Aquarium Life
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Till we meet again
Sorry all ... I left the aquarium about a year ago which is why I have not posted here in more than a year. Thanks for all who have been reading my ramblings. I am currently doing my Masters in Applied Marine Science and I'm not currently working ... if however I get a job at an aquarium again I'll be back.
Till we meet again
Till we meet again
Monday, June 11, 2007
Jy het nou weer nie gedink nie
Loosly translates to you didn't hink before opening your mouth did you ... here is a list of some of the silly questions we get asked ... and what we sometimes feel like replying ;o)
1) Q = Where are the whales and dolphins? ... A = We don't have any ..... Want to answer (WA) = Did you notice you are in the basement of the building.
2) Q = Are those whales or sharks? ... A = Sharks ..... WA = Do you have any idea how big whales are and once again ... underground
3) Q = Where can I buy carrots? ... A = not inside the Aquarium ... WA = WTF
4) Q = What do you feed the fish? ... A = different types of fish ... Q = You feed the fish fish? ... A = Yes they are predatory fish so they eat other fish ...... WA = Yes, it's a fish eat fish world out there
5) Q = Are these stingrays? ... A = No, they are skates and rays they don't have stings so not stingrays ... Q = Are you sure? ... A = Yes ..... WA = Don't mind me I just work here ... spend at least an hour here everyday, I'm not sure at all.
6) Q = Is that the stingray that killed Steve Irwin? ... A = No, this is a Southern Stingray a different species .... WA = Yes, that's the one ... it took us ages to track it down but we found it and flew it right form Australia so you could see it.
7) Q = Where is the tunnel under the sharks? ... A = Sorry we dont have one here ... Q = But I saw it one TV are you sure? ... A = Yes ... WA = Again don't mind me I've just been working here almost a year
I know that this sounds a bit sarcastic and we really don't mind questions but if you hear it over and over and over it sometimes gets to you just a little.
More later
P
1) Q = Where are the whales and dolphins? ... A = We don't have any ..... Want to answer (WA) = Did you notice you are in the basement of the building.
2) Q = Are those whales or sharks? ... A = Sharks ..... WA = Do you have any idea how big whales are and once again ... underground
3) Q = Where can I buy carrots? ... A = not inside the Aquarium ... WA = WTF
4) Q = What do you feed the fish? ... A = different types of fish ... Q = You feed the fish fish? ... A = Yes they are predatory fish so they eat other fish ...... WA = Yes, it's a fish eat fish world out there
5) Q = Are these stingrays? ... A = No, they are skates and rays they don't have stings so not stingrays ... Q = Are you sure? ... A = Yes ..... WA = Don't mind me I just work here ... spend at least an hour here everyday, I'm not sure at all.
6) Q = Is that the stingray that killed Steve Irwin? ... A = No, this is a Southern Stingray a different species .... WA = Yes, that's the one ... it took us ages to track it down but we found it and flew it right form Australia so you could see it.
7) Q = Where is the tunnel under the sharks? ... A = Sorry we dont have one here ... Q = But I saw it one TV are you sure? ... A = Yes ... WA = Again don't mind me I've just been working here almost a year
I know that this sounds a bit sarcastic and we really don't mind questions but if you hear it over and over and over it sometimes gets to you just a little.
More later
P
Labels: Silly Questions
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Long Time no see
Just a quick update ... sorry this one has been so quiet been focusing more on my photo's but I'll try to make more of an effort with Aquarium Life ;o) So stay tuned
Labels: arb, Back again
Monday, February 19, 2007
Please Bear With Me
Second half of Hell week here we go. Had a good day yesterday ... lots of time at the craft table. I love working at the craft table ... you meet the cutest little kids there. I had one small boy come over to me had me his badge to make and went I am called Alex who are you? I told him my name is Grea ... he must have heard Sophia because that is what he kept calling me, he even brought his sister over to introduce her. We often get parents telling them to ask the lady to make the badge and they come running over going Lady ... lady ... so cute.
Had an interesting shark talk. I started doing the talk and my microphone dies ... ok no problem turn it off fiddle with the knobs, turn it back on and it works kewl ... continue the talk ... five minutes later it dies again ... ask people to bear with me and radio up for a new mic. Get told that I have to fiddle with it ... told them I did and it's the second time it's died ... by now everyone at the talk is listening intently to what is going on over the radio ... so they tell oh well then just stand on the window and shout ... I looked up at the people and said oh well ... everyone just packed out laughing ... so I smiled nicely and asked them to bear with me and to just quiet down and give me a chance ... which they did and they were still quiet when D brought me a new microphone almost 10 minutes later. It was brilliant even got an applause afterwards.
Had a good coral talk as well. For one all the animals co-operated. I've had the problem the last couple of talks that people can't see the small sharks or the morays because they hide and I look like an idiot trying to describe to people what they look like ... but yesterday they fed them just as I was doing the talk so all the animals did a little pile up and everyone could see them ... made my talk a lot easier.
Hopefully the rest of the week will be pleasant it's almost back to school time ;o)
More later this week.
P
Had an interesting shark talk. I started doing the talk and my microphone dies ... ok no problem turn it off fiddle with the knobs, turn it back on and it works kewl ... continue the talk ... five minutes later it dies again ... ask people to bear with me and radio up for a new mic. Get told that I have to fiddle with it ... told them I did and it's the second time it's died ... by now everyone at the talk is listening intently to what is going on over the radio ... so they tell oh well then just stand on the window and shout ... I looked up at the people and said oh well ... everyone just packed out laughing ... so I smiled nicely and asked them to bear with me and to just quiet down and give me a chance ... which they did and they were still quiet when D brought me a new microphone almost 10 minutes later. It was brilliant even got an applause afterwards.
Had a good coral talk as well. For one all the animals co-operated. I've had the problem the last couple of talks that people can't see the small sharks or the morays because they hide and I look like an idiot trying to describe to people what they look like ... but yesterday they fed them just as I was doing the talk so all the animals did a little pile up and everyone could see them ... made my talk a lot easier.
Hopefully the rest of the week will be pleasant it's almost back to school time ;o)
More later this week.
P
Labels: coral, craft table, shark talk
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Hell week
Yip this week is what we call hell week ... It's half term ... in other words a mass of people all wanting to come to the aquarium ... problem is it's cold and it's wet and the queue is out the door. That means that by the time people get into the aquarium they are cold and wet so they take it out on us.
So it has been busy ... a mass of kids all screaming at the ray pool. So we do the talks for ourselves because nobody can actually hear us. The craft table is a nightmare ... my arms are actually hurting from making badges and I think most of us have bruises on our hands from grabbing badge bits out of the container.
But we'll survive ... just a lot more tired at the end of the day ... but we do our jobs because we enjoy it.
L8r
P
So it has been busy ... a mass of kids all screaming at the ray pool. So we do the talks for ourselves because nobody can actually hear us. The craft table is a nightmare ... my arms are actually hurting from making badges and I think most of us have bruises on our hands from grabbing badge bits out of the container.
But we'll survive ... just a lot more tired at the end of the day ... but we do our jobs because we enjoy it.
L8r
P
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Snow Day at the Aquarium
Today was a very wet and snowy day ... the trains were delayed so I spent half an hour on a platform in the snow ... waiting for the trains .... but I didn't mind I knew I had to do my first rainforest talk today and I was really nervous so I spent most of the journey learning my talk.
The talk went fine ... I did it in front of a crowd of .... two people ;o) It was good though doing it in front of two people meant that it wasn't as much pressure so the talk went well.
It was a good day I had two other talks that I did the shark talk and the coral talk. I realized that it is really the people who come to the talks that make it worthwhile. I had a gentleman that came to ask me questions after the shark talk, he really tested my knowledge of sharks which was great ... and it inspires me to read up more to be prepared.
The coral talk was just as interesting. There was one lady and her husband that was quite an interesting pair. They were interested to a point but also one of those that thought that they knew everything ... so they didn't listen to what I said ... so I ended up having to repeat myself ... over and over and over. But later after the talk I had a stint at the ray pool and one of the ladies that was at the coral talk with her husband came back to thank me for the talk and to tell me it was very interesting ... it makes it really worthwhile.
More hopefully l8r
P
The talk went fine ... I did it in front of a crowd of .... two people ;o) It was good though doing it in front of two people meant that it wasn't as much pressure so the talk went well.
It was a good day I had two other talks that I did the shark talk and the coral talk. I realized that it is really the people who come to the talks that make it worthwhile. I had a gentleman that came to ask me questions after the shark talk, he really tested my knowledge of sharks which was great ... and it inspires me to read up more to be prepared.
The coral talk was just as interesting. There was one lady and her husband that was quite an interesting pair. They were interested to a point but also one of those that thought that they knew everything ... so they didn't listen to what I said ... so I ended up having to repeat myself ... over and over and over. But later after the talk I had a stint at the ray pool and one of the ladies that was at the coral talk with her husband came back to thank me for the talk and to tell me it was very interesting ... it makes it really worthwhile.
More hopefully l8r
P
Monday, February 05, 2007
Back to the Salt Mines (",)
Well we are back in London after a lovely holiday in South Africa and I was back at work today. Not a whole lot happened was actually nice and quiet so a good day overall. Hopefully will have some more news later in the week.
Labels: Back again
