Fish tales

When Fiona Fish swam away from Fred Fish, her mom told her, "Don't you worry, my little guppy, there are plenty of other fish in the sea. But Fiona never again wanted to shack up in a fishbowl with another fish. She just wasn't cut out for those kind of relationships. So she was very relieved to discover that "otherfish" was her mom's pet name for all the happily single fish swimming around in complete freedom. Fiona was pretty happy to become one of those. She wasn't anti-relationship. She just thought the fishbowl-sharing concept was a definite relationship-killer.

As for my own interesting discovery ... I learned while Googling guppies late last evening that, despite theories that guppies only have three-second memories, a team of scientists have observed that guppies live in complex social networks and select and remember their social partners. Researcher Darren Croft relates the guppy network to the "six degrees of separation" theory that everyone is connected through a chain of a few middle people. I like to think that's true. .... I think.

I'm pretty proud of the fact that I got through painting this tile and then writing about it without once using the phrase "And they call it ... guppy lo-o-o-ove." Well, until now, 'cause for some reason I found myself trying to think of a word that rhymed with guppy, and really where else can you go with that.

The guppies have now been quite appropriately placed on the counter in the ladies' room at 15th Street Fisheries, which is of course on SE 15th Street in Fort Lauderdale. Everyone has comfort zone places, where they just feel completely relaxed and at home, and that place is definitely in my Top 5. In fact, I have probably about 5 that if it were up to me (which it is), I might just visit over and over again. But that's just kinda how I am. If I have a closet full of clothes, I'll always have those 5 items that get worn again and again, or 5 CDs that I always have in rotation, or 5 books that I keep on the shelf.

I guess everybody has that. I guess on some levels, our Top 5 books, CDs, places etc., are what really define us.