Scarface Burgess

Well, I guess a blog about the Burgii wouldn't be complete without mentioning the fish. We have a South African Cichlid (more commonly known as an Oscar). And he is a total a-hole. To truly understand how I feel about Scarfy, a little bit of background is in order. When Gavin first moved to Tallahassee in 2002, he decided to purchase a freshwater fish tank so he could enjoy promulgating and observing little communities of fish in his living area. A noble goal indeed. Unfortunately, the tank quickly became known as the "tank of death" because everything he put in it croaked. Tetras? Dead. Guaramis? They ate the Tetras and then died. Even the algae eaters that live only to suck the algae off the sides of the tank kicked it - three of them. First Hoover, then Deuce , then Thrice kicked it. We were beginning to lose hope because you don't even have to feed those things. Honestly, to this day I am not sure what went wrong.

Anyhoo, we eventually purchased some Guaramis that lived through those crucial first few months! I kind of got attached to the little guys. They were fighters but didn't eat each other. I named them Sugar Ray and Killer. Then one day, a friend of ours asked us to adopt his Oscar. We were a little hesitant, but apparently this Oscar had been through a lot and was still alive, so we thought he might deserve a chance. So we took the little guy in. And at the time he really was little.

We learned a lot about Oscars over the next year. First, they eat other fish. I woke up one morning to find Killer's face bitten off and Sugar Ray hiding under a rock I freaked and quickly moved Sugar Ray to a bowl in my desk at work, where I killed him by accidentally dumping Sprite into his tank, but that's another blog. Second, they grow to the size of their environment. So, since we have a 20 gallon tank, the cute little fish quickly grew into Jabba the Hut. People often mistake him for a grouper. Third, they are surly little bastards. If I walk by the tank without acknowledging him, or if he is hungry, he will hurl himself against the lid of the tank or smack the glass with his tail. Once I was feeding him and he splashed about a gallon of water all over me. Once he actually jumped out of the tank and Gavin had to put him back in it.

Anyway, all of this got me to thinking about why people have pets. I love my dogs and they love me back. Scarface just exists to be rude. One thing is true though, he is a survivor. He is over 5 years old now and shows no signs of slowing down. For that I must salute him. And I must say, he is a good conversation starter!