Sometimes I wish I weren't so weird.

[WhistlingBadger]

I am dealing with frustrating issues with my Himalayan tank--Beautiful fish that I hardly ever see, expensive and very cute frogs that keep disappearing--and I am realizing something about myself: I am a weird person, and I like weird things. Sometimes I wish I could just be satisfied with a semi-generic but well-put-together community tank with pretty, easy-to-source, inexpensive, durable, predictable fish.

But no. I have to build a Sumatran rice Paddy. Or a central Asian hillstream. Or an Orinoco flooded forest. Or a tiny badis/frog habitat. These things are difficult, and that makes them interesting. But I do get tired of difficult sometimes. A little easy would be nice, but not as fun.

It isn't just fish keeping. Sometimes, when I am carving a longbow in the garage, or practicing for hour after hour in the backyard, or watching yet another animal leave unscathed because I couldn't get quite close enough, I think about my friends who hunt with modern crossbows and electronic calls, who always seem to have full freezers and pretty antlers on the wall. The trouble is, I don't want to hunt that way; I like my primitive weapons. But a little success would be nice.

I don't use canned curriculums in my job; I make up everything myself. Usually I am successful at this, and I think my originality is one of the secrets of my success as a teacher. But it sure would be less work to let someone else steer the ship, as it were. It would definitely be more comfortable.

What is it about me that makes me want to do things the hard way, even though I know that doing so will limit my success? I don't know. It's part of who I am, something I value about myself. But it's hard.

No real point here, I guess, just a little counseling session with some fish buddies who might understand.

 

[Magnum Man]

I nominate you for teacher of the year...

I never got good enough with a bow to hunt, but the bulk of my hunting is done with muzzleloader, or other single shots, or revolvers... and I never got good enough, to fill the freezers...

I've found it easier to keep the freezer full, by raising my own meat, rather than hunting for it... in fact, it's been several years since I've meat hunted... my freezers are too full

 

[Magnum Man]

hey , BTW... is the title to this thread grammatically correct???

 

[Innesfan]

hey , BTW... is the title to this thread grammatically correct???

It's correct. The subjunctive mood--weren't--is called for in a sentence beginning "I wish I..."

 

[GaryE]

You might some get some understanding. For me, "easy" is for things that don't matter. And why surround yourself with things that don't matter?

I don't understand the things that matter to a lot of the people in the world around me. I'm a classic misfit, possibly from the same assembly line as you are. The hunting and crossbows and such don't interest me, but work that may not succeed does. I'm not even sure what success is. To me, I think it's something about being in a flow - writing in my case. I'd rather get lost in doing something than finish quickly and have the same thing I could have paid for, or bought.
Sound familiar?

How can anyone be a teacher with the idea of easy success? You are constantly strategizing, failing, trying again... right? It's work with people, and nothing is more complicated or matters more than people when they're kids. Some places have standardized tests and people who don't think it through see success in the numbers generated. But success is in the kids who decide to become things you never even knew existed - but that maybe you did a tiny bit to help them discover.

I read a whole bunch of people here who I suspect are like that - looking to discover new ways of failing that could lead to a feeling of success..

hey , BTW... is the title to this thread grammatically correct???

That's a nicely used subjunctive mood in the grammar of the title.

 

[Magnum Man]

not college educated, I guess I would have written it incorrectly as " Sometimes I wish I wasn't" ... but then I've been known to take "creative license" with the English language..

 

[gwand]

Whistling Badger, You have embraced a philosophy, a way of life, that is full of meaning and purpose.

 

[CassCats]

Enjoy what you like!

Would you be content with a generic community or would you be left feeling like it's lacking that spark for you?

It's totally okay to enjoy the more obscure parts of this hobby.

Even as far as biotopes go, we often see a lot of the usual, not many go off the beaten path but when they do it's fun! But that also means you may be looking at fish that aren't going to be as straightforward in behavior that most expect from community fish. That's part of the charm of building more niche setups.

They get your brain ticking more with setting up more challenging and unique areas.

 

[GaryE]

As far as the grammar goes, I taught English as a Second Language for 17 years, at University and College. It got boring and predictable, so my mid life crisis was to jump into classrooms full of teenaged hooligans. I could have done the same easy teaching of adults and near adults thing over and over again for 35 years, but who does that when they can escape it?

I have a friend retiring this year, at 70, after having taught the same basic program I was hired to teach in 1984. I don't know how she did it. I know why, because we all need to make a living. But other than technology changes, that was pretty static. I took one short course when I needed extra money at one point, and all my colleagues were 15 years older doing the same job.

@WhistlingBadger is lucky teaching music, because that must change constantly as a creative activity. That makes it hard...the best.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

not college educated, I guess I would have written it incorrectly as " Sometimes I wish I wasn't" ...

That's what it would be if our language weren't insane.
(see what I did there?)

 

[Wills]

I’ve just swapped my 100 litre from puffers and glow light danios that I never saw to gourami and rummy nose rasboras that are out consistently and it’s so much better. Same on my mbuna tank to start with I want to hunt out niche and rare species but now I just want easy predictably. I’ve done the rare interesting brown fish now I just want an easy life haha

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I’ve just swapped my 100 litre from puffers and glow light danios that I never saw to gourami and rummy nose rasboras that are out consistently and it’s so much better. Same on my mbuna tank to start with I want to hunt out niche and rare species but now I just want easy predictably. I’ve done the rare interesting brown fish now I just want an easy life haha

Well, that's the thing. There's a lot to be said for that, and there isn't a thing wrong with doing things that are easy, enjoyable, and make sense. I suspect at some point I'm going to just make an easy, non-frustrating beautiful tank. And I'll probably really enjoy it.

But not quite yet. ha ha

 

[gwand]

Yes. Do not take W.C. field’s advice just yet.

 

[Oldspartan]

Not weird …. Eccentric.

 

[Naughts]

Define weird. Better words may be ambitious or adventurous.