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Monday, October 31, 2011

A Goldfish Called Nemo



About a month ago The Bungalow became inhabited by a new creature, this one invited unlike those huge pesky drain spiders, a goldfish named Nemo. Obvious name, I know. Of course I only expected him to live a maximum of three days before a requisite burial at sea*. However, Nemo, has continued the thrive in his little bowl for far longer than expected.

It all started when my husband and I decided to take my kids to the Holiday Bazaar on base. We do this every year to browse through the stalls and make a few Christmas gift purchases for our folks back home. It is a gigantic craft show with vendors from all over Europe so there is usually a ton of selection. This year it was kinda...meh. We had seen most of the items over the summer at the bazaar that was held in may at the other military base (have I ever mentioned that there are two American bases shoved next to each other where I live?), so we were a little underwhelmed. There were however fun fair type games and rides for the kids to play located outside the hanger that the bazaar was taking place in. I know these games and rides can be kind of expensive, but due to the fact that we actually didn't spend any money in the bazaar and it was a way to keep the kids quiet for more than 5 minutes, we decided that we would let the kids have a turn at all the games. I think there were about 5 different ones to play. The first one the caught my kids eyes was of course some sort of ring toss where the prize was a goldfish.

This is the part where Kat actually needs to read the signs.

The next thing I know after LaLa LOST the game, she was handed a goldfish in a plastic bag. What that what? Then I read the sign "Goldfish with every loss". Well that doesn't seem very economical now does it? Then you realize that you don't have a fish bowl at the house. You see empty fish bowls. That will be £5. You can't starve the fish to death, but luckily enough the guy running the game also has fish food for another £1. You get the food. Next thing you know you have sunk £8 into a ring toss game and are coming home with a goldfish. These guys are goooood.

So we got the fish home, put him in his little bowl and topped it up with bottled water. Tap water would have killed him and I couldn't have that on my conscience. I promised the girls that we would go get rocks and such for the bottom of the bowl in a few days, figuring that the thing would have probably died by then. Five days later he's still alive. The kids are chomping at the bit to go get rocks for his bowl. I made an excuse, changed his water (more bottled water), and figured he would die in the next day or so due to the water change. A month and a few water changes later, Nemo is still alive and doesn't have any rocks at the bottom of his bowl.

I guess I should probably go get him a proper tank with a filtration system, eh? Of course if I do that, he'll probably die.

*Flushed down the toilet.