So Cheese Ball Died

Yeah, my tank theory did not hold water.  We got him a 10 gallon tank stocked with neon pink plants and heater.  He seemed happy enough at first and even seemed peaceful the next morning when I found him stuck to the filter.  I am going to believe that it was just his time.  Unfortunately that left us with a giant empty tank and a void in out hearts so we went to Petsmart and filled it with two black mollies (one of them suspiciously fat), two white mollies, two swordtails and two and a half snails.  Quite the little ecosystem.

Ok, so never name your fish until they have survived at least a week.  Almost immediately both white mollies and a snail died.  Although after some research, I think the snail was still alive but whatever.  Then one of the black mollies died a few days later.  I was starting to Google panic search and quickly realized mollies like slightly salty water.  Whoops (thanks mentioning that one Petsmart).  So I fixed that and now its been three weeks and the survivors seem much happier.  In fact my suspiciously fat molly gave birth to about 40 babies.  We actually didn't notice for a while because the fry were so small and black, but then I watched one of the swordtails spit something out of his mouth and then watched it swim away and figured it out.  We debated about letting nature take its course but then Mahsa saw another one get eaten and the look on her face convinced me to try to save some.  Plus, I thought that if I can save some I can recoup some of my losses (take that Petsmart).  I made a home for them out of the fish net by bending it and setting it in the water so that only the bottom of the net was immersed.  Initially I was able to save three (although one was half eaten) and now only one remains but he is doing well and apparently he will get some brothers and sisters soon since these things store love juice and usually have 3 or 4 batches even after the male is separated (or dies).

That black speck in the middle is a fish.

This should be the last fish post for a while.  I just wanted to document this for memory's sake since there is still a good chance that my fish tank may soon be a terrarium. 

Finally, here is Hercules practicing eating chicken wings.

The Life and Times of Cheese Ball

Well, I don't think Cheese Ball is going to make it.  He is spending an awful large portion of his day chillin at the bottom of his vase and he is starting to turn brown, which is not really a natural color for a goldfish.  I think maybe he would be doing better in a tank vs. a flower vase and floating in something other than tap water.  But alas, those things cost money and as anyone who has won a fish at the fair knows, these things don't exactly live forever.  RIP Joe, my first fish, who lived for like five years.  I think he was helped by living near the microwave.  So before it's too late, here is Cheese Ball looking stoked to be a Rivera.

I had my first semi-long run training for Seattle.  I found a great trail by my house which goes over 20 miles from end to end so I have found my beach trail replacement.  Not even being sarcastic, I passed at least 5 parks along the trail.  This is what I love about this place so far.  AND, every person I passed said hello.  Actually, that sounds a little creepy but it was really cool.  I also am learning how to sweat which is new to me.  Maybe that is why the bus is a little smellier here.  Here is the route I ran this weekend:

Not that you can read it but everything looks cooler from space.

Cereal

Since moving to Silver Spring, my greatest expense has not been the heating bill (my first instinct), parking, or water.  Surprisingly, it has been cereal!  As you can clearly see below, at points in time we have so much that we remove the bags from the boxes just to get them all to fit on the refrigerator. 

 

Now, anyone who knows us, will know who the cereal fiend is in the relationship, but it's fair to say that I am not immune to the call of a good bowl every once in a while, or a 2fer on my favorite versions.  The fact is, it is not the actual cereal that calls to us, as much as it is the idea that finally we have a place to put it.  Our very own cereal shrine to adorn with as much cereal as physics allows.

In many ways, I am thankful that it is cereal that we hoard as opposed to cars or shoes or dvds (wait..... never mind that last one, that's another post).  Cereal is never gonna break the bank and I never have to worry about regularity.  I know once kids enter the equation I'll be lucky if I ever even see the cereal.  Come to think of it, I see now why old people like bran and shredded wheat, it is probably all they could keep for themselves.  So for now, don't be surprised to see the perpetual empty bowl (or bowls) resting in the Rivera sink.

With that, here is Camden singing Rhianna (he's not really upside down).

Sure Enough.....

So the lady in front of me on the bus today was amazing.

The roads in Montgomery and PG counties are out of control.  I don't think they have done work on them since the Reagan administration and I swear that in some parts I have seen hell in the bottom of a couple of the potholes.  Needless to say, bus seats are not the best shock absorbers and sleeping on the bus is out of the question.

Or so I thought.

This lady sits down in front of me and leans her head on the window and falls asleep.  Now I'm  interested.  I know whats coming.  Just after the Taco Bell, but right before the Don Pollo, there is the grand daddy pothole.  Like god stuck a finger in the ground just to watch people texting and driving hit their faces on their steering wheels.

Now this lady, to make matters worse, is slowly sliding down the window until her head is resting on the aluminum edge window sill.  I can't believe she is even asleep first of all, with all of the crazies that I see getting off and on everyday, and second, I have to imagine that she is not new to the area and this probably isn't her first trip on the merry-go-round. 

Ok, here is comes........ BAM.  Seriously, I heard her head smack the side of the bus.  I'm thinking brain damage.  She sits up and decides to lean her forehead on the metal bar in front of her and go back to sleep.  Amazing.

These are the type of people I feel sorry for.  This lady could have made a killing with a circus back in the day, traveling the world, screaming fans paying nickels and dimes for a peak at the incredible unbreakable melon.  Instead, she is relegated to some crappy double shift somewhere that makes her so tired that bouncing her face off Plexiglas is better than staying awake for 15 more minutes.

My Anniversary Day

Today is my wife and my's first anniversary.  I should definitely say how much I love her and how much she inspires me to start writing down some of my thoughts.  I guess my first post should just describe a little about where I am in my life.

In December I packed up all my stuff and stuck it to the pioneers by moving back east.  All those years playing Oregon trail made me realize all the pain and hardship they went through and how in two days I reversed all of their hard work.  Take it pioneers.  I now live in Silver Spring, MD which was almost Mall of America II but I guess that it didn't pan out.  I started as a postdoctoral researcher at UMD and so far so good.

Our apartment is new and beautiful and I love being married in our own place.  Most importantly, our place has shuffle board which if I ever make friends, will be awesome.

I have a fish named Cheese Ball and he lives in a vase because he will probably die soon and I wanted him to prove his worth before spending $10 on a fish bowl.  Don't worry, it is a big vase.  We got him for Persian New Year which is my new favorite holiday because it is two days before our anniversary, so I will never forget!

I am an uncle to Camden and my sister takes a lot of pictures and videos of him for me to post later.  It's nice since I am so far away.  Hah, my typing skills just made me type "fart".

I ride the bus to work every day and every day I see something jaw dropping.  The bus is a sick sociological experiment to me.  A bunch of people from different ethnic groups and socioeconomic backgrounds packed into a sardine can and hoping that a set of headphones will keep the drunk guy in the corner from talking to you while avoiding the seats with pee on them.  I love it.

So that is my life.  Bus Work Bus Home.  Sounds mundane, but thanks to the ridiculousness of others (and my own), my life is never boring.