I just realized that it has been almost a year since my last tank update. I hope I can make up for that with a larger than usual batch of photos. The tank is still going strong, although I did remove most of the Amazon Swords to give the discus more room to swim.

I hope you enjoy!

Some weird sounds from way back in 2008. I’m cleaning out my hard drive.

[download mp3]

Ok, my one and only political post for the year.

Most people are hardworking, decent people who just want to earn a living, take care of their kids and have a few beers on the weekend. The people who put forth the idea of a divided republic have an economic interest in fanning the flames of disharmony. Every election cycle the talking heads, chattering pundits and the angry demagogues from all parts of the political spectrum beat their drums as if we are on the brink of a Civil War. We are not.

The fact that someone has a different opinion than you doesn’t make them ill informed or kool-aid drinkers or anything of the sort. The fact that someone else is voting for a different political candidate than you are doesn’t make them a bad person or a bad American.

We face tough choices about the way we want to address the future. Ignore the fantasies of simple answers to complex problems. Ignore the calls to shut your ears and ignore anyone who dares to speak opinions that don’t march in lockstep with your own. Our disparate viewpoints are a strength that we should embrace. Our capability to empathize and learn from those we disagree with is the tool that will help us to meet the challenges ahead with the determination and inventiveness that has always made this a great nation.

The conspiracy theorists and professional cynics who sully the good name of meaningful skepticism won’t help us. The purveyors of ad hominem attacks cheapen our discourse and make it clear that they don’t have faith in their own grand pronouncements.

Regardless of who wins tomorrow, we are still in a deep hole and we are still going to have to come together to pull ourselves out of it. Not any particular politician or political party, but the American people together. Let’s vigorously argue the merits of the different paths ahead without losing sight of the bonds that bind us together as one out of many.

This is a post in my own self interest. I’m sure there will be another instance in the future where I cam connected to a company’s VPN, but I just can’t resolve an internal, that is intranet, resources. If the name doesn’t work by itself, try appending the appropriate DNS suffix in the advanced IP4 settings for the VPN connection.

This has been a note to my future annoyed self.

I never saw a cloud
Not a a single wrinkle in the sky
and the thing that cost me everything
was just a slice of warm pie

Like a blanket in a convict’s cell
I clung to you for warmth
and paid no heed to warning bells
I shrugged all warnings off

The day, my foe
Against me stood
with sharp words and with knives
circumstances took up arms for me
to shelter me from life.

…and yet, I hear no sirens
only the sweetest of bird song
I clung to death and lingering
one moment short of one moment to long.

The wind, once held

would lash the likes of knots

and turns

and rolls

and bind the hands of want and need

until the love of breathing fades

like conspirators under the wing of shade

more taut than any family bond

Bound!

Hold!

On Friday we  made our second attempt at home-made discus food. Sarah mixed the following ingredients in a Cuisinart food processor that we bought for the purpose:

• 1/4 pound of medium shrimp (about 8-10)
• A handful of Ocean Nutrition Prime Reef flake for color.
• 7 cloves of garlic

We plan on adding some green leafy vegetables to the mix in the future, but we wanted to start out with a simple ingredient list.

We added the garlic last, which was a mistake. The processor wasn’t able to break it into small enough pieces with the other ingredients already mixed in. Next time, we’ll make sure to process the garlic by itself.

We split the mix in two and added half of a very ripe banana to one part for binding. We’re not sure how well the mix will hold together in the water and wanted to experiment with different binders. We then placed each of the two batches into sandwich bags and froze them overnight.

We didn’t feed the fish on the night when we made the food. The next morning, we broke off a small piece of the batch without banana and dropped it into the tank. The good news is that the mix seemed to stay together. Unfortunately, the fish weren’t willing to actually eat any of it. The red cherry shrimp in our tank seemed to like it, but the discus turned up their snouts. We vacuumed the food out as part of our weekly water change.

I’ve read that it can take up to two weeks to introduce discus to new foods, so we’re trying to be patient. We’re also considering adding a few frozen bloodworms on top of the food to try and trick the fish into tasting it.

Patriots Not Fools

Politics is just like wrestling
They’re both fake, make no mistake
It’s a classic case of misdirection
Just play fighting for appearances sake

Both sides, both sides
Are really just the same
Don’t buy into it,
Cause it’s a rigged game

        We’re patriots, not fools
        The political parties are the rich man’s tools
        We’re patriots, not fools
        No matter who wins, we lose
   
        X2
   
   
Most people are mostly decent
We just want get on with our lives
We go to work, try to be good parents
mostly do what we think is right

media lies , serve to divide
It’s all a ratings game
Sparks fly, from both sides
But they’re fanning the flames
    
        We’re patriots, not fools
        Media companies are the rich man’s tools
        We’re patriots, not fools
        No matter who wins, we lose
   
        X2

Washington is on the corporate payroll
Lobbyists drown out the people’s  voice
billionaires make deals under the table
it’s just  an illusion that we’ve got a choice

Status Quo, status quo
It’s all the two parties stand for
They never solve any problems
They’re too busy keeping score

        We’re patriots, not fools
        Campaign money Is the  rich man’s tool
        We’re patriots, not fools
        No matter who wins, we lose

[Download MP3]

At any rate, here’s a two for one update on my tank: