Play by Play

5:19am-Released the female into the males tank. Nothing all that interesting happened.
-iTunes:Chris Cornell-You know my name.

5:40am-Already off to a frustrating start. The 02 meter is on he fritz. They have not yet spawned. I guess I can't expect them to hit it off this early in the relationship (tee-hee). I can't find and DI water.
-iTunes: Nicklecreek-Jealous of the moon

6:12am-Still nothing. Trying a new method with the 02 meter. Starting in high 02 and going down. Why didn't I think of that before. I'm hungry.
-iTunes: Jack Johnson-If I Had Eyes

6:28am-Okay, I have a half an hour before I REALLY start to get impatient. She's being very standoffish. And the 02 meter is not working any better. That is what really makes me want to yell.
-iTunes: Billy Joel-My Downeaster "Alexa"

6:45am-You know what's funny? I have 3 different versions of "You Know My Name" by Chris Cornell. The single, the one on the "Best of James Bond" CD, and the one on "Carry On". Nada. C'mon fish! If you spawn any later than 8:00am I am pretty much stuck out of luck when it comes to my schedule. I guess I could tweak it a bit. I cannot tell you how much this 02 meter is frustrating me. It was not meant for use in tiny little cup sized pools. It's for use in lakes! Where there is SOME flow going on. I am getting ridiculous readings.

-iTunes: Some random African song that iTunes gave me for free.

7:15am-Got all my 02 readings. I don't care that they are stupid and don't make much sense. I'll get over it. I know I took them right. So when Dr. Noltie sees them and says "What?" I'll tell him the sampling method is flawed. I am SO not supposed to eat in this classroom (the room next to the lab with the fish. This is where I am going to record the data.). But I am starving and I will eat anyway. No one else is here. I really want to go outside, but I have to stay near the fishes.

-iTunes: Secret Garden-Duo

7:20am-I've decided that at 8:00, if there is no spawning, I am going to put another female there. If I am really lucky, I will get eggs from BOTH the females then. The more eggs, the more accurate the results. Eating, reading Cakewrecks.

-iTunes: Copeland (not the composer)-The Grey Man

7:50am-The fish growth lab light is on. Is someone else here? It could be automatic. I just put another female in the tank. I wonder if that is advisable. I know that the guy I got them from said it might be good to have a few females per male. Or was it a few males per female? That wouldn't make much sense. Anyway, I don't care. I just want some eggs, dang it!

-iTunes: The Fountain-Tree of Life

8:18am. I'm not sure what I am going to do if these fish don't spawn. The later it gets, the less likely it is that I will be able to check up on them at every stage change. I've already asked off for Saturday and Tuesday. I may have to add Wednesday to that list. I am not very happy about this. Dr. Noltie said we may have to try another run. I have NO TIME for another run this semester. I am really peeved.

-iTunes: I turned it off.

8:35am-I've been here for 3.5 hours. I hoped to have been well underway by now. The longer they take to spawn, the longer I am here. I have to check on the eggs each hour for 24 hours from the time of fertilization. If that's not until 10:00, I have to stay here until 10:00am tomorrow. Shoot me now please. Let me see if I have another time that I can do this experiment. NO! Never mind. I just want to get this done. No matter what it takes. Just get it done. I can do this, right?

-iTunes: still off.

9:15am-What the heck am I supposed to do? The new female won't come out of the corner of the tank. She's bloated with eggs. You can tell! You'd think she would want to lighten the load! But NOOOOOO. She has to be all nervous and stressed and uncomfortable. So what the heck am I supposed to do? Try yet another female? I think that if I keep putting a new one in there they will take longer to get used to the new tank. I think I should have just kept with the first female. Why did I agree to do this? What now, what now, what now? I'm too frustrated and stressed to do any homework. ARGH! I just want to yell real loud and throw something. I'm cooped up on a beautiful day and for WHAT? A couple of spawn shy fish.

-iTunes: John Mayer-In Repair

9:45am-Eating my yogurt. Feeling tired. Already. Frustration growing. Trying to look for papers on the stage distribution of the common pipistrel bat. Having no success. This only adds to my frustration. So much to do and I can hardly do any of it right now. I kind of want to cry. Thank goodness there in no one else here. Is this really worth it?

-iTunes: Foo Fighters-Still

10:03am-Options?

-iTunes: Blue Man Group-Shadows Part 2

10:06am-Time for The Office.

-iTunes: nada, because I am watching The Office

11:55am-(whispers) there are other people here! I can hear them talking. I hope they don't think that I'm not supposed to be here. I am really hungry, but I don't want to eat because I'm afraid he fish will get on with it without me! There are now 3 females in the tank! More to chose from! (But it might mean that there are TOO MANY to chose from and they still wont spawn. ARGH! I DON'T KNOW!!).

-iTunes:OK Go-Do What you Want

12:36pm- Dr. Nylon is one of the people here. I wonder why? I cannot believe that I've been here over 7 hours. STILL NOTHING!!! I can't believe this. I have no other choice. THIS HAS TO HAPPEN TODAY! I have no time before the semester ends. I guess if I have to I will MAKE the time. But I would much rather just GET THIS DONE. I really hate my life right now. ARRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!

-iTunes: Rufus Wainwright-Poses

1:10pm. Okay. I am THIS CLOSE to calling it quits. What else can I do? I can't just sit here all day waiting! I mean, seriously! 8 hours! I can't believe it. Why was I cursed with the shy ones? Just lay your freakin eggs already! 2:00 I am going to call Dr. Noltie and tell him that today was a dud.

-iTunes: Billy Joel-Allentown

1:39pm-Just figured that I CAN do this on the week of he 20th. It would be from a Tuesday to a Saturday. I would have to worry about fish on my Birthday. But assuming hat I can get them to spawn at the proper time this time I should be good! I would just need to cover a few shifts. As in Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Part of me still wishes that I will go into that room and find fish eggs. That way I can get it over with and I wouldn't have wasted 9 HOURS OF MY LIFE!

2:01pm-I just called Dr. Noltie. Told him nothing yet. I said I would stay a couple more hours. Until 4. Then I'm calling it quits. I also told him that I could do it another week. He told me he was even willing to give me time past the end of the semester if needs be! That's pretty nice of him. Remember when I was having problems with the 02 readings? I was taking them under the assumption that there was already Nitrogen in the water. It didn't make sense that they were all the same. But guess what? There ISN'T any Nitrogen in the water. Great. I hate today.

-iTunes: Silence

3:16pm-45 more minutes and then I'm for real packing it up. NO turning back. Part of me would really like to not have to worry about this experiment until after the 20th. I have 5 things due that day. Also, I get to have a better Easter Sunday. With my luck, they will spawn in the next 1/2 hour. I will not be going to work tonight.

-iTunes:Twisted Sister-We're Not Gonna Take It.

3:50pm-After nearly 11 hours, I am packing it up. Calling it quits. At least for today. I am going home and sleeping. I'm going to enjoy my Easter Sunday and actually get to go to church. I am going to re-schedule this for the 21st. The fish better cooperate or I am going to fry them up and eat them. I am quite disappointed. Sorry about the anti-climactic ending folks.

Stupid Ichthyology.