Journal Entries
HOLY GRAIL
Posted Feb 13, 2004
Spent the morning arguing with therapists. Discovered that one is a homeopath and one is a Bhuddist. Declined to fill in their questionnaire about how suicidal I am. Was strongly advised to stop searching for the "holy grail" of a cure for my CFS, because "there isn't one".
Ironically, the Holy Grail has been found, and is being kept in a Post Office safe box in a little town on the Welsh border.
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Latest reply: Feb 13, 2004
EYEING THE SNAILS
Posted Feb 8, 2004
Gothly eyed my snails critically today and said, "they're getting a bit big, aren't they?"
I don't like it when Gothly eyes my snails. I keep them in an out-of-the-way room precisely to avoid that from happening.
"But look," I said appeasingly, "there's just ten left! Isn't that great?"
"How many did you start off with?" asked Gothly.
"Three thousand!" I beamed.
"No," said Gothly; "how many did you *start off* with?"
"Ah. Er... thirteen."
"So in three years, you've managed to get rid of a net total of three snails."
"Er."
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Latest reply: Feb 8, 2004
R.I.P.
Posted Feb 5, 2004
Wensleydale died today, with his fins in the arrangement he always used when he followed my hand around.
His death is completely eclipsed by the death of Gothly's Gran, whose funeral we will attend next week. She died quickly and painlessly of a stroke, not seeming to notice that anything was amiss. Gothly is coping well, by busily informing other family members, and ordering arrangements of flowers from the undertakers. I am being supportive and pretending I'm not missing her too.
Death makes the world seem new and strange, doesn't it?
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Latest reply: Feb 5, 2004
VALENTINE MESSAGE
Posted Feb 5, 2004
One of the local charity shops has hit upon the idea of putting heart-shaped valentine messages in their window, in return for donations. Amongst all the stuff like "I luv my Snugglebum, from Dave" is a message, with pictures, that says: "I love degus, slugs and snails. Rhiannon, age 9."
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Latest reply: Feb 5, 2004
WENSLEYDALE
Posted Feb 4, 2004
I was halfway through preparing a small hospital tank for the annual invasion of fish parasites, when the little blighters hatched early. I had to do a rush job, and transfer Wensleydale before he spread them around the big tank. Poor Wensleydale! He's spent all night twitching and dashing about, trying to shake them off. I thought he would be dead by this morning, but he's hanging on in there.
These parasites first arrived aboard a shoal of neon tetras I bought from 'Pets at Home'. Never buy neon tetras from 'Pets at Home'. Most of them died within a week of my buying them, and I was left with three. I spent days plucking parasites from the water by hand, and I thought I had seen the last of them. Then I bought a catfish (Sideshow Bob). The following spring, would you credit it: the tank was teeming with a fresh brood of bloodsuckers!
So I poured in a load of chemicals, but it was too late: Camembert and Brie both coughed their last. Since the chemical stuff only kills critters which aren't already attached to a fish, I knew I'd have trouble on my hands again this spring.
Until I am clear of parasites, I can't buy any new fish. How many years will it take, I wonder? I could, of course, sacrifice Wensleydale; he's smaller than the crickets I feed to my tarantula, after all. But how can I kill a fish who follows my hand around when I clean the tank?
I guess I'm stuck with watching a lone neon tetra swim around a three-foot tank, and, if I'm lucky, catching the occasional glimpse of the elusive Sideshow Bob.
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Latest reply: Feb 4, 2004
Snailrind
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