I need to find a good used bookstore in Boston. And I wish I had a really high quality pair of earmuff headphones so I could listen to my Horrorpops album in peace and clarity. Promising interviews aside, I’ve had a terrible week. I feel constricted here like I knew I would. Not enough energy. I bet I inherited bad mitochondria from mom.
I’m managing the fish tank in Merle’s brother’s room now that he’s away at college in Salem. He only had one fish in there, the cichlid, but now I’ve made some additions and it’s a dysfunctional community of five. The Cheat is my favorite. Blueberry might die because of constant harassment from the three-spot gourami.
2025 me here: Looks like I had pictures of fish here.
Mystery Cichlid, “Hercules”
Clown loach, “The Cheat”
Turquoise dwarf dourami, “Blueberry”
Three-spot lavender gourami, “I need a name still”
Plecostamous, “Puckers”
The Ancient Undergrad 
i’ve got one of those japanese betta fighting fish, i bet he’d beat your fishies in a fight.
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Ah man… I can’t remember the name of it, but there was a kick-ass one on Washington Street across from Northeastern! I *loved* that place. If the name comes to me, I’ll let you know. But I KNOW it’s on Washington Street.
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This makes me want fish.
And I laughed at your ‘Lovely Rita’ reference, because I played that earlier today in honor of the hurricane.
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Oh, Hon. I’m so sorry. As cheesy at it sounds, I’m praying for you. You need all of the hope, help, strength and goodness you can get right now. It’ll find you. You are a powerful double Scorp–NEVER forget that! Fender benders, chapstick (mmm…love cherry chapstick), whatever–you didn’t get hurt, and that’s what matters. I just got my license this week, si Feel you pain. I’m still deathly afraid of driving, license or no.
I just got back from dinner with my favorite Scorp girlfriend. Y’all have major power and charisma, and I know things will work out for you, bleak as they may look right now. Love the fish pictures, by the way. Hang in there. Hugs. (P.S. LOVE the Beatles’ playlists. I love the Beatles. Good energy in that music–keep listening).
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Our Texas cichlid used ate all the other cichlids we put in the tank. He did not try to eat the plecostamus – I think he knew that that fish kept the tank clean . I heard cichlids are related to pirhanna. Your cichlid doesn’t look anything like ours did. Yours is cooler.
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Dang it…take out the word “used” and spell plecostamus properly. I am no ichthyologist.
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This house is freezing. I want to listen to some warm fuzzy rock. I think the cichlid might be a Satanoperca pappaterra which is a Paraguay River eartheater, or a, Satanoperca jurupari which is pretty much the same fish but from other South American regions. He’s entertaining because he is continuosly and compulsively sucking pebbles into his mouth and dropping them back down. I like him because he’s not aggressive towards the smaller fish but will chase the bullying three-spot if he gets all up in his face.
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I love aquariums. One day I want a really huge one! of course, I know so little about how to set up a proper environment for them, which fish is good with which fish, how to maintain them, etc.
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Yay you really named a fish The Cheat. How awesome
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I had a betta fish once. He developed “dropsy” after we moved and died. His name was Bingo and I decided that the next fish would be named (clap) Ingo…and so on and so forth.
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Three-spot lavender gourami, he looks like a “Sticky Fingaz” to me.
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