Voracity

After upgrading the tank our two goldfish were in (Wakko and Dot are now comfortably ensconced in a 30-gallon with a pleco named "Oreck" ~ he's one of those algae-eater fish that attach to the sides of the tank and suck on the glass, in case you were wondering) we had to put something in the old 10-gallon one.

So, we got an Oscar fish. We named him Mayer so we could tell people, "And here's our Oscar, Mayer." Z wanted to get two of them and name the other one Wiener, but unfortunately (or, perhaps, fortunately) the tank is only big enough for one small Oscar fish. We will have to get a bigger tank for him sooner than later, though, as he is due to grow at least 7 inches THIS YEAR and will be about 19 inches when full grown. That little cichlid would eat 24/7 if we allowed him to. As it is, we've only had him two weeks and he's already grown visibly. We've cut down to feeding him twice a day instead of three times daily, just to slow it down a bit until we get a bigger tank later this year (and hopefully our own house to put the new tank in, so we don't have to move a 19-inch fish in a couple of years, yikes).

Mayer tries to eat anything that moves ~ and he zips in there extremely quickly to snag his pellets or flakes. Or, the plants, or his reflection. The second day we had him, he stunned himself by trying to attack his reflection on the side of the tank and swam full-force into the glass...Mayer has since then shown a bit more restraint and caution when approaching the boundaries of his tank. Quasi-smart fish. (He still tries to attack the heater, though, so he's not the sharpest crayon in the box. Or fish in th....well, you get the point).

There is a distinct similarity between Mayer's enthusiasm and voracity for his food, and A's enthusiasm and voracity for learning. That boy will attempt every new activity or word, practically launching himself in a head-on full-tilt boogie to master saying or doing the new thing. He will repeat the new words over and over (and over) sometimes, but he is also figuring out phrasing and incorporates them into appropriate phrases. A has come out with several things recently that we didn't even know he knew, like telling his (cute, blond) ABA therapist, "Hey, cutie!" when he arrived one day. He also told me that he was "going on sidewalk. Down sidewalk. Sidewalk." while we were waiting for "A-- school bus" yesterday.

A's teacher and therapists are constantly noting how he devours everything they are teaching him, and how he is looking for more.

This is the good kind of voracity. We can only pray that he continues to hunger for knowledge like he does now.