When Being a Jerk Works (Underwater Edition)
Life Lessons
Last weekend, I went to the local fish shop (LFS). I was looking for some schooling fish and a honey gourami for my 38 gallon aquarium (currently home to Drizzle and Dazzle, two lovely but reclusive little plecos). I ended up with a school of eight Pristella tetras (aka X-Ray tetras), and a Blue Paradise Gourami who the shop owner assured me would be fine with the tetras.
Eddie the Paradise fish is a jerk.
I mean, he’s not, really. He’s just doing what fish like him do, instinctively. But he’s definitely not fine with the tetras, unless you consider “fine” chasing them one by one and keeping the whole school mostly pinned down to one corner of the aquarium.
I did some research (which I know I should have done *before* bringing him home), and found out that paradise fish are quite notorious for being big bullies in the tank to any fish smaller than they are (and some that are larger, too). Eddie is still very much a youngster, so he’s about the same size as the tetras at the moment, but that doesn’t seem to matter. He wasn’t making contact…yet…but the writing was on the wall. He chased and terrorized the tetras for the entire day and a half he was in that tank.
Much like some people (me), paradise fish prefer to have their own space, and they don’t typically like others in that space. They are not good community fish on the whole, and best kept either by themselves, or with other peaceful fish bigger than they are (if they know they can’t win, they won’t try to fight – which is smart, methinks).
So, Monday night, I took the husband shopping with me (because I’m still not supposed to lift over 20lbs), and got Eddie his own 20 gallon bachelor pad, complete with a pirate ship, skeleton with treasure, and sparkly quartz rocks. When I got home, I set it all up, filled the tank, added a bunch of plants, and the next morning, Eddie moved out of the big tank and into his own little “paradise”.
Eddie needed his own space, and in his case, being a jerk worked (it worked in the big tank too, just to the detriment of the tetras, who are now much happier with him gone).
Which got me thinking…being a jerk works for humans too, when we want our own space. But it tends to work very well and for quite a long period of time, so it’s definitely a tool best used sparingly.
Unlike Eddie, we can use words (polite ones, even) and just tell people when we need space. Handy, especially when we’d like to preserve relationships.
Writing News
I think I jinxed myself last week – it was such a good, productive week. This week has been markedly different, with much business at work that’s been hampering my ability to get in the proper headspace to dictate during my commutes.
Still, I’ve been noodling out one of the main plots of Magpie Shiny, which involves a legend and traditions passed down through generations. It also involves an ancestor’s journal, which is a story all on its own. So…a few things to work out there, but very interesting to think about and several different ways I can take it going forward.
In the Garden
Spring is really springing up all over around here, and we’ve had a fair amount of rain, which is helping things right along. I got most of the rock yard cleaned up a week and a half ago, but last weekend it was too rainy to work outside. This weekend, I plan on getting all these rudbeckia cleaned up, and I’ll pour some aquarium water on ’em for nutrients too.
Then we just need to get some bedding plants, and possibly a hummingbird feeder for the arch, and the front yard will be all set for summer. Oh! And liners for those steel tubs. I have some solar-powered fountains to run in them…if we can keep them full of water, I think that would be a nice juxtaposition against the rocky terrain.
Recommendation
If you are a fan of historical romance, you’ve probably watched (or at least heard of) Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series. Well, last weekend, I watched the first episode of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Shonda Rhimes wrote the screenplay, and man…there was so much relatable emotion just in that one episode. If you haven’t already, do check it out while we’re all waiting for the next season of Bridgerton.
That’s it for this week! If you have a favorite thing to share, or want to recommend a book, TV show, video or podcast, comment below, email me at jamie@jamiedebree.com, or catch up with me on Facebook or Instagram.
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