Something Fishy Going On Again

I love my fish tank.  It brings a calm and peace to my life as I peer into an alien environment created for creatures with gills and colorful scales.  I have a 55 gallon tank and when it’s fully stocked with guppies and neons and assorted tetras it can be better than HD TV.  In 3D even!

The story of the tank goes back to the days in Roswell and my job at KBIM TV.  The year was 1992.  I already had a 10 gallon tank (which was later the home for my Piranha, but that is another story) where my green snake lived.  (it was so cool)  I also had a little goldfish tank with a little goldfish in it.  I didn’t want a dog or a cat since I lived in an upstairs apartment.

I was minding my own business at work one day talking to our receptionist and she asked me if I wanted to buy her 55 gallon tank.  Stand, underground filters, gravel, the whole works for only $75.  What a steal and a deal!  I jumped at it and we agreed.  Her Dad even helped me carry it up the stairs to my apartment.  He even took the heavy end.  (and it was heavy)

I got it all set up and stocked it with fish and it was amazing.  It had (and still has) the best gravel I’ve seen in a fresh water tank.  My son was only 3 years old at the time and he loved it!  Amber did too, and so did I.  :-)

I had the tank for the remaining couple years I lived in Roswell.  I added a dog when I moved into a house.  Popcorn was our “Pet of the Week” one week that we featured on the air after the weather.   I said on TV that I would take her if no one else did, and I did, but again, that is another another story.

Back to the tank.  It traveled well when I moved to Lubbock, Texas and was a source of joy when I bought my first house a couple of years later.  I visited FAO Schwartz in NY, NY and bought some marbles that I added to the tank.  The fish even made the move (and two year stay) to Odessa, Texas after my nearly 10 years in Lubbock.  After Odessa I moved to Tucson and that is when I ran into a problem.  The tank got cracked during transport from Odessa to Tucson.  So, I went without fish for almost a year.  That is until my son came to visit.

Now in high school, one of the first things my son said to me was, “Where is your fish tank?”  I had always had the tank since he could remember and it was noticeably missing.  I missed it too, so I went down to the Wal-Mart and bought a new tank.  I still had all the set-up stuff and it was easy to set it up back up and stock it.  Just like old times!  All was calm and peaceful again in the Shaw household.

Then came my personal Great Depression last year into this one.  Not so much my mood, but my finances.  First one light burned out on the tank, then the other.  Some of the fish were dying (normal attrition) and the remaining were living in the dark except for the natural light coming in from the windows.  I couldn’t afford to replace the lights nor the fish.  This went on for nearly a year until last week.

Finally!  I caught up on my bills and I had some left over cash to replace the lights and stock the tank.  I especially love the guppies.  They are the most colorful and flamboyant of the fish and they breed like crazy.  The little baby guppies serve as live food for the rest of the fish, and the guppies that survive continue to supply even more guppies. It’s wonderful!  In Lubbock I had a pet store owner who used to buy guppies from me.

So there you have it.  Pets and apartment living don’t mix with me very well.  Except for the fish.  They don’t need to be walked and there is no cat box litter smell.  Only peace and love and a glimpse into an alien world full of color and life.  Sigh.

Quiet

I really felt like I’ve been spending waaaay too much time watching TV.  For quite a while now I’ve been hearing the Lord whisper, “return to your first love.”

When God yanked me back to him in 2000 one of the first things he layed on my heart was to get rid of the NFL Sunday ticket.  So I did.  The satellite dish soon followed.  I found myself with like 4 or 5 channels.  It worked out so great.

I was working 4am – 1pm back then, so I would come home and take a nap, and most days I would spend a lot of time in prayer.  It was so fruitful.  I got to know God a lot better!  We hung out.  It was awesome!  I know He liked it too.  :-)

The other thing about not having cable, I discovered “God’s Learning Channel” out of Odessa, Texas.  Now there is a lot on that station I don’t necessarily agree with, but it is how I discovered Pastor Duane Sheriff and his ministry.  About a year or so later, Victory Life in Durant, Oklahoma became my church away from church and the first time I went with my son, he accepted Jesus!

So today my cable went away.  I decided I needed some quiet.  To return to my first love.  I don’t even have an antenna hooked up, so I have zero channels.  It’s quiet.  I think God wants me to listen.

Yet Again!

Tedious.  Another evening ANOTHER AWESOME SUNSET!!!  Arizona has every place I’ve been to beat by quite a long ways when it comes to sunset awesomeness!  Better than Roswell.  Better than Lubbock.  Better than Odessa.  Better than Oregon.  (although Oregon has best lots of other stuff!)  Even better than San Diego at the beach!  It really boggles the mind.

Two things.  First, I noticed that my camera adds some color to the sunsets.  Usually it’s a nice effect, but I would rather capture the actual real colors.  Maybe that’s the difference between a $199 camera and a $1,199 camera :-)  I suppose even a $500 camera might do the trick.  Great.  Something else I need!

Next was catching the hummingbird in flight.  They are sooooo cute!  I stood just a few feet away and waited with my camera.  A couple of times I didn’t have it raised to eye level.  Even when I moved to raise the camera (s)he didn’t fly away every time.  A couple of times, but not every time.  After  I got a few pictures and knew I had what I wanted the next time (s)he came around, I just watched.  Standing three feet away looking at this tiny wonder while (s)he sipped away on some sugar water.  Pretty remarkable.  Did I mention the sunset going on the whole time wasn’t too shabby?!

There really is a God and He really is good!

Something Fishy

The fish tank is doing well again. It’s been through a lot since I moved from Odessa to Tucson. First, it cracked during the move. It sat empty in my apartment for over a year while I tried to decide whether to try to repair it, or get a new one. Finally, I got some help, threw out the cracked tank and bought a new one at Wal-Mart.

I set up the new tank. Bought some fish. It sure was nice! The sound of the pumps and the water. The guppies and neons and tetras swimming around peacefully. Very nice. Unfortunately, I got really lazy.

I didn’t clean the tank for a long time. Some of the fish died. Algae was growing. Not good. So, I’ve cleaned it. Bought some new fish. And it looks better than ever!

I am determined to keep it clean! I also added some floating “plants” as shelter for baby guppies. When I lived in Lubbock, I had so many new guppies that I sold them back to my favorite pet store from time to time. Guppies are my favorite because they have so much color, are hardy, and reproduce a lot. The baby guppies provide live food for the other fish, and the survivors become new colorful fish that in turn churn out more live food and, well, you get the idea.

I also like the little African Frogs! They are so cute when they swim to the surface for a quick gulp of air. They are a crowd favorite!

I love my 55 gallon fish tank. Maybe someday I’ll switch to salt water. Until then, I’ll enjoy my guppies and neons :-)

Joined the Choir – What was I Thinking?!

Yep. Joined the little choir at work today. I think there are six of us. I’m the second guy to join. I must be crazy, but I’ll try to explain.

I do NOT have a great voice. I LOVE to sing! I LOVE to worship the Lord through singing! I’m always singing. In the hall. In my car (ESPECIALLY in my car!) In the store. Pretty much everywhere except the shower, and that’s only because I live in an apartment. In fact, that’s the biggest drag about living in an apartment. I’m afraid to belt out songs like I did when I lived in the house. Anyway, I digress.

When I was just a boy, I had a beautiful boy soprano voice. Vienna Boys Choir type voice. Great control. I could hold a high C all day! You know that Minnie Ripperton song “Lovin’ You”? That really really high part in the middle? No problemo. It was a gift from God! I sang a couple solos in 5th grade school plays, whatever. I LOVED to sing! Then my voice changed. Don’t get me wrong, I’m GLAD my voice changed :-) It’s just that when it did, I lost my vocal control and some of my pitch.

Now when I sing, I have trouble hearing myself, so I have trouble matching what I should sound like. I can sing some songs OK. Others, not so much. If I’m not careful, I could throw the choir off! And yet I joined.

When I lived in Odessa, I joined the choir at Mid-Cities Community Church. Those were good times in God’s presence. I’m pretty sure the guy in front of me asked me to move once because I was throwing him off. He was nice about it though. I remember making a few new friends and spending time in His presence. Really, that’s the most important thing. And who knows. As I worship Him with my voice, maybe he’ll help me get back some of that gift of vocal control and quality I had as a boy. I would really like that.

Election Day Snowman

November 2, 2004

It was an early season wet snow for Lubbock.  Problem was, I was living in Odessa where it was a chilly rain (and not all that much rain).  So I made the short 2 1/2 hour drive to make a snowman with my Mom.

Probably the best part was the bowl of spaghetti before I had to drive back. We sure had fun!