This month I'd like to start out with my a pet peeve.

My sons started school on August 15th. YAY!!! But putting elation aside, has anyone else had children bring home class schedules that are printed so tiny that not only you, but your child, needed a magnifying glass to read?
Show of hands please...
I know the cost of the ink for my PC printer and can understand that this could save the school district some money, but going up one font size wouldn't kill them. My son, Craig came home asking that I type and print his schedule out on our computer like all of the other kids parents had done. This was one time that I agreed with following the pack. I didn't think it was even possible to clearly print such small font, until I tried to get a the phone number from the back of my health insurance card! I've also discovered that collecting business cards is a great way to get out of trying to see the print in the new phone directories. Even if they are done in a smaller font, they are usually printed darker.

Awhile back I was telling Tee about one of our family pets, Georgie. She thought it might be a good idea to share his antics with y'all.

Our son, Scott, came home with Georgie about 5 years ago. As it usually goes with pets, I've ended up with most of the caretaking duties. The nice thing about being the caretaker is the welcome you get when you enter the room. Everytime he sees me he starts wagging from head to tale, makes me feel so loved. Lately though he's gotten it into his head to train me.

I guess he started getting his most demanding after we returned from our trip to Arizona. He kept his back turned to me for the best part of a week. I thought it was coincidence at first, until I caught him going into the corner face first to avoid me. I finally decided that maybe I should just stick my hand in the aquarium and pet him. That's right... Georgie is a goldfish.

Petting him did the trick. Like humans, I guess goldfish get cranky as they get older. If he wants the lamp near his tank turned on, he rams the corner facing the lamp repeatedly, until one of us turns it on. He then does his sun-worshipper impression. When he's finished, he splash water out of the tank until we turn it off. This creates a real problem if we're not home. He shorted out one of our cordless phones doing this!

Next George got the notion that he wanted to redecorate. He spent a couple of days ramming the aquarium heater. I would put it back into place but within a couple of hours it would be floating freely again, and there was Georgie, ramming it for all he was worth. I took the heater out and that was that. I was trained! He started ramming everything in the tank that he didn't want, eliminating everything but the rock he hides behind. He's always been sensitive to the sound of water hitting water so we have to watch the water level on the tank. Last week took the cake though... I knew his filter needed a new cartridge, but I guess he didn't think I was doing my job in a timely manner. He started sticking his "nose" into the filters intake whenever he saw me, until I finally changed it.

With a fish like this, who needs a dog.

Feedback is always welcome.