It looks like Paul has filled everyone in on most of what's going on with us now.  I just thought I'd add to it a bit by saying that our other fish have been doing so well that we decided to get some more!  So, to our original 2 zebrafish, 2 otocinclus catfish, and 1 dojo loach, we have added 2 red coral platys and 3 phantom glass catfish.  I'm pasting some pictures that I've found online below:

The phantom glass catfish, as you can see, are almost totally transparent.  They're a little creepy, but their faces are kind of friendly so they're a nice addition to the aquarium.  Unfortunately, they have been very shy since we got them on Friday night and, after days of not eating, one of them died last night.  We don't think it was anything that we did (despite our previous bad luck), so we're going to take it back to the store tomorrow.  They offer a refund for any fish that dies within 7 days if you bring a water sample in so they can confirm that there is nothing wrong with your aquarium.  Hopefully our other 2 fish will make it.  In the meantime, the platys are doing very well.  We also ordered 2 upside down catfish that should be in this week.  They are really neat because they literally swim around upside down!  See:

Paul and I are currently having freezer frenzy.  This is a term that I created to describe a week where all of our meals will use at least one item that has been taking up space in our jam-packed freezer.  So far, this has included a variety of leftovers and frozen meats that have been sitting around for a while. 

Tonight, I decided to make a home-made pizza to use up some sausage and shredded cheeses.  I often don't want to dig through our freezer to see if I already have the shredded cheese that I need for meals, so I play it safe a buy some more just in case.  Now, just to clarify, the freezer that I am talking about it the little freezer compartment above our refrigerator.  So, you can imagine what a scene it was a few minutes ago when I pulled out 13 bags of shredded cheese!  Some bags have just a few bits left in them, while others are still half full.  Needless to say, tonight's pizza is not going to solve our cheese problem.  It's a step in the right direction though.

Well, yet again it has been quite a while since I last posted.  Every time that I write my first entry after an extended absence, I always tell myself that I am going to start updating regularly, but I always end up falling short.  But, then I remember that there's no point giving up on it as long as there are a few people out there reading who would rather get updates once in a blue moon than not at all.  So, I'm back to try it again! :)

Paul and I just returned last night from our trip back east.  We typically try to make a summer visit and with my sister graduating from high school last week, we scheduled this trip for early June.  It was wonderful getting to see Kristy graduate and to be able to attend her graduation party.  My parents have a unique take on the graduation party.  Instead of a big gathering at home with everyone you have ever met, they have held a luncheon for each of us at a local country club with our closest friends and family.  This includes a little "program" featuring home video clips, which, while often embarassing for the graduate, are wonderfully fun for siblings and others. :)  Kristy's featured one of my personal favorites: an old dance recital where Kristy spent the entire dance contending with a giant pink bow that kept sliding down in front of her face.

Additionally, we had the chance to have a wonderful family dinner out to celebrate my parents' 25th anniversary.  Though the entire restaurant seemed to be operating at a snail's pace, we had a great time just joking around and being together.

After our stop in Venango, we headed to Wellsville to visit Paul's parents.  We had a great time relaxing (for some of us, this means napping multiple times in a day), watching T.V. shows/movies, and eating mass quantities of many things, especially pimento cheese spread.  We also we happy to learn that a local miniature golf course had been reopened, so we tried our hands at that as well.  I definitely appreciated the course's low expectations regarding par.  I've never been 14 stokes behind the leader and still 17 below par! :)

Well, we're off to play games.  I'll have to finish with more later.

It's Thursday evening, which means it's time for me to crash.  I don't know what it is: I'm fine on Thursday morning and fine again by Friday morning, but Thursday when I get home from work I just have no energy at all.  I have a couple things I should do around the apartment, but it's unlikely that I'll get them done, especially since I want to watch the American Idol results show and the big game- Purdue vs. Connecticut in the Sweet Sixteen.  I really don't care for basketball that much, but it's much more interesting when the school you work for is in the national spotlight. 

Motown night was a mixed bag on Idol last night.  I was pleased with my favorite, Kris, and my former favorite, Adam, is now a co-favorite again after an amazing performance of "Tracks of My Tears."  His bizzarre rendition of "Ring of Fire" last week quite frankly scared me a little, but he has redeemed himself. 

In more important news, I had the chance to read the almost-final draft of the paper that our lab/our collaborating lab is soon submitting for review.  It was really exciting to see how the work I've been doing for the past 4 months is all coming together.  The review process can be quite lengthy, but we're hoping that the paper will be published by summer time.