New Aquarium Friends

The mourning period is over.

Obviously, that's a bit tongue-in-cheek.  It's been a couple weeks since Sergeant Pepper, my oft-pregnant dalmation molly fish passed.  I thought it time now to make some changes to the aquarium.

Today, I gave away another ten or so dalmation molly babies to the local pet store, which still leaves another ten younger babies in the tank.  And then I went to Petsmart and bought two new additions for my aquarium!

Until now, I've only had artificial plants, so I decided to invest in a moss ball plant.  They're pricey little things at $7.99 a piece.  I just got one, but I figure it'll add some more life to the tank, improve the water quality, and provide a little food to my fish.  As I've got nothing better to do tonight, I'm quite creatively naming this plant "Mossy."

"Mossy" the moss ball plant (the babies are already enjoying it)

The other new addition is a plecostomus fish.  It's essentially a small algae-eating catfish.  You know those creepy somewhat ugly fish that stick themselves to the side of an aquarium, with their big sucker mouths? ;-)  That's what I got!  He's good to have though, as algae has started to grow on the glass, on the plants, and the gravel.  He'll clean that up.  I've dubbed him "Putt-Putt."  I really have no good reason for naming him that, but I think it's hilarious.

"Putt-Putt" the Pleco

Lastly, Wiseguy - my silver lyretail molly - is definitely not a guy.  I think Wiseguy's pregnant.  Starting to look just like Sergeant Pepper did.  Not good!  I am SO over all these baby fish! 

These molly fish are such floozies.  That's right!  I said it.

Walking on Sunshine

There are precisely four "major" pieces of news in my life or of family and friends.  Three positives, and one slight downer (but less significant than the rest, so overall it's pretty darn good).  As I sip on a delicious venti soy mocha frappuccino from Starbucks, I'll start with the most obvious thing that is on the forefront of my mind that I've been training for since July!

Walking on Sunshine - Newport, RI Half-Marathon

Since July 21, I have been training for my second half-marathon in Newport, Rhode Island.  As you all know, I'm not a runner.  But I do push some mean brisk speed walking that has gradually improved since May.  I started out in May walking at about a 14:30 min/mile pace, and now I tend to walk at a 13:45 (or faster) min/mile pace.  I've adjusted my walking method by shortening my stride and speeding up my steps.  That's done wonders in reducing injuries.

Today's half marathon (a full marathon and relay race also took place), sponsored by Amica and United Health Care, began at 8:00am on a chilly, breezy, but sunny morning along the water in Newport, RI.  At the start of the race, it was about 48 degrees, though it warmed up to about 58 degrees or so by the end of race.  I wore shorts with a long-sleeve bright orange Saucony shirt and my relatively new Nike shoes.

Saturday afternoon I had picked up my race packet and bib (#2138) and stayed overnight at the Royal Plaza Hotel in Middletown, RI.  I had chicken parmigiana for dinner at the hotel restaurant.  My stomach sadly was bothering me (what's new, though, huh?), and so some Pepto Bismol came in handy that night and on the morning of the half-marathon.  I had my clothes laid out for the morning, and for breakfast I had an oatmeal bar and half of a banana.  I drove the three miles to the Newport Grand casino parking lot which took about 30 minutes due to all the traffic, and I then took one of the shuttle buses which got me to the starting area at 7:45am.  Lines for the porta-potties at the starting area were absurd, but I wasn't about to deny my body's needs, so I actually didn't start the race until 8:10am (along with about 500 other late-starters).

And now we get to the race!  Initially, everyone was darting past me as the other walkers already started, and the late runners were kicking into high-gear right off the bat.  I decided I wasn't going to take things slow, and I immediately started at my usual 13:30-14:00 min/mile pace.  Thankful to get blood rushing through my limbs after standing around for so long in the chilly air, I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I reached the first mile mark.  And the second mile mark.  Before I knew it, I was at mile 5 and feeling terrific.  Around mile 6.5, I reached Ocean Drive for the gorgeous ocean views (this was the stretch that I practiced walking the Sunday a week prior).  I found I was finally passing some slower joggers and walkers now, which strangely motivated me to walk even faster.  Some tiredness kicked in around mile 8, but nothing too bad.  At mile 9, I "ate" a GU gel pack, which boosted my energy levels.  Seeing the mile 10 post was a rewarding signal that I was getting closer to the finish line, and it also coincided with a beautiful walk through the historic mansion district - extravagant multi-million dollar mansions with tall iron gates.  Mile 12 was a blessing - the rest of the course was truly downhill, which was a joy compared to my last half-marathon in June when we were unfairly burdened with a steep uphill final climb.  Some subtle tears starting welling up in my eyes, and for the last 100 yards, I jogged the rest of the way.

Final Time: 2:57:27 at a 13:33 pace!  My goal was to beat the three hour mark, and I was thrilled to have succeeded in meeting that goal.  In fact, it was my third best pace for any of my walks, and I felt great about that!  I had walked my June half-marathon in 3:15:07 at a 14:53 pace, so the combination of a flatter course and an improved walking style definitely made a big impact.  During today's race, everything seemed to work out perfectly for me - I couldn't have asked for better results, honestly.  I don't have any photos of me yet as I did this race on my own, but I'll likely purchase the professional finish line photo of me, though, when it comes out.

I sure do feel sore in my legs and ankles, but thankfully this time around, I appear to have avoided any significant blisters or black toenails.  Well fitting shoes and a good walking style make a difference!

Today, like 2,505 other half-marathoners and 1,006 full marathoners in Newport, I truly felt like I accomplished something.

Provided marathon long-sleeve shirt, race bib, and finisher's medal

Oh, and here's a taste of some of the music new to my playlist that kept me motivated during the race:

"Alive" by Pearl Jam
"Firestarter" by The Prodigy
"King of Anything" by Sara Bareilles
"My Sharona" by The Knack
"Defeat You" by Smashmouth
"Peaches" by Presidents of the United States
"Time Bomb" by Rancid
"Pas de Cheval" by Panic at the Disco
and of course...
"Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves

A Congratulations Announcement to My Best Friend

My best friend Marcus, a great guy who I met in college during the very first day of classes my freshman year, is now a father!  He and his wife just had a baby (their first) last night at 10pm, and I am so excited for them!  I can't wait to visit them - and my new "niece" Sunny Marie - hopefully in November!  I really wish I was there in Virginia right now to see them!  Congrats Marcus and Kathy!

A House in the Outer Banks?!

My parents informed me tonight that they've put an offer on a house in Kill Devil Hills of the Outer Banks in North Carolina.  As you might know, my parents, uncle, and I have stayed at different rental condos every year in the Outer Banks since I was much younger.  Recently my parents decided they wanted to scope out houses down there so that we could have a "holiday" place to stay at that we own.  It appears they've made a big step toward doing so!  I looked up everything about the place, and it seems amazing!  I hope the offer is accepted - although regardless my parents said if it doesn't, there are a few other houses they have their eyes set on.  Gone would be the standard September vacations that tend to stress me out since they're always just after we open the residence halls at work.  Fingers crossed, pretty soon we'll be able to go down there any time we choose at our very own place!

And the Sad News... Farewell to Sergeant Pepper

I bought three molly fish in late August - Champ, Wiseguy, and Sergeant Pepper.  Sgt. Pepper was a dalmation molly fish who has probably had about 50 babies since I bought her.  In fact, just a week ago, she gave birth to another batch of fish fry - and they appear to all be black mollies, which surprised me, considering all the other babies have all been dalmations, too.  Well, over the last few days, Sgt. Pepper hadn't been looking too good.  I went to the pet store on Friday afternoon to see if there was anything I could do for her, but there really wasn't.  I think her last pregnancy (her fourth since August, the frequency of which is very common for mollies) was just too much for her.  When I came back from Newport this afternoon, she was no longer alive.  She brought a lot of new life into the world, though!  I know it sounds silly to be sad for a fish, but hey... a life is a life.  Farewell, Sergeant Pepper!


Rest in peace, Sergeant Pepper!

Been Gone Fishing

It has been far too long since my last blog.  Life has been exceptionally busy since mid-August as I've been smack in the middle of training with our Resident Assistants and then opening of the residence halls.  A crazy 16 straight days of organized chaos with some fantastic people!  However, being the introvert that I am, I'm majorly glad to finally have a bit of a break of alone time for the next couple of days.

Earlier in August, I moved to the Student Apartments on campus.  I'm now in a small but very homey apartment.  Unfortunately, there are no windows - only skylights.  I felt bad for my cat Evey who has been accustomed to full views of the outside world.  So I decided to get a 20 gallon aquarium along with three molly fish so that Evey has something to watch while I'm away all day.  I've never had a fish before in my life except perhaps when I was much younger.  I never knew how complicated it was to set up and maintain an aquarium, taking into consideration: the size of the aquarium, the filter, heater, decorations, water quality (and delicate biological cycle in the beginning), and type of fish.  At the moment, I have a dalmation (like it sounds) molly, a black molly, and a silver lyretail molly.  The naming process was an undertaking in itself.  The dalmation's name is Sergeant Pepper; the black molly is Champ - he is a trooper because as I was pouring the fish from their bag into a net, Champ missed the net and crashed into the bucket below, but he has survived wonderfully; the silver lyretail is Wiseguy since he has no fear of Evey when she presses her little nose up to the tank, plus Wiseguy just has the goofiest personality of the three, I think. 

It didn't take long for me to realize that Sergeant Pepper was pregnant.  She just had babies (or "fry" as they are technically called) on September 1.  Two days later, she is still having more babies.  It's bizarre that molly fish, especially females (including the mother), are like cannibals, eating the young.  I didn't really want to get a breeder net (separates the babies from the adults) because I don't really need that many additional fish in the tank.  I bought some floating plants instead for all the little guys to hide in; this gives them a fighting (or fleeing?) chance to survive the scary monsters.  I've had to crush up the fish flake food into powder so the babies can eat it.  I also had to prevent the fry from getting sucked into the filter, so I invested in some panty hose (an awkward shopping experience) to cover the filter with - it still can do its job somewhat.  I'm a little disturbed by how the filter looks now (see below), but hey... what can you do? :) 

This is definitely a fun and rewarding experience.  I'm really hoping that some of the fish fry survive - considering there are probably around 15-20 babies still after three days, I think some will make it and mature into adults.  Perhaps toward the end of September, once it becomes more apparent how many new fish I'll have, I'll likely go out to the pet store and purchase some different colorful fish!  I think I'm much more interested in the fish than Evey is now.  I can certainly see why people love having an aquarium.