What are you doing today?

[GaryE]

Monday morning with heavy freezing rain. It's grey out there.

The puppy is doing better, but needed another vet run last night. It's all eventually going to result in minor surgery, which should get to the cause of the issues. She slept like a banjo cat all morning, then suddenly perked up and started vocalizing a long sad story. You'd have thought she was a husky, from the amount of talk. I just nod and agree with her.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Trying to find my grad school transcript so I can apply for a job!

 

[GaryE]

Trying to find my grad school transcript so I can apply for a job!

Be careful, as I'm sure grad school was a ways back. Papyrus scrolls get brittle.

 

[Back in the fold]

Trying to find my grad school transcript so I can apply for a job!

Career change or moving up ?

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Career change or moving up ?

Oh, thinking about moving to a different district that pays better. Same basic job.

 

[Oldspartan]

Tilled the new garden plots. I cheated and borrowed a friends three-point tiller and tractor. Took 45 minutes to triple till each plot and I enjoyed a pop instead of a sweat. So much easier than my Troy Built. Tomorrow I will run the homemade harrow over the areas. It is little more than bed springs weighed down with cement.

Earlier I did angel fish research with Linda and also moved 5 of them to new quarters.

Now I am here on this forum while I await the dinner bell. Diced chicken in Linda's cream sauce with a side of homemade perogies, defrosted fruit salad, and steamed cauliflower with a swiss cheese sauce. A special dinner as a reward for all my hard work.

 

[GaryE]

Mabel the dog is still in the cone of discomfort. She is much better though.

Last night I took her out in the darkness, and when we got near a line of cedars, we got huffed at by a deer. There's a large, huffy male in the herd. Normally, she ignores them, but feeling ill and weak, and in a cone, she was ferocious. A dozen deer skedaddling in thick fog is kind of pretty.

I have another large brood of Parananochromis brevirostris - at least 20 fry. That's five groups I have to raise, ranging from 5 to 15 of them. I have fry from 2 pairs of F-1, and this brood and 2 others from my 2023 wild caughts. It's a subtle, lovely little dwarf. My goal is to have enough to give to a European Ichythologist who is visiting in the summer, then to get between 50 and 100 into the trade via an importer/wholesaler in Quebec.

I don't want to be the only person in North America with this fish! It's too good not to share. Most good things are.

I'm enjoying the migration of small birds passing through here. There are a lot, and I'm struggling to keep up with identifying them. They're just a little different from what I saw when I lived 800 km west of here.

 

[jaylach]

Not doing today but already did. Some months ago I lost the 256GB SD card for my camera and gave up looking. Bought another as I want a large card as my camera does nice HD stereo video. Just found the missing card right behind the keyboard for my second desktop system in my bedroom. Funny how things can totally hide right out in the open. I mean I tore my apartment apart looking for the danged thing and never saw it. This morning I walked into my bedroom and the card was right there.

While in no way assisted living I DO live in senior apartments with a minimum age of 55. Sadly, with the age group, people periodically DO die. Mayhaps someone's ghost decided to mess with me. LOL! We fondly call the apartments the "Wrinkle Ranch".

Actually I probably used the card to move something from my main system to the second desktop and left the card by the keyboard that got bumped moving and covered the card. Probably bumped it again and uncovered the card. Regardless I'm happy I found it as it is a fast SD that works well for videos so I have a spare that can also be used to port stuff between systems.

 

[Oldspartan]

I have too much time on my hands due to the weather.

Not much to do inside, well that is not entirely true, the budget is for outside stuff from April to October so actually not much to spend on inside stuff. Today I am rewiring Christmas decorations while Linda sits with her hospitalized sister. She will be happily surprised to see it done months ahead of schedule, to me it is just another keep Linda smiling tedious job.

It is supposed to be a sunny if cold afternoon. If the wind is weak, we will do some maintenance outside on gardens, more tedium to me. I could get into my workshop to begin building the cabinet for our summer kitchen, now that would relieve the boredom. Alas the old pick up is in there waiting for a starter to be rebuilt. Only one rebuilder in the area and he is a in its own time fella. Good for him, bad for me.

So this morning I rescaped a tank just for fun, repotted a couple of plants that refuse to grow much, and stared at the two Angels grazing on what is left of their eggs, and of course the lighted deer that requires hundreds of lights to be woven throughout its ridiculous iron frame.

I could say OH WOE IS ME , but I will not. Instead, I will grin and bear it knowing nice weather and a starter are just around the corner.

 

[Essjay]

My husband and I had a visit to the hospital this afternoon - for him not me.
9 years ago he was diagnosed with Barretts syndrome. He had 4 gastroscopies in 4 months, followed by a gastroscopy the next year then every 2 years to check it wasn't developing into dysplasia. Today was different, a new technique. Well, new to him though it was developed a few years ago and our area is the first to have it routinely (they said). Instead of the usual gastroscopy he had to swallow something the size of a cod liver oil capsule with a thread attached. Wait 10 minutes or so for the coating to dissolve then they pull out what was described as a sponge but he said looked more like one of those knitted plastic things for scrubbing pots and pans. That'll be sent to the lab and he should have results within 4 weeks. He said it was much less uncomfortable than a gastroscopy, though every one of those has been done without sedation as he has to drive home afterwards.


Now everyone will post saying they've had that technique for years

 

[gwand]

It sounds like the “sponge” removes cells from the esophageal-stomach junction where Barrett’s develops. The pathologist examines the cells under a microscope looking for dysplastic or cancerous cells. Definitively less invasive than gastroscopy. Cool!

 

[Essjay]

That's what they told him when they phoned to make the appointment. They were hoping the technique could be used by family doctors as well as hospitals but they've run into typical UK issues - having to train staff in each doctors' practice and job demarcation


In addition to being less invasive and uncomfortable he was told there is less risk involved. The only thing that can go wrong (they said) is that the thread breaks then they have to do a gastroscopy to remove it before it leaves the stomach.

 

[Back in the fold]

@jaylach “ The Wrinkle Ranch “ That was the best honest to goodness belly laugh I’ve had in too long . Thanks !

 

[Oldspartan]

Ultra sound today and chest Xray. I believe they are the last tests for my annual physical. Test results were emailed by the Doc this afternoon and all looks OK except for the two chronic issues that I seem to always fail to completely control.

After being irradiated Linda and I went to the not so LFS to look around, have a coffee, and shoot the breeze. Left with an Albino Bristle Nose Pleco. He is so cute in flesh tones of pink with red eyes.

It was a beautiful day today, 61F without water. That will change tonight. I am hopeful for outside stuff on Friday.

 

[gwand]

I have been gradually reducing the GH of tank water where several a. cacatuoide and a m. altispinosus live along with 12 h. erythrozonus. Now the GH is more conducive for breeding.