Darlene the sea monkey. ♥

     I took this photo a while ago, but I decided it was blog material. This is Darlene, my first sea monkey. RIT doesn't allow pets other than fish in the dorms, and since I can't seem to keep a fish alive no matter how much I feed it, sing to it, love it, and take care of it, I decided to buy $5 sea monkeys at Wal-Mart. I followed the directions to a T, and when I saw microscopic babies squirming around that stupid cheap tank... I can honestly say I've never been prouder. I watched the little dots get bigger and bigger, until one day, I saw only one lonely speck swimming about the plastic tank. I was devastated. But I didn't let that keep me from giving my one sea monkey the most love possible. After much deliberation, I named her Darlene Jehoshaphat. When it came time to go back to Scranton for Christmas break, I was determined to bring her with me. I held her in the car for the 4-hour ride back, constantly holding the tank to the light to check on her. She swam happily in adorable loop-dee-loops and squiggly patterns, each time bringing a smile to my face and a glow in my heart.
     When I got home, I kept Darlene on my bedroom dresser and kept the blinds open so she wouldn't be alone in the dark when I wasn't there to keep her company. As I set the tank down on the dresser, the water sloshed around, kicking up the remains of the other poor little brine shrimp, almost bringing me to tears. I looked at happy little D.J. and said "I love you! I'll take care of you and make sure you're happy and loved at all times, don't you worry."
     A few days later, I was gazing at D.J. and watched her swirl among the specks in the water.
Wait.
Specks?
I didn't move the tank, did I?
     I took the little useless magnifying glass that came with the sea monkey kit and looked closer. What I saw made my heart leap: little squiggles moving around in careful circles. I cannot even describe to you how happy I felt seeing brand new baby sea monkeys in my shrimpy family. My jaw dropped and then pulled back up into a grin. I made a noise of elation and ran into the kitchen to tell my parents that little Darlene had babies. (They know I'm crazy, so they gave me that "Oh really? That's nice" response as I jumped up and down like a little girl.)
     As I type this closing paragraph, I'm watching seven little sea monkeys squiggling around in their upgraded dollar-store cage (shown in the photo above, back in the day when Darlene was flyin' solo). I have an upcoming spring break, and I'm debating whether or not to leave them here or take them home. I'm nervous about spilling one of them out, and I know they'll be fine here if I feed them before I leave. I think they're big kids. They can do it. They grow up so fast! I love all of you, my little shrimp angels. I'll never let you down. ♥