Fanflower’s Weblog

I woke up this morning to find that once again my computer has blanked out. The problem is exactly as I described previously on the 25th of June. Yes, the same problem that the geniuses at the Apple Genius Bar “fixed” by keeping my laptop for over a week and completely replacing the motherboard (whatever the heck that is). I think my beloved MacBook Pro just runs way too hot, but the odd thing is that both times it was working perfectly fine when I closed it for the night and then woke to the lovely surprise of a blacked-out screen. I wonder what their genius solution will be this time. My husband is graciously tending to my problem and letting me use his HP Pavilion during this crisis.

With everyone dispersed around the house today, taking care of my computer problem, or out somewhere finding their own entertainment, I had little to do except watch a critically ill betta fish take its final breaths and catch up on some worthless TV programming.

I’ve spent nearly all of today watching almost an entire season of The Moment of Truth online. I don’t know which demonstrates more stupidity — the people on the show willing to risk and ruin their family relationships and jobs for the opportunity to earn $10,000-500,000.00, or me wasting a whole Sunday watching them do it. Regardless, between episodes I glanced at the fish bowl across the room to check on the fish. Ahto did finally eat today after days of not appearing to do so, and was still occasionally swimming around, but he remained near the surface and wasn’t himself.

We’ve unwillingly had the fish since the early part of Ali’s senior year, when he was a required purchase for her high school science class project. I never understood why EVERYONE in the class needed to buy a fish they were going to need for less than three weeks, when certainly they could have pooled their money, bought a few for the entire class and shared them. Then, whomever actually WANTED to keep a fish could take them home as a pet, but no — every student had to buy one — and a bowl, and food, and everything else needed to sustain a fish, and then take it home to maintain for the rest of its life.

He was a pretty fish. Actually, he was the second one bought for the same project, since the first died soon after purchase. Ali created a nice little habitat for Ahto and I have to admit that I did enjoy watching him. I didn’t mind feeding him either. I just wanted absolutely nothing to do with cleaning his bowl and changing the water! Still, I fretted about him more than anyone else I think. Did you feed him? Did you change his water? I think he needs a new plant…

Well, finally during my last episode of online TV, I glanced up and Ahto looked pretty lifeless — and he was, the poor thing. Like Ali’s first fish, Ernie, he was buried at sea — only this time there was no procession, no final goodbyes, and Butterball and I were the only onlookers.

*flush*