Downtown Denver Aquarium

I'm currently in Denver for a wedding so of course I had to go check out the local fish stuff! Too bad I'm a weekend early for the local fish club meeting :(

We went to the downtown denver aquarium yesterday evening and it was truly amazing. I took a bunch of pics from my camera phone and some of them turned out pretty awesome. The link is here if anyone wants to see them.

We also went to a couple different aquarium stores today that I would recommend if you are in denver, nice selections at both. Lots of plants at Fish Den AND they gave me the fish club discount with my HAAS card! They said they were low on plants and fish cause of the holidays and they STILL had a great selection! They had a ginormous flowerhorn there, biggest I think I've ever seen. Then: Some plants, a few unusual fish, and some neat salt stuff at Todd's Tropical Fish.

A couple of recent fish tank pics

Blogging from my phone and some new years goals

Mostly I'm far too lazy to go find the laptop, set it up, log in, post, balh blah blah blah from the computer.  Usually by the time I do all that I've forgotten what I wanted to post anyway.  I downloaded the google Blogger app for my Android phone...so we will see how this works out for me.  Hopefully it will lead to me posting more, especially since I originaly intended to keep track of progress in the garden and with other things urban sustainability like....and that has been a complete and utter fail all around.  My total of posts has been completely lame in the last couple years now(!) This blog has been up. 

There's been a lot going on. A lot.  I expanded the garden after the season ended this year...and considering expanding it further before the ground freezes.  I learned a lot this year from it.  Built a pond....expanding that this spring now.  Built a solar heater....planning on v2 now that I've seen v1 in action.  Haven't used my dryer since spring....and not planning on using it any time soon.  Much more I can't think of right off the top of my head, which sucks because its all stuff that would be awesome on the blog. 

I don't do new years resolutions, however, I do have some goals for this coming new year (in no particular order):

1.  Actually blog
2.  Start eating a more paleo diet while still applying the ethics of why I went vegetarian in the first place.
3.  Actually harvest and eat what I grow in the garden
4.  Obtain chickens
5.  Talk fate into rabbits
6.  Build v2 of solar heater
7.  Minimize watering in the garden
8.  Year round use of the clothes line
9.  Better note keeping of garden progress
10.  Get the greenhouse up and running
11.  Grow all annuals for the garden from seeds
12. Get healthy through food, not drugs
13.  Buy local for what I can't produce myself
14.  Visit my bff in california at least once this year

I think that's a good start...I know there are a bunch more things I've been kicking around but most of them fall under those kind of general goals for the year. 

Merry (late) Christmas

- Fin

Fate's 2011 Resolutions Recap

2011 has been something of a rough year, rather have in the "bad times".    Things are looking up now, and looking back, I see a lot of Fin and I supporting each other.   It's weird how nasty happenstance can make a relationship stronger.  But, that'd be the subject of another blog post.

I'm going to make this recap short.

1. Better manage eating out and bringing lunch to work
EPIC FAIL.  I'm getting slightly better at the end of the year, but Sept-Nov were really awful on this.

2. 3 camping trips for 2011 - with 1 in a new location.
FAIL.  We did however take a few trips across the country.  Seeing Nashville was fun.   Sadly, our vacation time was largely nuked by family challenges.

3. Pay off one more loan.
WIN.   The "Dave Ramsey Plan" is working well.

4. Do more writing / more blog posting.
FAIL.  I've actually been far more focused on piano this year.

5. Ship something at work or home.
WIN.  I hope to post the press release about this when it's out.

6. Improve garden and yard care.
FIN - WIN. ME - FAIL.  Fin made a lot of progress on the garden this year.  I'd like to say I did more, but I worked a lot this year.  Garden looks a lot better now.

7. Return to Martial Arts.
EPIC FAIL.  I've been thinking a lot about this, and most of my return is directly related to money.  I'm considering some alternatives on how to make this inexpensive, but the reality is this is an expensive hobby.


8. Unpack office, file 'to file pile', and unpack 1 garage box.
Mixed.  A couple boxes have FINALLY been unpacked. Office still needs unburied and shit needs filed.

9. Start making molded soap.
 Partial WIN.  I made one batch of molded soap, it turned out ok.  Need to continue on this.

10. Complete at least one carpentry / wood working project solo.
FAIL.  Never really had a solid idea that panned out.