Moshi Moshi

I just got back from my less than 12 hour stay in Chapel Hill with my lady friends Jean and Elisabeth (from camp).  It was such a blast!  I couldn't have asked for better company.  Here was how our time was spent:

1) When they first came to pick me up from Elon, they called my phone as I was in the middle of cleaning the fish tank.  I left the apartment immediately because I was so excited and forgot to turn off the sink (the sink sprayer was filling up a giant bowl with which I was using to refill the fish tank).  When we got back inside, the entire kitchen floor was flooded with water.  :(  After I cleaned it up, we frantically left Elon to get to Moshi Moshi for Jean's hair cut.  We were only a few minutes late.

2) After the cut, Elisabeth and I spent some time having to convince Jean that it was, indeed, a SUPER cute upgrade before entering into Med Deli for dinner.

3) Then we went to a vintage/thrift shop.  Elisabeth and I got matching sweatband sets while Jean settled for suspenders.

4) The rest of the evening was spent at Elisabeth's stylish, high-ceilinged dorm room watching the movie Boys Don't Cry as we made each other beautiful friendship bracelets.  Just as you can't buy true friendship, you can't find these one-of-a-kind hand-made friendship bracelets in the store.  They're staying on our wrists until they fall off or we die (which ever one comes first).

5) Saturday morning, after having a sleepless sleepover in the common parlor area, we brought our hot and tasty breakfasts from Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen to the upstairs lounge of Chill Bubble Tea.  Jean: Mocha, Elisabeth: Avocado, Monica: Taro

6) Oh, and did I forget to mention that we got cool, retro skip-its?  Well...

Snails finished*

So, today I was asked to babysit Carson and his big sister for a couple of hours.  It was easy as pie as usual and I had lots of fun.  The coolest part was that their fish tank was overcrowded due to a recent explosion of fertility amongst momma guppy and momma snail (there were tens and tens and tens of baby snails and baby guppies frantically swimming about the tank, searching for an uncrowded corner in which to swim).  And while I was pleaded with to take lots of both species, I did not want any guppies for my fish tank.  I did, however, agree to take as many snails as they (the daughter and her father) wanted me to.  Consequently, I left the house with a sandwich-sized ziplock baggie containing about 8 or 9 aquatic snails.  And, oh, how I was excitedly thrilled to put the snails in my fish tank as the latest accessory (I've recently started putting bamboo plants in the tank and find that I absolutely love furnishing the place)!  

I dumped them right in, watching carefully where they landed.  I think the water change confused them a bit, and they did not immediately suction themselves onto the glass in the tank or onto any plants.  And I wasn't really nervous about the koi's reaction to the snails (for I have seen them cohabiting at various pet stores).  However, it only took me stepping away to the bathroom, to come back to an empty tank.  For, THE SNAILS HAD EATEN THE FISH!

Just kidding.  But, seriously guys:  In accordance to one of my fears I had not given much thought (it was fear in the siberia of my mind, with some cobwebs around the edges) the koi had greedily gobbled up the snails, leaving no sign or trace that they had ever been there. 

And, oh, how I felt terrible for promising the little girl that her snails would have a good home in my fish tank.  I had no idea that I would be bringing them to a dinner in which they were the main course!  I should stop feeling guilty, though.  How was I supposed to know that this would happen?  I was just trying to do a good thing.  My fish are the ones really to blame.  I believe that Karma will work its way around to them as I suspect the hard shells on the snails will do nasty wonders to the fishies' digestive systems...

*finished: obviously, the snails were finished.  But I also put the word there because, while I was babysitting, I found myself reverting back to behavioral strategies I used at camp.  Carson is not with Autism, but I noticed that I used those strategies from camp to solve problems this afternoon [I guess it's going to be a while before I forget all that I've learned the past 2 months (which is a good thing!)].  For example, when Carson, who is 3 years old, kept trying to brush his teeth over and over again just so that he could eat his toothpaste (Thomas the tank engine toothpaste, another little shout-out to Autism), the first thing out of my mouth was "Brush teeth finished" and not only did I say that in a stern way, but I also signed it without thinking.  Whether or not it was appropriate, my message was heard loud and clear by Carson and it, well, worked.

I almost cried...

...when I came back to Elon and saw that the automatic fish feeder had failed to feed my fish (I've been relying on it for the past two weeks).  The littlest, Julius, was swimming around when he saw me but Orange, the big one, was resting on the bottom of the tank and I couldn't tell if he was breathing or not.  I started to panic and sprinkled the food pellets in their water like I sprinkle sprinkles on my ice cream (i.e. like mad crazy).  It took them a while before they started to eat and they still haven't eaten most of what I have given them.  

Now I'm trying to go to sleep, but I'm so worried about them that I will probably have a restless night ahead of me.  My main concern is that the sudden influx of food will hurt their starving stomachs.  Their behavior is just so odd and they won't even come up to the surface to nip at my fingers!  They are completely out of character and it is all my fault.  I swear, I don't know what went wrong with the auto feeder.  When I left, it was moving full speed ahead, powered by the new batteries that I had put in it.  

Luckily, Jenna is coming in only a couple of days and will be able to feed the brave little guys for me, providing them with the wonderful human interaction and supervision that the auto feeder is unable to give.  

I hate robots.

Brunch

Today I had my phone interview with Jill from Camp Taconic.  She seemed to like me and wanted to offer me the job.  However, she had no spaces available for general counselor or speciality counselor in the areas of creamics or drawing.  She asked me if I had experience with photography and video and I had to tell her that I didn't.  But she said that if a space happens to open up she will give me a call.  

Afterward, I decided that french toast sounded good for brunch and went to get the ingredients from the grocery store.  I decided to use a modified version of this recipe from Alton Brown:

I'm all about portraits with dead fish.

Here's how it turned out: