The 5% Other
When you start your new job, one of the first things you get is the job description. It outlines your roles and responsibilities for the organization. I'm not sure why, but on mine, there always seems to be the small print at the bottom ot the page which reads ~ 5% Other.
Well the most recent component to fall under the 5% rule came when I moved into the cabin. George has a few 'guests' that he has in the cabin. Originally the entourage started as a group of 6. While I was away, it dwindled to 5. I'm sad to say we have lost some more soldier... That's right these are my roomies:
The problem came when I noticed one of the 'compadres' was getting rather comfy swimming in the cup. I didn't really pay much attention, until I realized that he had been in there a long time ~ like 2 days long time. So I decided it was time to investigate further. Low and behold when the cup did move, out floated a somewhat decayed Goldfish. Now having had fish as a child, I learned that to bury them, you simply dropped them in the toilet, said your fond farewell and then 'Flush'. Being on a ship my gut instinct to drop him in the toilet was incorrect ~ attached to the vacuum system, I could only imagine clogging up the 'ship sewers' and then having them trace it all back to me... So after my instict dropped him in the toilet, I then found myself trying to fish out this partly decomposed fish with the measly little net and thinking this really isn't part of the job description.
In recognition that the water may be a bit 'contaminated' from the rotting corpse that was in there, I decided it would be a good idea to give them some fresh water. The task of cleaning the tank is never easy, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. So with clean water ~ well as clean as you get without it coming from a bottle ~ I decided to wait a small while until the water was closer to room temperature. Well it seems that perhaps I didn't wait long enough as one fish after being in the tank for 5 minutes started sending his body north and gasping as only fish can do. Seeing the distress, I promptly dumped any bottled water I had ~ 4 of them at $0.85 a bottle ~ into another plastic tub and watched him move into a more upright position. His breathing was still laboured as it seemed that it was the only thing he could do, and the red colour that was spreading to his gills and his fins I'm suspecting came from some internal bleeding I may have caused. Grateful that he was now looking a bit better, I rescued one other who seemed to not be doing so well.
Evening came and went and the morning brought great shock to find the poor bugger not doing very well. He was on his side gasping for something with his wee fin flapping to the side. Feeling immense guilt, I couldn't even look at him and fled the cabin. What have I done? I kept returning to the cabin in anticipation of seeing the bugger floating, hoping that he would pass while I wasn't here, but the day went on and he was still here at the end of it. It seems kinda creepy to think that something is going to die with you in the room and that night when I went to bed, dreading waking up to the 'floater'. Well the next day, I noticed that he was not in fact lying on the bottom of the container as he had the previous day, but was in fact swimming ~ slowly albeit ~ but still swimming around the container. I decided to risk the introduction to the tank and thankfully I am able to report that the count is still at 4.
However it does seem that someone is trying to send me a message.... Could you imagine me with kids?!? YIKES!
Well the most recent component to fall under the 5% rule came when I moved into the cabin. George has a few 'guests' that he has in the cabin. Originally the entourage started as a group of 6. While I was away, it dwindled to 5. I'm sad to say we have lost some more soldier... That's right these are my roomies:
The problem came when I noticed one of the 'compadres' was getting rather comfy swimming in the cup. I didn't really pay much attention, until I realized that he had been in there a long time ~ like 2 days long time. So I decided it was time to investigate further. Low and behold when the cup did move, out floated a somewhat decayed Goldfish. Now having had fish as a child, I learned that to bury them, you simply dropped them in the toilet, said your fond farewell and then 'Flush'. Being on a ship my gut instinct to drop him in the toilet was incorrect ~ attached to the vacuum system, I could only imagine clogging up the 'ship sewers' and then having them trace it all back to me... So after my instict dropped him in the toilet, I then found myself trying to fish out this partly decomposed fish with the measly little net and thinking this really isn't part of the job description.
In recognition that the water may be a bit 'contaminated' from the rotting corpse that was in there, I decided it would be a good idea to give them some fresh water. The task of cleaning the tank is never easy, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. So with clean water ~ well as clean as you get without it coming from a bottle ~ I decided to wait a small while until the water was closer to room temperature. Well it seems that perhaps I didn't wait long enough as one fish after being in the tank for 5 minutes started sending his body north and gasping as only fish can do. Seeing the distress, I promptly dumped any bottled water I had ~ 4 of them at $0.85 a bottle ~ into another plastic tub and watched him move into a more upright position. His breathing was still laboured as it seemed that it was the only thing he could do, and the red colour that was spreading to his gills and his fins I'm suspecting came from some internal bleeding I may have caused. Grateful that he was now looking a bit better, I rescued one other who seemed to not be doing so well.
Evening came and went and the morning brought great shock to find the poor bugger not doing very well. He was on his side gasping for something with his wee fin flapping to the side. Feeling immense guilt, I couldn't even look at him and fled the cabin. What have I done? I kept returning to the cabin in anticipation of seeing the bugger floating, hoping that he would pass while I wasn't here, but the day went on and he was still here at the end of it. It seems kinda creepy to think that something is going to die with you in the room and that night when I went to bed, dreading waking up to the 'floater'. Well the next day, I noticed that he was not in fact lying on the bottom of the container as he had the previous day, but was in fact swimming ~ slowly albeit ~ but still swimming around the container. I decided to risk the introduction to the tank and thankfully I am able to report that the count is still at 4.
However it does seem that someone is trying to send me a message.... Could you imagine me with kids?!? YIKES!
posted by Carrie @ 6:13 PM
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