her well enough. It's so cuuuuute to see her snuggle up with him. They play tag all the time -- and sometimes she's the chaser. She fans out her tiny little gills and runs at him, and he scoots off, turns around, and comes back after her. Yes, I am fascinated with my fishies.

on another note, I'm a showoff. So here's some photos from the last photoshoot:

I love both "Snapdragon" and "Tangelo", so I went for the name that'll shorten easily. So girl-fishie's name is Tangelo! I'll prob'ly call her Gely or Gelo for short. Hya and Gely... Hyacinthe and Tangelo... anyway. I wish I could show you guys how Gely dotes on Hya! He's not quite so fascinated with her, but he likes her well enough. It's so cuuuuute to see her snuggle up with him. They play tag all the time -- and sometimes she's the chaser. She fans out her tiny little gills and runs at him, and he scoots off, turns around, and comes back after her. Yes, I am fascinated with my fishies.

on another note, I'm a showoff. So here's some photos from the last photoshoot:

I love both "Snapdragon" and "Tangelo", so I went for the name that'll shorten easily. So girl-fishie's name is Tangelo! I'll prob'ly call her Gely or Gelo for short. Hya and Gely... Hyacinthe and Tangelo... anyway. I wish I could show you guys how Gely dotes on Hya! He's not quite so fascinated with her, but he likes her well enough. It's so cuuuuute to see her snuggle up with him. They play tag all the time -- and sometimes she's the chaser. She fans out her tiny little gills and runs at him, and he scoots off, turns around, and comes back after her. Yes, I am fascinated with my fishies.

on another note, I'm a showoff. So here's some photos from the last photoshoot:

oh yeah, I bought Hya a girlfriend! (like two weeks ago) For the first five days I put them in the vase in separate gallon ziplock bags (open at the top since bettas breathe air) and let them get used to the idea of sharing the space... at first she was really agressive -- she bit the bag so hard it made a stretchmark in the plastic -- but after a few days she calmed down. I added them together and at first they ignored each other. Then she started going up to him, just looking at him up close, and he'd shy off. Eventually I suppose he got annoyed and chased her around and bit her top fin, so after a few hours of checking to see if he'd quit, I put him in a quart bag in the corner of the vase, with barely enough water to turn around in. I lectured him on not biting his playmate, and left him in there overnight. He was very unhappy. But she's so infatuated with him that she squeezed her little self up between the bag and the glass, with just enough room to move her gills, and stayed next to him. Eventually I got worried that she was stuck, so I shook the bag and she dropped out, but swam up next to the bag.
Next day I put Hya back in, and he chased her and chased her, but didn't cause any more damage to her fins, so I left them together and Ben and I went out for the day. When we came back, they were so cuddly it was adorable. They were swimming slowly around, so close they were touching. If fish can have blissful looks, they did. Ben and I decided that they must have worked it out... ;-)
Since then they've pretty much gotten along -- Hya still chases her, but not aggressively, and he doesn't bite.

I can't think of a name for her though. I wanted to name her Mimosa, but she's so fiesty! What is a flower name that sounds fiesty??? And goes with her colors?
( the girl! )
( look how big Hya has gotten! )
[Poll #350809]

oh yeah, I bought Hya a girlfriend! (like two weeks ago) For the first five days I put them in the vase in separate gallon ziplock bags (open at the top since bettas breathe air) and let them get used to the idea of sharing the space... at first she was really agressive -- she bit the bag so hard it made a stretchmark in the plastic -- but after a few days she calmed down. I added them together and at first they ignored each other. Then she started going up to him, just looking at him up close, and he'd shy off. Eventually I suppose he got annoyed and chased her around and bit her top fin, so after a few hours of checking to see if he'd quit, I put him in a quart bag in the corner of the vase, with barely enough water to turn around in. I lectured him on not biting his playmate, and left him in there overnight. He was very unhappy. But she's so infatuated with him that she squeezed her little self up between the bag and the glass, with just enough room to move her gills, and stayed next to him. Eventually I got worried that she was stuck, so I shook the bag and she dropped out, but swam up next to the bag.
Next day I put Hya back in, and he chased her and chased her, but didn't cause any more damage to her fins, so I left them together and Ben and I went out for the day. When we came back, they were so cuddly it was adorable. They were swimming slowly around, so close they were touching. If fish can have blissful looks, they did. Ben and I decided that they must have worked it out... ;-)
Since then they've pretty much gotten along -- Hya still chases her, but not aggressively, and he doesn't bite.

I can't think of a name for her though. I wanted to name her Mimosa, but she's so fiesty! What is a flower name that sounds fiesty??? And goes with her colors?
( the girl! )
( look how big Hya has gotten! )
[Poll #350809]

oh yeah, I bought Hya a girlfriend! (like two weeks ago) For the first five days I put them in the vase in separate gallon ziplock bags (open at the top since bettas breathe air) and let them get used to the idea of sharing the space... at first she was really agressive -- she bit the bag so hard it made a stretchmark in the plastic -- but after a few days she calmed down. I added them together and at first they ignored each other. Then she started going up to him, just looking at him up close, and he'd shy off. Eventually I suppose he got annoyed and chased her around and bit her top fin, so after a few hours of checking to see if he'd quit, I put him in a quart bag in the corner of the vase, with barely enough water to turn around in. I lectured him on not biting his playmate, and left him in there overnight. He was very unhappy. But she's so infatuated with him that she squeezed her little self up between the bag and the glass, with just enough room to move her gills, and stayed next to him. Eventually I got worried that she was stuck, so I shook the bag and she dropped out, but swam up next to the bag.
Next day I put Hya back in, and he chased her and chased her, but didn't cause any more damage to her fins, so I left them together and Ben and I went out for the day. When we came back, they were so cuddly it was adorable. They were swimming slowly around, so close they were touching. If fish can have blissful looks, they did. Ben and I decided that they must have worked it out... ;-)
Since then they've pretty much gotten along -- Hya still chases her, but not aggressively, and he doesn't bite.

I can't think of a name for her though. I wanted to name her Mimosa, but she's so fiesty! What is a flower name that sounds fiesty??? And goes with her colors?
( the girl! )
( look how big Hya has gotten! )
[Poll #350809]

Looks around a little nervously, but no one else is in the room. Relaxes.

Anyway, on Monday I got a Siamese fighting fish, less intelligently known as a Betta fish. He swirls with mostly a rich red, shimmering with blues, greens, and purples-- like a Mendicant's(sp?) cloak. He looks so gypsyish... I named him Hyacinthe! (pauses for Del's delighted action. wonders what that action is.) [I'm in a really weird mood right now.] My Hyacinthe is the Master of his own Straits, namely a 2 and 1/2 foot wiggly vase. It looks awesome. If I get a digital camera for my birthday (blinks charmingly at Ben, who remains absent), one of the very first pictures I take will be of Hyacinthe and his awesome home!

They had the Betas in these tiny tiny cups, and when I finally put Hyacinthe in his new home he didn't know what to do with all the space. Now he has gotten used to it and he LOVES it. He'll swim really fast down to the bottom sometimes and then right back up. If the lights are off he goes to the bottom and sleeps. It's so cute. And if Ben plays his guitar Hya goes crazy, swishing all around. Oh yeah, and if you come up close to the vase he'll show off his fins, doing this really slow turn so that you see every gorgeous scale. He only does it if you are up close looking at him though, so I'm convinced that he is in fact showing off.

And evileve is giving away her Devon Rex. I've been praying for one, but it's a $1,000 cat and I can't afford that. I'm afraid she's already given the kitty away, but I am not giving up hope. I want that kitty SO MUCH!!!!!! We'll see.

Looks around a little nervously, but no one else is in the room. Relaxes.

Anyway, on Monday I got a Siamese fighting fish, less intelligently known as a Betta fish. He swirls with mostly a rich red, shimmering with blues, greens, and purples-- like a Mendicant's(sp?) cloak. He looks so gypsyish... I named him Hyacinthe! (pauses for Del's delighted action. wonders what that action is.) [I'm in a really weird mood right now.] My Hyacinthe is the Master of his own Straits, namely a 2 and 1/2 foot wiggly vase. It looks awesome. If I get a digital camera for my birthday (blinks charmingly at Ben, who remains absent), one of the very first pictures I take will be of Hyacinthe and his awesome home!

They had the Betas in these tiny tiny cups, and when I finally put Hyacinthe in his new home he didn't know what to do with all the space. Now he has gotten used to it and he LOVES it. He'll swim really fast down to the bottom sometimes and then right back up. If the lights are off he goes to the bottom and sleeps. It's so cute. And if Ben plays his guitar Hya goes crazy, swishing all around. Oh yeah, and if you come up close to the vase he'll show off his fins, doing this really slow turn so that you see every gorgeous scale. He only does it if you are up close looking at him though, so I'm convinced that he is in fact showing off.

And evileve is giving away her Devon Rex. I've been praying for one, but it's a $1,000 cat and I can't afford that. I'm afraid she's already given the kitty away, but I am not giving up hope. I want that kitty SO MUCH!!!!!! We'll see.