Bang! And the shrimp is gone....

Regular readers may have noticed that my most recent blog contained a note about running low on Flash multi-surface cleaner. As a deep sea shrimp currently inhabiting the bathypalegic region of the ocean (3000 meters down) , this was obviously a throwaway comment; as all my close friends will tell you, I've always been a Cillit Bang kind of shrimp.

No Dave this weekend, so I dug out the old record player and listened to a few of my old Level 42 albums. Great stuff - if there's a better bass player than Mark 'Thunder Thumbs' King I'll eat my 6th abdominal segment. Did you know King scored several movie soundtracks, including the latin tinged theme from 'Ultimo mondo cannibale'.

I blog, therefore I am

Interesting to note that Melvyn Bragg's unashamedly intellectual radio show "In Our Time" is running a Channel 4 style "Greatest Philosophers" poll. Descartes gets my vote gets - he argued that thinking about our own existence proves that we exist, for how could we have thoughts if we do not? From this Descartes concluded that he can only say that he is a thinking thing - I prefer to define myself as a blogging thing. Blogging is my essence as it is the only thing about me that cannot be doubted.

Well that's what I suggested to Dave (my shrimp pal) as we cracked open a few cans and settled down to watch another anthropological delight on DVD.

Note to self: running low on Flash multi-surface cleaner.

Feeding frenzies

Went for a swim on Friday night with Dave, a shrimp friend of mine. He ended up lecturing me about sub arctic feeding patterns in the pacific. Dave is of the opinion that mesopelagic micronekton is more likely to occupy the middle layer of the ocean (the epipelagic zone) between the more environmentally variable and fertile upper layers. I suggested that he get out more.

On Saturday I watched the re-mastered director's cut of Ursula Andresses finest hour. I would have liked to have seen more colour separation in the flesh tones.

Journal of Plankton research

I've just taken out a subscription to this. I recently estimated that I spend 90% of my time eating microalgae and zooplankton, so this should prove a sound investment.

"Cuz there is something called respekt"

So says the bizarrely named "We Eat So Many Shrimp" blog. Having read this, I still don't see what their 'beef' is with marine decapod crustaceans (suborders Dendrobranchiata and Pleocyemata). Perhaps they don't know just how 'down with the kids' I am - 3000 metres down to be precise!!

Hangover

Was out on the pop last night, and now I look like this.

Carcass: final word

Quite a fun weekend. Swam about a lot on Friday and Saturday, and then had some 'Alan-time' on Sunday afternoon watching one of my favourite films. This lead me to thinking about that carcass on the ocean floor, which has now been picked clean. Someday, that will be me down there (although I'm more likely to be swallowed whole by a bottle-nosed dolphin).

Sand

You'd be surprised how variegated the sand is down here. When the ocean is particularly clear and the currents not too strong, then one can really appreciate the myriad of colour, texture, and granularity on offer. And you thought it was just loose granular material that results from the disintegration of rocks.

Other shrimp web-heads (or 'shred-heads' as I call them) might like to check out this fascinating article dealing with the Population structure of the deep-sea shrimp in the north-east Atlantic based on allozyme variation. Great stuff, and kudos to The Norwegian College of Fishery Science.

Carcass update

On closer inspection, the carcass turns out to be a yellowfin sole.