Author: Ratpuke7

Listening to Foreigner, Starrider.  What a catchy little tune.  I think that this is the week I need to get off my duff and get the basement moving forward.  The season finale of Six is tomorrow night (DVR), but health club is tonight (yeah!).  The communion party is fast coming and the pressure will be on.  I need to get out in front of the fun.  Have to speak with my boss concerning getting 3 days off for going to Rochester and IBM for SAP/IBM seminars.  I’m not really holding my breath because its not in the cards, but our IBM VAR is saying that he can get the trip reimbursed.  Very cool.  Thanks DataNational!  Ha! Added my logo to the site.  Inch by inch…

Ratpuke7

I think I am going to put my 2 rear channel Mirage speakers downstairs in place for my Energy’s.  That still bugs me – having the most expensive audio things water damaged and parts nonfunctional.  I wish I knew when it happened, not that it makes any difference.  Still,  It will make cleaning the basement a little easier.  There are some things that  I have to get done for the communion party. 

• Install the timer for the outside front lights
• Refinish the island
• Refinish the kitchen table
• Patch up the chairs
• Refinish the game table
• Clean up office
• Refinish the bathroom mirrors
• Paint bathroom vanities
• Clean up basement
• Powerwash the patio
• Set up patio

Ratpuke7

Be gentle on thyself.  I was good yesterday and had my first stumble today.  Not at Dunkin Donuts mind you, but an unsuspecting me had a donut sneak up at work – in the middle of the day.  Fucking devils.  I am reinvigorated for another fight with my food.  One day in, lent is a challenge.  Brought a lot of my crap from work home yesterday.  My new digs look like a tornado went through my office.  Busting out some stuff that I haven’t seen in a while.

Bummed about my Energy Reference speakers.  I was trying to hook them up the other day so I could have tunes in the basement.  One speakers tweeter is shorted out, the other has a shorted out woofer.  Maybe the crossovers are bad, who the hell knows.  There is no easy way to take the speaker apart, so I’m starting to think about writing them off.  Maybe a larger set of Mirages with a sub or a set of Klipschs. 

Ratpuke7

Tomorrow being Paczki day, I will need to stop by and pick some up from my local bakery.  It’s also Shrove (Fat) Tuesday, and the last day in February.  Lent follows Mardi Gras and this year, and it seems like lent at the church is taking a front seat.  I have to figure out what I am giving up this year – probably donuts.  That will be a bitch!  I have been reading Resisting Happiness for the past month and have been attending bi-weekly seminars at our parish.  It’s a very good book for all you Catholics out there.  I also recommend the audiobook, since I like reading a couple of books a month.

I picked up the tank on the way home Friday and I don’t need a stand since my shelving fits the tank.  Tonight I will read the instructions.  I just hope I don’t have to cut a hole in the shelving.  I would worry about the integrity of the shelf should it ever get wet.  I may be able to reinforce the shelf with some steel strapping but ill cross that bridge if I come to it.

Still stuck on the Pink Floyd song Echoes…

Ratpuke7

So I had an interview Wednesday afternoon with a company in Oak Brook.  Careful what you ask for, you might get it.  I lived in Lombard for almost 12 years, you’d think I could find a flipping job out there – nope.  Move South to be close to my job, bingo – now there is interest in Oak Brook.  WTF???  Waste of time and effort.

Going to leave early today to pick up the tank on the way home.  I can then see how it fits on the steel shelving.  Do I, or don’t I need a stand?  Need some music in the basement, besides in the utility room.  Makes the cleanup go faster.

I will be busy with server maintenance early tomorrow (Saturday) morning.  PTFs to apply to JDE and restarts of EPM.  Will need to do SAP production one of these days.  I’ll probably do the PTFs without a restart and do the restart early Sunday morning.

Ratpuke7

Late last week, I ordered/received my 6006 eFlux wave pumps and then stopped into the local aquarium store to get prices on tanks and stands.  It was a very cool place with lots of marine stuff.  I was like a kid in a candy shop.  I was looking at all the fish.  My brother or I had approximately 90% of the fish at one time or other.  I was primarily looking at zoanthids (star polyps and such) – something relatively easy to take care of.  They are like “Black-Eyed-Susans” of the reef tank, meaning that in some places – they are rare, but in other places, they are akin to a weed.  I asked the owner about a wrought iron tank stand for a 75gal tank, he said that he would never recommend it due to stability issues.  He did sell them but he was trying to gently prod me to a wood/pine tank stand.  They seem very sturdy, however if my basement ever floods, I am worried about the wood integrity when it gets wet.  75gal x 8.327lbs/gal = 624.5lbs in water alone, add tank weight (approx. 50lbs), rock, sand (30lbs), hose drag (10lbs) and you get around 715lbs.  Hmmm, I wonder if I got another set of industrial shelving….  I can have the stability AND the durability of metal except I don’t know what the exact tank and shelf dimensions are or if it will work.  I don’t know what I’m going to at this point, except get a tank that’s reef ready (means that there is a built in surface skimmer and the glass is drilled for plumbing).  I only have until the end of February for the sale.  I saw the center offset, and I know what the corner skimmer looks like now.  I’ll probably stop by after work today and get it – a corner/reef ready 75gal tank.

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Spoke with my brother last night, he’s having issues with his job.  I truly wish him well.  I know well the shitty felling in my gut going to work, knowing that no matter what I do, it will have absolutely no impact in what I are trying to accomplish.   Not to the degree like where I used to be at mind you.  At the last company I worked for one of their core values was “Work-Life Balance” which was a complete joke among the troops.  Anyway, suffice it to say, I’m glad I’m away from there.  I guess I traded “work-life balance” for “familiarity, breeds contempt” concept.  I would still take a bullet for my boss and some of those I work with, but that’s about it.  The rest of these technical wannabees can kiss my ass. 

Had a fun stroll down fish memory lane talking about marine tanks and stuff.  Got my Current Marine LED light with Loop controller for the tank last week.  Very cool.  It came with a fairly advanced controller for the lights and it also included a bonus wave pump, which I will probably use.  However, it can also control up to 3 wave pumps on the controller.  I ordered 2 more of their larger wave pumps so that particular controller can control up to 2 lights and 3 pumps.  While it doesn’t control/monitor power to everything to predict breakdown, its advanced enough to really control operation with lots of light and pump control features.  It’s also internet capable.  Pretty cool.  Again, I will post links and pictures when I get my shit together, which probably wont be for another month at least.  Maybe someday I can also have a “reef cam”.  I’m getting ahead of myself.

Ratpuke7

Yesterday was my sister’s birthday.  I called and wished her a happy birthday.  She still will not speak with me for some reason.  Life is just too short to hold a grudge.  In any event, I love all my siblings and I hope she had a nice day.  At least I can still speak with my brother and other sister.

Yesterday, we also got released for physical therapy (PT) by Dr. K. and the clearance to get back to the health club – slowly.  The X-rays looked good.  She finished OT Tuesday night.

I started my purchases for my marine tank with a TOM Rapids Pro Series RP3 combination filter – which incorporates a canister filter, wet/dry filter, protein skimmer, and auto-top off.  Should be interesting.  It uses a surface skimmer.  I’ll probably also need a wet/dry sump but that will have to wait for later after I see what I have for available space underneath the tank – which I have not selected yet, but will probably be a 75gal.  I’m going to unpack the filter this evening…  can’t wait!  I’ll post pix.

Ratpuke7

I’m kind of bummed concerning my job.  I understand taking things for granted is human and normal but the lack of support here is disappointing.  I have redone and updated my resume and spoke with a recruiter.  It was mentioned that I should look at Commscope and Ferrera Pan, but I am also looking at Panduit and a couple of others for now.  I’m not in a huge hurry – yet, but I don’t think I should drag my feet for too long.  I wonder what the job market looks like?

Lately, I have been longing for a marine reef tank.  I think I can enlist my brother for consultation.  I will just take it slow and steady.  After all, I don’t have my basement straightened up yet.

Ratpuke7

My twin nephews came over this weekend and helped me out around the house.  My sister-in-law brought their boots so they could splash around in the back yard.  It was in the 50s outside on Saturday so after they helped me in the basement, they were playing outside in the ‘back 40’ splashing around in the puddles, mud, and stream.  I made little sailboats out of Styrofoam.  Luckily we have multiple dryers.  It was fun having them over.  One of these days, I will bust out the bb pistol… heh, heh.  So much for Green Bay on Sunday, kind of bummed that they were completely outplayed by Atlanta.  I think I am working from home on Thursday or not.  Although, no real compelling reason to do such at this point.  Maybe I will save it for when I need it.  Kinda bummed about my game, its getting boring lately.  Chris from Germany is quitting and selling his account.  Cari from BA is getting sparse and RocKaX is fast becoming a mooch.  Xena and Haraff are not really active as far as I can see and Dany doesn’t seem to really have the cash to keep playing, I hope its just my imagination.  Anyway, love the Hitler meme about Roger Goodell and Tom Brady.  Uh oh, a meeting with my least favorite person at Atkore and my boss. Not good at all.  Some days, it’s just my thought fragments.

Ratpuke7