Tank birthday, 47+ years

fishybizzness · Feb 24, 2018

Paul B said:
My wife is great. I see a lot of posts where men have trouble buying things because their wife has other plans, but so far, in 45 or so years, my wife has never said anything about what I spend on the tank or even my collection of Speedo's.

She even bought me many of the fish, pumps, ozonizers and other things and her Mother (rest in peace) bought me the tank. Of course we are moving soon and need to rent a tractor trailer to move her shoes.
Maybe she has a boy friend

I have a great wife as well. She works at the local marine park so all she does is maintain tanks all day, though they are a little bigger than my tank as she does most of the maintenance in scuba gear! She brings home live myscid and let's me know when something needs to be looked at so I can learn along the way.

Paul B · Feb 24, 2018

That's a great wife. My wife also comes diving with me, well she used to, I don't think she will dive any more. We are going to the Island of Mustique soon and I will dive there with our Daughter (I think).

The place we are moving is right near the Long Island Aquarium (Atlantis) and my boat will be docked there. They also have a research boat that I plan on Captaining. It's really a tourist type of thing I think. I plan to volunteer at the aquarium also. They are supposed to have the largest indoor reef tank in the US and I have seen it many times. I also know the curator.

Our Daughter is the writer in the family and you will notice that when you read the foreword of the book.

Breadman03 · Feb 24, 2018

Paul B said:
Thats a long road trip. Maybe if you were like a thousand miles closer I could really use you.

I was just on the phone with them now. It is semi straightened out. But not finalized. Lots of paperwork and dealing with Jiboni's to deal with.

In all honesty, I’m just about a 24 oz coffee West of you on I-80. I’ve got plenty of vacation time to burn if you could use a hand. Well, you’re in Long Island, so maybe 2 coffees away.

Johnike · Feb 24, 2018

Hello, old friend.

Paul B · Feb 24, 2018

Thanks Breadman. I am sure I am going to need help. Hopefully I will find someone who can make it here on a small coffee.

Remember, I am moving from here 60 miles east so I will need to take the tank apart here, then the same day, drive it out there and put it back in the new tank. It is going to be a real pain. But thanks, I appreciate the offer.

John, it's really nice to see you. What are you doing here? Did you get tired of that big place yet? Do you miss me?

Johnike · Feb 24, 2018

Paul B said:
John, it's really nice to see you. What are you doing here? Did you get tired of that big place yet? Do you miss me?

Evidently, they got tired of me and locked the doors on me when I went out the other day.

The Spanish Inquisition finally got me after 14 years.
I don't miss you anymore now.

Hope Mrs B is improving, and the rest of the family is well.

Turbo's Aquatics · Feb 24, 2018

Hey John, good to see you here! That FB post of yours is intriguing

Mark Gray · Feb 24, 2018

Paul B said:
You mean you didn't finish it yet!
I am at the point where I am forgetting all I knew. That's why I wrote the book. So when I am in my stupor in a nursing home, I can brush up on some things.

Before you read that, look up the definition of "Avant-Garde.

I bought some pills to help me remember everything they really work, but I can't remember to take them.

Paul B · Feb 25, 2018

The beginnings of my Industrial/Steam Punk King size bed for my new home. It still needs stain, more wheels, a middle etc. The wall behind the bed will be barn wood from a barn and I am building a barn door in the center. This will be finished like that. I already beat up the wood. I think it will look very cool.

Brew12 · Feb 25, 2018

Paul B said:
The beginnings of my Industrial/Steam Punk King size bed for my new home. It still needs stain, more wheels, a middle etc. The wall behind the bed will be barn wood from a barn and I am building a barn door in the center. This will be finished like that. I already beat up the wood. I think it will look very cool.

I hope your bedroom is on the first floor of your new home! Love the look but can't envision how you will get that thing through a door!

Paul B · Feb 25, 2018

HaHa. It comes apart in 4 small pieces that I can carry. In that picture the piece going back is just sitting there and not connected. When the mattress is on it, you will just see 4" all around of those 4X6 lumber. The center will be plywood and there will be large drawers underneith.

Paul B · Feb 27, 2018

So I had to have a drug test to renew my Coast Guard Captains License. Two weeks ago I made an appointment and went to my Union's medical dept to get it as they have a drug test facility there.
I get the test and make an appointment and hand deliver it to the Coast Guard in Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan which is a pain to get to from my house, but I figured if I mailed it, they would say they didn't get it and I would have to do it all over again.

The bubbly 15 year old looking cute girl working there at the Coast Guard tells me the drug test is illegible and they can't read it. OK, I call my union to fax over a better copy. I am on the phone with my union as they faxed it about 8 times but it never came in the the Coast Guard where I am standing.

I ask Goldilox if this is the correct fax number. She assures me that she is positive thats the number. They fax it another 6 times, and nothing comes through so Goldi tells me "you have to leave because they are very busy today". I look around and me and the guy sweeping the floor are the only people there. She gives me a form telling me I have 60 days to fax over the test results.

I look at the fax number on the form and it is one number different from the fax number she was positive was correct.
I call he over and show her, she insists it is the same number. I tell her, well "most" of the numbers are the same but this "4" is a "7" on this form.

"Ooh, I must have made a mistake." No, the Coast Guard made a mistake when they hired you. So I call back my union and they re fax it and to my surprise, it gets there.

Now they look at it and say, it isn't readable. It's blurry.

OK, I go all the way into Queens to my Union and pick up a good copy and fax it to the Coast Guard.

Two days later I get a letter from them saying the drug test is no good for all these reasons, and they give me two sheets of paper almost all highlighted with things wrong. The test results are fine but it's the wrong format, they don't know the doctor, it doesn't have the proper chain of command, they are not a federally designated drug test facility, Ameila Aerheart didn't sign it, Who is Dr Zhivago, etc. etc.

So I make an appointment with a Federally designated drug testing facility and go there this morning. I had an 8:00 am appointment and the place is not in the best neighborhood. There are courts all around and I think they use this place to test the jail inmates before that go to trial as most of them looked like ax murderers, car hijackers, Jay Walkers and those people that remove those tags on new furniture that says "Do not remove under penalty of the Law".

I got there 45 minutes early because I didn't know exactly where it was and I purposely didn't go to the bathroom before I went because this is a urine test and I wanted to make sure I could go there.
Now I am in my car busting a gut because i really have to go. They let me in and I tell the girl to hurry up and give me the cup.

"Oh No we can't do that, you have to be processed in, finger printed, fill out these forms, try speed dating etc. So I say, I really got to go so where's the bathroom. She says "Really" look around. The place is nothing but tiny bathrooms, smaller than my refugium. I run in and try to just go a "little bit". That is hard to do if you ever tried it.

I go to sit down and now I have to go EVEN MORE. I mean I am climbing the walls. The nurse, book keeper, secretary or whatever comes over to me and starts speaking to me in Spanish.
I am Italian but was born in Brooklyn like my parents so the only word I know in Spanish is Ricardo Montalban.
I tell her I only speak English, but she continues in Spanish anyway.

Now I really can't hold it any longer, she hands me the cup and I run and burst into the tiny bathroom anticipating relief. I open the cup and......AND,,,,And...I CAN'T GO. Like REALLY!!
It's not like I can lay down, have a beer and watch TV for an hour, there are people on line. If I could stand on my head, I would. I am trying to think about Niagara Falls, my power heads, my old leaky fish tank, but nothing.

Eventually I manage to fill the cup. Before I come out of this closet my phone rings. I didn't want to answer it because I didn't recognize the number but my house is for sale and I figured it might be someone with a wheelbarrow full of cash outside my house so I answer it.

It's Goldilox from the Coast Guard and she is her bubbly self. She tells me that my drug test that I sent in last week that they said was no good is fine and they are processing my application.
I say "WHAT!!" I just spent fifty bucks on a new drug test and nearly burst a kidney and besides you sent me two pages of things wrong with that test. She says, Oh that. That letter was a mistake. Have a nice day.

I mean, you can't make this stuff up. Is it me? Dealing with the government is like watching Seinfeld and the Twilight Zone at the same time while you are on LSD and Rogain.

Paul B · Mar 1, 2018

I noticed yesterday a bleeny in my tank that I rarely see has a really bad case of pop eye. It looks like it is to far advanced to save the eye and I could never catch him anyway so he will have to work it out himself.

I received the redwood wood for my new tank stand and after I finish this bed, I will build that. It should only take a couple of hours but I am having another open house, going to the Caribbean soon and dealing with a lot of other things so I am very busy now. I wish my hermit crabs know how to do some things for me

Brew12 · Mar 1, 2018

Paul B said:
I noticed yesterday a bleeny in my tank that I rarely see has a really bad case of pop eye.

You haven't been playing your rap music too loud again, have you?

Paul B said:
going to the Caribbean soon

I was just there last week. Took one of the big ships, not the smaller ones you enjoy. Did get in lots of relaxation and some reading in the adults only area at the back.

Paul B · Mar 1, 2018

I hope you didn't get seawater on it.

We are going to the island of Mystique. I never heard of it but thats where we are going. In the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean" when Johnny Depp and that girl were stranded on an Island and she burned the rum, they filmed it there. They could have saved money and filmed that on Coney Island but what do I know. We have to take a small private plane to get there.
Maybe I will bring my boo to read.