We Keep Us Safe

Fish Tank Update!!

The 40 Gallon is stocked!! (Except the shrimp, those come tomorrow) Some of its residents:

- The Two Festivums, Silver and Stripey, who I thought were two different colors, only now I've realized are actually just capable of changing how dark their stripes are :P

- Two of the Black Stroopwaffel Corydoras. They're actually Schultzei Corys, but my phone autocorrected it to "Stroopwaffel" and now they're Stroopwaffels to me.

- Male (right) and Female (left) Nego D'Agua Tetras. That's my most dominant male, Chunky Duncan.

- The Xingu Black Neons, which are like regular black neons, but from the Xingu river and like three times as big, and one of my Albino Emperor Tetras

- The Cory that likes to sit on the left rock and Silver the Festivum (maybe)

- The Cory that likes the beach and Stripey the Festivum (maybe)

1. SHRIMP

I got snowball amanos (above) and snowball Neocardinias/cherry shrimp because it's a black-and-white tank, and the Neocardinias will need to camouflage until they reach full size so transparent is working for them. The amanos are also still pretty baby, but big enough to be safe.

...From being eaten at least. One of the Albino Emperors has decided to court the amanos, but this is working out because he is keeping the Chiclids at bay.

2. Burgermeister* has learned how to sit on the pennywort like a frog on a lilypad:

I’m sorry but that’s thinking way too small, hear me out:

We need to have Miss Piggy as Odysseus, and Kermit as Penelope.

Think about it… who’s the more fickle, prideful, warlike one in that relationship? Who is absolutely ready to go ham, at a moment’s notice?

we were just as smart then as we are now

I collaborated with the Human Artistry Project to make this strip alongside other web cartoonists to make the point that “Stealing isn’t Innovation” when it comes to A.I. usage. It seems to be doing numbers on instagram and elsewhere, so you may also read it here, tumblr.

Now, my partner hasn't been around horses much at all. So you can imagine my surprise when he not only became very invested in looking at random horses with me, but started actively enforcing horse ad time like it's some long-established relationship ritual we have.

After like three months of this, he has a surprising amount of opinions on horses and horse breeds despite never having been around one since he was 8. And since I kinda live for his comments on these horses by now anyways, here are some highlights:

he seems to have a nagging suspicion that irish cob yearlings aren't real, because they look too fluffy to be true. I'm with him on this

he likes Mustangs the most, because they have the friendliest faces.

He groups ottbs into the 'boring' or 'looks like a very big dog' category.

He dislikes American Miniature Horses so much that whenever we come across one, it's like he's discovering them all over again

He has developed a certain dislike for Icelandic Horses specifically. When I asked him what makes him hate Icelandics but love shetlands for example, he gave me a rather passionate explanation of how Shetland Pony ads are at least honest about selling some equine poltergeist, while Icenaldic Horse people act like they're selling Sleipnir itself. And jfc he's got a point?

Speaking of shetlands, he's a big fan of shetland sales ads and the euphemistic language they use

He also always asks me to save particularly... memorable pictures of horses to add to his growing collection. Here are some of the recent additions:

But he was 13 and an idiot and signed up to join some glorious cavalry. In reality as soon as he'd been issued a uniform they were sent on foot towards the eastern front.

He ended up captured, lost his teeth but eventually got released. It took him a couple more years to walk back home, where he worked in the trades for the rest of his life. In his home he had a small office room that his grandkids called the "horse room" as he had decorated it with paintings, newspaper clippings and the odd horseshoe.

I may have been swinging wildly at the childhood memory piñata of his, so now he's enforcing horse ad time like a cockatoo terrorizing its owner until he puts on its favourite song.

1) Set off your smoke alarm or play the sound on your phone (if your home has no smoke alarms, pease get some!)

2) stand BY THE FRONT DOOR to hand out treats

Do this a couple times and then keep it up NO EXCEPTIONS. Accidentally set the alarm off cooking? Treats by the door. Smoke alarm sound on TV? Treats by the door. Changing your smoke alarm batteries twice a year like you’re supposed to? Give them a test run and your pets get treats by the door.

Most dogs and cats will clue in VERY quickly that hearing that specific sound means go to the front door and wait for treats.

If there’s an emergency and even if you leave by another way, you will still know the most likely place your pet(s) is and can direct first responders to help.