Snow

Weather in Oklahoma is crazy! It was 75 degrees one day last week and the next day it dropped to the 30's and snowed several inches! I kid you not! It was cold and snowy for a few days and then the temperature started rising and all the snow melted. This week it is supposed to get up to 83 degrees! Can you say unpredictable?!

Math is Good

I've been buying and selling a lot of stuff on eBay lately. I must admit it's quite fun to buy things that way. It's also a bit nervewracking (like when you want something rare and there is only one for sale but you don't have unlimited funds so you are watching the clock and praying that no one outbids you at the last minute). AND it can be dangerous (it is so easy to get carried away with your bidding because the thrill of winning can spur you on to bid a lot more than you originally intended to)!

So, all this has caused me to think about how much things are really worth to me (and what should my maximum bid be?). I have a pair of black Born shoes that I wear to work. Craig got them for me for my birthday in 2004. Let's say they cost $100 with tax, to make things easy. I wear these shoes at least 3 times a week for 52 weeks a year so when you divide it all out it's like paying 64 cents per day that I wear them (or 27 cents per day just to have them for one year, whether I wear them or not). Not too shabby. I mean, I wouldn't hesitate to pay that price to be able to wear the oh so comfortable shoes. And then to think that I've had them for 16 months now so it is really just 49 cents each day I wear them (if I only wear them 3 times a week) or only 2 cents an hour. The more days I wear them, the less I "pay" each day to wear them. Eventually it will be like they were free! (How do you like that logic?)

I normally don't like to spend more than $40 on a pair of shoes but now I realize it's okay to spend even $100 on shoes if I know they are comfortable and that I will wear them a lot to make it worth it. I am all about comfort...and it is so worth it to spend a little more for a high quality item!

Now let's say you buy a $20 candle that burns for 70 hours. When you divide that out you are only paying 29 cents per hour to enjoy the wonderful fragrance that fills the room. Is it worth it? Yes!

So now you just have to consider all the things you are buying, how much you will use them, whether or not it's worth it and whether or not you can afford to have all of them at the same time. Obviously you can't go buy a house and a boat and a HDTV and an IPOD and a digital camera all at once just using the logic that when you divide the price by the number of lifetime uses the cost per use is minimal! You have to balance it all out with your income.

Bristlenose Pleco Pics

Okay, I now have a really good picture of the Bristlenose Pleco fish! I was sitting at the computer as I am now and I looked over at the fish tank (it's on a printer stand next to the computer desk) and saw the Pleco chillin' on the white pot. I jumped up and got my camera and was pleased to find him in the same spot when I returned (this is rare, especially when I bring my camera...it's like he knows!). This is probably the best I'll ever get so I sure hope you enjoy it. I like his pattern and somewhat uncommon shape.





Oh yeah, Craig did end up getting 2 flounder yesterday. They are as flat as pancakes and always plastered to the sides of the tank!

Fish Pics

Fish tank update: Craig traded the cichlids back to the fish store because they have reeked havoc on the tank and almost all living creatures that they have come in contact with. The mangroves were about to die because they chewed off most of the new root growth. They even chewed up the most of the black plastic on the water heater!

The local fish store we go to is called Aquarium Oddballs (they get cool and the more unusual fish from around the world) and Craig has talked with the owner a lot. A few weeks ago, the owner accepted our mangrove roots as a trade for more fish in order to grow them in a safe tank (since ours was no longer safe for them because of our aggressive fish).

We'll see what we get next! I think Craig is considering a flounder (those really flat fish with both eyes on the same side). Also, we are waiting for the owner to get some more blowfish in from Asia (or somewhere on the other side of the world) so he can sell us one.

Check out how 3 of the cichlids lined up perfectly for the picture!



I finally got a decent picture with the Bristlenose Pleco in it (he's the dark one on the red rock). It's really hard to get his picture because he's always so busy sucking the algae off of the pots and rocks and he's pretty camera shy (he can hide anywhere because he can chill upside down under things!).