Chief

Stacy and I were asked by a friend to do a "Show and Tell" presentation on the animals we keep. We thought it was a perfect opportunity to expand their fragile, little minds about coral reefs. I originally thought that they were going to be bored with the presentation but I was dead wrong. Before I could get my first sentence out, there were about 4 hands that popped up. They had a ton of questions for me. Some were very advanced. I brought some coral skeletons for them to touch. I had a picture board to illustrate what I was talking about. I took the skeletons out of my fuge just before I left, so there was some pods and worms in them that the kids found. They loved it. They are just getting started with oceanography so it was perfect timing. Some of the kids actually knew what polyps were, and that coral are animals not plants. I can see why Roger gets so jazzed. The kids really soak this stuff up. All in all it was a good day. A couple of the kids asked if they could keep a small chunk of a coral skeleton which wasn't a problem. They were so into the coral reef talk that they weren't as interested in all of my reptiles. We brought a bearded dragon and a rose haired tarantula also. In the middle of my discussion on the snakes, the kids kept asking questions about coral. It was a lot of fun. A half hour went by very quickly. Here are some pics of the discussion. Jay

Ours loves the Colt. Don't stick your hand anywhere near it or POW!!! He snacks on your flesh. Jay

No need to go to the extreme. I trust you. I would hate to see you get out of the hobby. You are very creative with your DIY projects, and I think you really enjoy it. You are always welcome to frags of my stuff when your system gets back on its feet. Jay

The next membership year starts on July 1st. About the first of June I will be e-mailing everyone with a reminder to renew. I will also post a "renew you membership" thread. Jay

I definately want to see the maxijet mod. I probably won't get a chance to use it until I get a frag tank going, but the demo would be cool. Jay

Miles, I would love to help you out. The red bugs have me a little worried. If you think you can get them all, then I have plenty of room in my 240 for your stuff. Let me know what you want to do. Jay

I knew I was in trouble when my doctor said "I think I need to get the scalpel" (booboo) Before I knew what was happening, he gave me about 4 shots and when to work. It took three weeks of recovery. The system needs to be there for people when they need it. I went on unemployment once and it was nice to know it was there. I was beating the streets looking for a job, but there were a lot of people just going through the motions. We ( Ray's FoodPlace ) just placed an ad at the employment office for a checking position and didn't get a response for over a week. While we are on the subject of state or federal assistance abuse, chew on this thought, since it is something I see every day. What would you think about random drug testing for anyone on assistance? I see tweakers come into my store all the time with $400.00 on their Trail cards. They buy candy and munchies with the card and pull out a wad of cash for their beer and energy drinks. Could save taxpayers millions. Just a thought... Jay

You opened a big bag of worms with this question... For starters, my wife (spayne) and I, have chosen to be child-free. I even risked life and limb to go through the little 15 minute procedure ( mine lasted 1.5 hours (scary) , but that is another story ). I think we need a better pro-active approach. Maybe set up a NPO that teaches prospective parents "the ropes". Maybe some free counselling for the first 3 years of a babies development. As for "caps", "applications", and the like... We need a better system. People on welfare should not be "rewarded" for having more children. I think the cap should be on the amount of public assistance you can receive. Also I think we should have a hand-up system, instead of the hand-out system. The tax credits are crazy. I have a friend with 3 kids that gets back $7000.00 a year in taxes. I pay at the end of the year solely because I have chosen not to have children. Now that I own my home it is getting better, but I am a far cry from thousands of dollars in returns. Why am I being punished??? I am not against children. I have just chosen not to have any. I have the upmost respect for parents. Their job is the hardest. It just pains me to see a person teaching their child how to use the Oregon Trail card telling their son/daughter that they are going to need to know how to use it. I see it all the time working in grocery. Education is the key. Jay

I have a company golf tournament in Bend on Saturday. It should be a drunken fest. Too bad, I really would have gone to see Cousteau. Jay

I am in there all the time too. You never know when the deal of the lifetime will pop up. Jay

I could bring a Green/Purple tip Frogspawn. It has a bunch of heads. Maybe Stacy will chime in with some Zoa's. Jay

Anybody have any 1" bulkheads in Eugene? I am in need of 2, but will take one if you have an extra. Let me know if you have one for sale? Jay

You will get better light penetration with a 24" tank also. What kind of lights are you going to run? Jay

The candy cane is the general green variety. I will try to get a photo of it for you. I will sell you the frogspawn for $5 a head. As many heads as you want. My wife might be interested in your zoas for trade. Any pics? Jay

I still have plenty of this frogspawn that I could frag. My wife might chime in. She has lots of zoas. I also have candy cane that I might be able to frag. Jay

Yeah, what Keith said. PM Michael7979. Jay

This was my best attempt at a stand for a 20 long. Even with my wife (Spayne) as my cheerleader. It is no comparison to the work you have completed, but I was happy with it. Your stand is very nice. Jay

I get mine from Airgas. Jay

now you guys are just getting nasty. Beer is the way to go. Mid range. Ambers. No Stouts. Taste like cold coffee. If I am going to drink whiskey, I'll drink it straight. Nobody wants to see the Indian on Firewater.indian (crazy) (flame) jail Jay

Thanks Nyles, I think I will take you up on your offer. We will be gone for about 2 weeks for vacation, but I will be back the week of May 7th. Should be an easy fix. Thanks again for the advice. Jay

My old 72 bowfront's brace is broken. It is a very thin piece of plastic. Can I glue in a piece of acrylic to replace it? The brace was very flimsy to begin with. What do you think? I would like to sell this thing someday. Jay

Very nice. Jay

kneel "k n e e l before Zod" You are my new hero. The additions are awesome. Jay

PM Sent on Rock Jay

The Chiller is a 1/2 HP PCI. I want to lower my halides to about 8" off the water. Should be no problem this year. I would have plumbed the chiller in, but I am going to be gone for almost 2 weeks. I didn't want a disaster to happen. I have read too many horror stories. I'll plumb it when I get back. That way my father-in-law doesn't have to worry about it. I am also going to replace all my submersible pumps for externals. Should help with the heat issue. Jay