watch out! whale shark!

I blogged about going to the Georgia Aquarium back in February 2006. The opportunity to go came up July of this year. Tabitha was going to Atlanta for a business trip, so I tagged along. I think I was in town for just a little over 24 hours. The first thing we did after I got there was to lounge by the pool. We listened to a hot hot hot boy sing "Wicked Games" to us. For dinner I took Tabitha to Dante's Down the Hatch, of course. It's a fondue place that's built and decorated to replicate a 19th century dock in London. My mom and I had gone there back in 1999(?). I had a great time then, so I had to take Tabitha. It's fondue. Who can pass up fondue?

The next morning, I left early for the aquarium so I would have to deal with as big of a crowd. Tabitha met up with me later to go on our Behind the Scenes Tour.


I immersed myself in front of the second largest viewing window in the world for nearly an hour. Schools of brown-nosed rays swirled around like a barrage of B2 Bombers. Two huge sunfish just hovered and stared right out the window as if they were studying us. Of course, the most fascinating were the whale sharks. The aquarium had just flown in two new whale sharks that were about 14ft long to join the other two 18-footers. That's as big as a semi truck. AND they're no where near full grown! These gentle giants circled near the top of the tank. If I remember correctly, the docent said there were over 10,000 fish in that one tank. Hardly a representation of a real ocean in that you would never find that many fish concentrated in one place. I wondered if the fish got stressed out from the congestion. Anyway, my eyes were bedazzled and awed.

As if that wasn't enough, our Behind the Scenes Tour took us through the aquariums innards. We saw their water filtration system, labs, and "state of the art" fish operating room. Best of all, a top view of the big tank and of the whale sharks!

My day at the aquarium was all that I could imagine! I would love to come back in 10 years to see how the reefs and fish have grown. Tab and I took a lot of pictures that reside on her Flickr page. I get to take credit for half of the amazing ones. =)

chicago moment

Location: Washington and Dearborn. Across the street from the Chriskindlmarket (aka Daley Plaza).

Time: At the tail end of morning rush hour. The last of the late risers trotting to work.

Seen: A black woman around 65 years old perched, cross-leged, on a planter (one of those anti-terrorist tall planters). She was dressed in all shades of blue, mostly royal blue. Even her bouffant hair was spray-painted "blue". Outfitted in a smart dress suit and accessorized to the nines in cheap gold earings and big blue necklaces, she waved at passerbys with one hand. In the other, she gingerly held a martini glass filled with what looked like Irish coffee with a mound of whipped cream. It might have been fake, since there was not one swash with all of her waving. I think she was softly singing to me as I turned to wave.

Regret: No camera!! Maybe she'll be there tomorrow.

suspended

"No-one, and nothing [can] really hurt me. No-one, and nothing, [can] make me very happy."

-Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts