Tank birthday, 47+ years

[Paul B]

Victoria, thank you. I wish you could come here and "cure" me of this knee thing although I couldn't help with your head thing.

I also have a 1/2" limb discrepancy due to breaking my other leg in 3 places while doing a manly thing like Skiing.
I wear an orthotic for that but forgot about it for a couple of years. Maybe I will look for the thing.

This knee pain is obviously from the operation as I woke up with it. But like "almost" everything else, it will subside in time just like ich and flatworms do.

I have ben riding my bicycle for exercise but it has been raining or snowing every day so I only rode it 3 times. I am also very active in building, inventing and fixing things. I get out of bed at 5 and never stop.
Soon it will be boating season and that will double my activities. The knee slows me down, but it won't stop me.

 

[Paul B]

Speaking of, how is the wife doing? The homemade special blend still helping?

The stuff still works, I made 4 quarts of it last night and she drinks it a few times a day and won't go without it.

 

[Paul B]

Nope not a knee problem. A hip abductor problem

I am pretty sure mine is a knee problem. The three days I spent in the hospital and the X Ray I saw showed a big titanium knee joint in there where my own rotten knee used to be.
My old rotten knee worked a lot better than this new knee that was probably made in China in the same factory where they make those little paper umbrellas that they put in Mai Tai drinks in cheap Hawaiian restaurants.
This new knee is also 4 degrees warmer than my other knee so I can submerge it in my tank to heat the water.

It is a little better today and I am painting floor moldings in my kitchen. I can't bend it much so I have to slither down to the floor and lay there to paint. Getting up is a little trickier and may involve a block and tackle.

On another note, my tank is zipping along doing what it is supposed to do. I found my 2 Gecko Gobies that I thought flew the coup as I almost never see them and have never seen the entire fish at one time. They live in a cave in the back and shoot out faster than Nancy Pelosi can make a funny face when she hears something she doesn't like.

I can't believe they are still living. My 3 pipefish are also doing well as is my pair of mandarins and scooter "bleeny". I have not fed any of those pod eaters in 7 months but they are all still fat and may have to call Jenny Craig.

How is your head healing? You still look like a Supermodel so I know you are healing well.

This has nothing to do with anything, but my Grand Daughter, Greta's school hosted a Bollywood party (I don't know what that is) but they had a belly dancer there and they had to dress up in Indian clothes (India, not native American)

I just like this picture.

 

[Paul B]

Yesterday we went to the City to see the Grand Kids. That was uneventful, but when we got home My package arrived. It was a strip LED light for over my kitchen cabinets. (not everything is for fish tanks)
I ran the electric up there a few days ago (I know an electrician )

So I installed the thing and it really looks beautiful. It can change colors and also makes a nice night light when we watch Re runs of
the Sonny and Cher show.

Anyway, as we were watching Siren on TV (very cool show about Mermaids) my wife asked me to put it louder which I did.
The over the cabinet LEDs changed from white to blue. I did it again and they went to red. Every time I change the volume on the TV, the light changes color. This is very weird especially because to change the color with the supplied LED remote, you have to aim the thing at the light. But I have to aim the volume adjuster at the TV and the color changes.

Now what do I do?

 

[GBRsouth]

Get that electrician back and make him repair it under warranty!

 

[Jon Fishman]

I work in the OR everyday with Ortho..... Not knees and hips. But I know a good bit about them..... What is the composition of it, ceramic heads?

 

[Paul B]

. What is the composition of it, ceramic heads?

I think it's titanium, but feels more like Styrofoam.

 

[count krunk]

i don't think there is much you can do.

that TV remote must just be quite the smooth talker.

 

[Brew12]

Now what do I do?

What model lights did you install? Does it have selectable IR frequencies?

You may have better luck if the sensor for the lights is above something like a coffee pot to keep the TV remove signal from reflecting off the counter top. You can test this by laying a towel on the counter below the sensor.

 

[Paul B]

What model lights did you install? Does it have selectable IR frequencies?

I will have to look at the box, I got them from Amazon and I doubt they have selectable frequencies.
The sensor is 8' high on top of the cabinets and I have 9' ceilings.
I think I solved the problem. I moved the sensor behind a small sign I have there which is very thin plywood. The light censor can get through it to control the lights but the TV signal, so far can't. Problem solved, but thanks for your expertise.

 

[Victoria M]

I did not know signals could bounce off a counter top.

 

[Paul B]

I did not know signals could bounce off a counter top.

Victoria, signals could bounce off of my bald head.

 

[Brew12]

I will have to look at the box, I got them from Amazon and I doubt they have selectable frequencies.
The sensor is 8' high on top of the cabinets and I have 9' ceilings.
I think I solved the problem. I moved the sensor behind a small sign I have there which is very thin plywood. The light censor can get through it to control the lights but the TV signal, so far can't. Problem solved, but thanks for your expertise.

At least you know you can use your TV remote to change the colors if you ever lose the remote for the lights!

 

[Paul B]

I posted this before and just found it, I have nothing to write so I will just stick this here.

I can't believe that there are so many problems in this rewarding
hobby. If you read through these forums you will read almost nothing
but problems and this is supposed to be a hobby. A hobby is supposed
to be fun. If you have been in this for 4 years and for 3 years and 6
months you see nothing but problems, perhaps this is not for you.
I hear stamp collecting is fun and there is absolutely no stress. I
feel bad for some members here.
Many posts go something like this:

NEED HELP FAST
Please help.
I came home yesterday and I knew something was wrong, The cleaning
lady, who I later found out is not really a cleaning lady, or even a
lady for that matter, was spralled out on the couch next to my dog, who
was dead, the dog, not the lady. OMG I quickly ran to my reef tank but
tripped over something, it was my cat, also dead.
When I finally got to the tank the lights were on, but very dim. I
realized the tank was dim because my new ORP controller that was behind
the tank, was on fire.
I quickly put out the fire and pulled the chain to put on the tank
lights. At first all seemed well but then I smelled something. I
sniffed around the tank but could not find the problem, then I noticed
the cleaning "lady" was standing behind me, with the cat.
The cleaning lady doesn't speak English, or any language that I could
tell, but in sign language she explained to me that my wife ran away
with Sam. Sam is our butcher, but my wife is a vegetarian.
Now it seemed that the only good thing was my reef tank so I got
comfortable in front of the tank and called for my other dog, "Lucky".
Lucky took a long time coming to me because lucky was born with only
one leg. And for some reason that leg always points north, no matter
which way Lucky is facing, that leg points north. As Lucky ran towards
me I heard that satisfying sound of his paw on the hardwood floor, "Ker
plunk" "Ker plunk" "Ker plunk".
He has a few other, not so serious health problems but he is a loving
pet. Lucky sat with me watching the tank. He sits with his back to
the tank because Lucky only has one eye, and it faces backward.
As me and Lucky were watching the tank, I noticed that my mandarin
seemed to be eating more pods than usual. I found this odd because
there are no pods in my tank. On closer inspection I noticed that they
were not pods, but lice. I then realized that the cleaning lady, who
has hair down to her knees which it is always wet, must have washed her
hair in the tank.
This cleaning lady came to us about 6 weeks ago, at first I thought she
was an envirnmentalist because she had three shopping carts with her,
filled to the brim with plastic bottles and cans. When I opened the
door the first thing I noticed was that she had on her right foot this
really beautiful Yves St Laurent high heel shoe. On her left foot was
a timberland boot. The Timberland boot had this sticky substance
oozing from the underside but I won't go into that right now.
I asked her if she knew anything about reef tanks, calcium reactors,
oxygenators, protein skimmers etc.
She nodded to all my questions so I invited her in. I quickly learned
she had this crick in her neck and nods constantly. As a matter of
fact, that is the only movement she can make above her waist. She
doesn't really have a waist but you get the idea.
Anyway I don't want to stray from my tank problem. As I said, the
mandarin was eating, lice, but he seemed to enjoy them. I searched for
the other tank inhabitants and noticed my two hermit crabs. One was
laying on his side, obviousely in distress. I put on my reading
glasses and took a closer look. He has varicose veins and probably a
little osteoporosis. The other crab seems fine and was sitting on a
roll of pennies. I wondered where the pennies came from until I saw a
wad of rolled up twenty dollar bills under the anemone, (who was dead)
The bills had a pink rubber band around them and I realized they were
from my dresser. The cleaning lady was probably stealing money from me
and hiding it in the tank. I was born at night, but not last night. I
put two and two together and figured that this cleaning lady might have
a problem.

Anyway, this is how many posts go on these fish forums. Can't we get
some happy posts like:
Yesterday Claudia Schiffer came to my door, she heard I have a reef
tank and just loves reef tanks, she also loves to clean and cook and
she owns a yacht.
Thats the type of posts I want to hear about.

 

[Paul B]

I just finished my new motorized Steam Punk lamp. It has a "fire" inside and when you turn the valve handles, it winds the mechanism on the Grand Fathers clock and spins the gears and tiny bicycle chain for about 5 minutes. The right valve handle moves the gong hammer. It can be dimmed.

 

[Todd A.]

NEED HELP FAST
Please help.

That was a great story although I'm still wondering how a one-legged dog can run or even sit for that matter, although I do have a three-legged dog who can out run circles around most "normal" pups.
Anyway, to me a hobby isn't rewarding without some stress. Maybe that's why I don't collect stamps. It's the struggles and challenges that make the rewards all that much better. As far as the lack of "Happy" versus "HELP!!" posts, it's human nature to complain. For example; I have a new DT that's covered in GHA, my puffer thinks the CUC is an All-U-Can-Eat buffet and I'm worried that my Copper-band and Yellow Tang don't like each other.
And I couldn't be happier.

 

[atoll]

Paul like me I know you like fish with personality. Well I picked up this little guy today Mr Stary blenny. Not so uncommon but with bags of personality.

 

[Rybren]

I love mine!

 

[Rybren]

Love the lamp Paul. It's awesome!

 

[atoll]

I just finished my new motorized Steam Punk lamp. It has a "fire" inside and when you turn the valve handles, it winds the mechanism on the Grand Fathers clock and spins the gears and tiny bicycle chain for about 5 minutes. The right valve handle moves the gong hammer. It can be dimmed.

That's a bit special indeed. Nice wirk.