The Safe Side of the Yellow Line

Hello there, blog. It seems to have been a while again. Since the last time we met, a few things have developed here in China. I now have a make-shift kitchen and a garden thanks to a few lovely co-workers. I have also moved the couch out of my room to the hallway to create a “living room” which includes a table, six chairs, two lights (to set the mood) and some of those battery operated candles that were left over from a school event. Keep in mind that I live in a jail cell, so my make-shift kitchen is a toaster oven and my garden is a jar of basil and some orange seeds that I’ve been trying to grow. However, this is very exciting news for me.

I also have a new pet. His name is Toby and he is a rather large, spiky, orange fish. I found him on the side of the road on my way home from sushi – very ironic if you ask me. He was in a pile of dirt near a sewage drain, just hanging out. I was dying to know his story, so asked him what he was doing there, but I guess he wasn’t in a chatty mood. I thought that perhaps a child bought him at the pet store up the road, and maybe he was dropped. But there was no bag around him, or any sign of water or anything. Just a fish in the dirt. At least he was near the curb and on the “safe” side of the yellow line. Despite this, he looked like his head had been stepped on. One of his eyes was a little wonky, and he had some bruising…if fish even bruise I don’t know.. but his head was a purplish colour, perhaps due to a lack of water. I felt obliged to save what was left of his fishy life. Luck for him, I had a grocery bag and had just bought some water, so I emptied my grocery bag and filled it with water, and in he went. Long story short, I kept him in a bowl until he proved he was a fighter (and stopped swimming on his side/upside down), and then he became the new class pet. After strenuous days of voting and persuasive writing from grade one students, we named him Toby, since he was found in October. Other names in the runnings:

-“Max, because I am cool and the fish is cool too and when I said my name to the fish he smiled”
-“We should name the fish Robot 9 because Robot 9 is awesome and I am awesome and Robot 9 is bigger than everything in the world and could fight any other fish in the world”
-“I think we should name the fish Miss Terfish because Miss Terfish is the fish name”
-“I think we should name the fish Lucky because he was Lucky Miss Casey found him and he’s still alive”
– “Miss Nemo will be his name because he is Q and orange”

To be honest, I was in favour of Optimus Prime but the kids didn’t go for it. Even Robot 9 would have sounded pretty amazing in a story… but many of the girls were not feeling my enthusiasm. At least I was able to divert them from the name “orange”, AND we can call him Toby-Wan Kenobi to be extra cool. Toby is a good mid-way point I suppose.

In other exciting news, I visited Thailand for the October break with a few friends and it was really amazing. I’ll save the details for the next entry, since this one seems to be getting a little lengthy. Until then…stay on the safe side of the yellow line, my friends (that would make a great song lyric…). I will leave you with this intriguing music video: Bon Iver – Towers. Watch until the end and tell me what you think.