Paul B's thread

[Paul B]

I just completed the biggest water change I ever did in the life of the tank. It was difficult because I am not 20 years old any more and for some reason, water keeps getting heavier. Maybe it's from all that nuclear energy we use and they throw out that contaminated heavy water. 15 gallons was NSW.
I changed 55 gallons and I think there are only about 60 or 70 gallons in my tank as it is full of rocks. There was only about 5" of water left and my copperband was having the horrors and scratching 911 in the glass.
I stirred up the gravel as best I could with my diatom filter (which you can still see in the picture) and siphoned out the muck and mud, hopefully no pipefish, anemone crabs or beer cans.
I will let the diatom run until it goes on fire or shuts off the lights in my neighborhood then I will cal it a success.... Well almost. I had to manipulate the diatom outflow hose to stir up the bottom at the same time I was siphoning out water using a large diameter hose into pails. During that time I had to keep changing buckets but there were so many buckets, that I couldn't get around.
I only broke a few..... OK, Most of my corals, especially the montipora's but I feel they will croak during my move anyway. I will glue them someplace when I have time.

 

[Paul B]

I was looking at what I got my wife for Christmas and I decided that it wasn't enough so I figured, stupidly, that I would go to a store and get her something else, 3 days before Christmas. So I drive to Sears. No, I didn't buy her anything there. If I bought my wife something in Sears, she would throw it at me.
You go there for cro bars chain saws and axes.
I parked in Sears parking lot because no one goes there so you can park. I walked through the store to get to the stores on the other side where you can't buy a parking space. Remember, this is New York.

So I find this Girly Girl store and go in. I am of course the only man.
10' in the store they have these down coats so I grab one. XXL, XL, L, XXS, XXXS etc.
My wife wears a small. I couldn't find one. Then out of the corner of my eye, I spot one on the floor, in between the racks where no one looks. I got it, it's a small.

I go to the counter and I am in luck, there are four girls working there and only two people on line. At least I thought there were only two people on line. There was really 6 or 7 people on line but they were all off looking for some other stupid thing and the 2 people on line were saving their place.

So I wait, and I wait, and I wait. Like really! How do you Ladies shop. Just throw some money on the counter and leave.

They are all showing pictures of their dog to the sales girl or asking about the return policy, exchanging E Mails, how the stuff is sized, what kind of bodice it has, like what is that? All sorts of silly questions that they should have Googled before they got on line in front of me. If I had a gun, I would have blew my brains out.

There is no way I would wait in a Mans store. Just hand me my box of cro bars, I will give you more than the thing costs, I don't need a receipt, have no questions, don't own a dog so I won't show you pictures of him. I don't want to make friends with you or give to charities like homeless dogs, homeless chinchilla's, chimpanzees or sign my name to save the whales, porpoises, duck billed platypuses, bald eagles or eagles with hair.

Just get me out of here.
I said it many times. I know how to move these lines along. They should have two lines. One for people with nothing to do and no life who don't mind spending the Christmas season on line. They can pay the normal price, get a receipt, talk about the store policy, discuss fall colors, sign up for a credit card or save the whales.

Then the other line, lets call it the express line, will move very fast. For the people with a life who just want to get out there should be a girl (or man, elf, leprechaun, etc.) at the door with a bucket. If the item is marked $137,52, the person in a hurry can give her any amount he or she wants higher than $137.52. I would give her $150.00 and run out. No receipt, no questions, no bag, no box, no thank you but I would say Merry Christmas and be on my way. The rest of the people on the slow line can spend Christmas on line.

The extra money in the bucket at the end of the day can go to save the whales, seals and eagles with hair. Like whats the problem!

 

[Paul B]

It was great this morning. We went out to breakfast like we do on Sundays, then to the Italian store to get some last minute stuff like shrimp cocktail to feed 40 people.
It is so nice to see so many people out shopping and making preparations for my birthday tomorrow. It makes me all tingly.

My male pipefish didn't show up for roll call this morning so i am sure the Janss pipefish made toast out of him. He was near the end of his lifespan anyway so I hope he will rest in peace, or wherever pipefish rest. It's a shame he couldn't enjoy Christmas. The female doesn't seem to care or notice.

I tested my nitrates and I am happy to say they are down to about 100. Not to bad

Merry Christmas anyone who still reads this thread.

 

[aresangel]

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday too!


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[charged45]

It was great this morning. We went out to breakfast like we do on Sundays, then to the Italian store to get some last minute stuff like shrimp cocktail to feed 40 people.
It is so nice to see so many people out shopping and making preparations for my birthday tomorrow. It makes me all tingly.

My male pipefish didn't show up for roll call this morning so i am sure the Janss pipefish made toast out of him. He was near the end of his lifespan anyway so I hope he will rest in peace, or wherever pipefish rest. It's a shame he couldn't enjoy Christmas. The female doesn't seem to care or notice.

I tested my nitrates and I am happy to say they are down to about 100. Not to bad

Merry Christmas anyone who still reads this thread.

Merry Xmas and Happy Birthday Paul.

 

[Paul B]

I had a great Christmas and Birthday and I hope all you fantastic people did also. Well, only if it was your birthday of course, if not, then just about the Christmas thing but I am sure most of you have a birthday at some time.

WE just got home from out Kids/Grand Kids in Manhattan and I just started to play with my "toys". I also had to feed my fish because they have not eaten in a few days. But they get over it.

We all went to this little church in Lower manhattan which is supposed to be one of the oldest churches in the City. It's Saint Joseph Church of the West Village or something like that. They have a fantastic choir from NYU up the block. Very nice.
I hope everyone got what they wanted.

 

[Paul B]

I really hope everyone got all they wanted on Christmas but more important that we spent time with some family that we only get to see once a year.

Since my family are all Italians and I am Sicilian, (born in Brooklyn) we have to make a big deal of eating sea food on Christmas Eve. Every year we go to my Wife's cousins house where us and about 30 other family go for the sea food feast. I don't know how he does it for so many people but it must cost him upwards to $2,000.00 just for the ingredients. He had maybe 15 lobsters, shrimp, clams, calamari, mussels, scallops, red snapper, flounder, king crab legs along with linguini with all that seafood. But all of those seafoods he has prepared a few different ways. Baked clams, fried clams, clams on the half shell etc.
It is by far my favorite dinner of the year. Then with dessert we had my birthday cake.
On Christmas Day we go to Manhattan to my Daughter's house (not really a house) He likes meat so he makes this crown roast (which I am not that crazy about) then of course we have another birthday cake.

Me with a crab leg.

 

[Paul B]

My Grand Kids, Greta and Teddy wanted to buy me something for my Birthday so our Daughter took them to a LFS where they got me this little sunken ship that bubbles come out of. They were all excited to give it to me and to them this was the most important thing I could have. So now, every time they come over, I have to put this in my tank and have bubbles come out of it. I will take a picture of it the first time I put it in.

 

[Paul B]

Now don't go making fun of my grand kids Christmas present.

 

[Chris A.]

Your pipe fish took a bite out of that boat

 

[Paul B]

Yeah, and I think it will give my copperband the horrors. But I only need to put the thing in when I know they are coming over. They will be here for New Years day so it will be in there at least until then.

 

[Paul B]

Yesterday we went to the east end of Long Island to the wineries, vodka distillery and my new home to see how it is coming along. I wanted to take more pictures of the beams and rafters for when I move in and change everything around. I brought my containers to collect 20 gallons of water. But when I got to my collection spot, I changed my mind. I walked out on the boat ramp which was covered in ice and the waves were crashing all over me before I even got to where I could collect. Here is the beach.

 

[Paul B]

I almost finished the 3 lights for over the Island in my new Island kitchen. These are wine barrel hoop lights.
This is one of them I built for a few bucks.



This is one that sells for $120.00
I will start on my wine barrel hoop dining room light.

 

[aresangel]

Nice job there Paul!


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[Paul B]

Thanks, our new place will have an industrial, steam punk look

 

[Dekon]

Great job on the light.

 

[Paul B]

Thanks

 

[Paul B]

Happy New Year guys. It's 6 degrees F Here now. Man weather.
I drove through Times Square the day before the party but I am so glad I was not there last night when it was 9 degrees.
Those are mostly tourists who go there. New Yorkers know better and have seen it before. 9 degrees, no bathrooms and from the street you can't see much.

 

[Paul B]

Now that my Grand Kids left, I can take this thing out of my tank until the next time they visit.

 

[Paul B]

I just starting to take my Christmas decorations off my house and it is so cold outside I seen a Chicken with a Cape-on.

We went to the store this morning to buy food for the week, so we go to the fish department and my wife asks the guy if that salmon is American. He says "no" . She asks where it is from. He says "Alaska".
I said, Well, I think we will take it anyway.