La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
Sunday evening, San Geraldo finally completed assembly of the aquarium base cabinet. He had a hell of a time adjusting the door hinges and they’re now better than “good enough.” There was a final panel of wood to be installed and it seems he must have used the smaller fittings for that somewhere else in the cabinet. The fittings that remained were too big. And he had no desire to disassemble the entire cabinet to find the correct smaller fittings. His solution was to install his own screws and all is well.
We then thought, hallelujah, we can unpack the aquarium itself and place it atop the cabinet. But, no-oooooo! We knew how much the tank would weigh when filled with water but never thought to learn how much the tank weighed empty: 92 kilos (203 pounds)!
For the first time in our less-than-short lives, we decided we should not ourselves attempt to lift 203 pounds to that height, especially 203 pounds made mostly of glass. So we went to bed last night with the apartment still a mess. And, yes, it is still making anal-retentive me crazy. However, I texted handsome and hunky Antonio from Goiko Grill and asked if he or anyone he knew would be willing to come over and lift the sucker onto the cabinet for us. He immediately said, “Of course.” He plans to be here this evening with one or two other guys we know from Goiko Grill. Tomorrow, I intend to put the fricking house back together and regain at least some measure of my limited sanity. I know most people would give anything to have problems like these. So, although I’m complaining, I’m not complaining.
Remember the glimpse into the apartment building lobby I shared the other day? You can see it again below. The entrance is between a Chinese restaurant and a Domino’s Pizza (blech), so I hadn’t been much impressed with the building when passing it. I took a look from across the street, and it’s not bad. Built in 1994 and only 8 apartments. Some very spacious. There are back gardens on a narrow, cobblestone street opposite part of the old city wall. Now I’m curious to get inside the building. Mr. Nosy. It drizzled this morning!
El domingo por la noche, San Geraldo finalmente terminó de armar el mueble base del acuario. Le costó muchísimo ajustar las bisagras de la puerta, pero ahora están mejor que “suficientemente bien”. Quedaba un último panel de madera por instalar, y parece que debió haber usado las piezas más pequeñas para eso en otra parte del mueble. Las piezas que quedaban eran demasiado grandes. Y no tenía ganas de desmontar todo el mueble para encontrar las piezas correctas. Su solución fue instalar sus propios tornillos, y todo quedó bien.
Entonces pensamos: ¡Aleluya!, podemos desempaquetar el acuario y colocarlo encima del mueble. Pero, ¡nooooo! Sabíamos cuánto pesaría el tanque lleno de agua, pero nunca pensamos en averiguar cuánto pesaba vacío: ¡92 kilos (203 libras)!
Por primera vez en nuestras cortas vidas, decidimos que no debíamos intentar levantar 203 libras a esa altura, especialmente 203 libras hechas casi en su totalidad de vidrio. Así que anoche nos fuimos a la cama con el apartamento todavía hecho un desastre. Y sí, todavía me vuelve loca, con mi manía por el orden. Sin embargo, le escribí un mensaje al guapo y musculoso Antonio de Goiko Grill y le pregunté si él o alguien que conociera estaría dispuesto a venir y subir la cosa al armario por nosotros. Inmediatamente dijo: “Por supuesto”. Planea venir esta noche con uno o dos chicos más que conocemos de Goiko Grill. Mañana, pretendo ordenar la maldita casa y recuperar al menos un poco de mi limitada cordura. Sé que la mayoría de la gente daría cualquier cosa por tener problemas como estos. Así que, aunque me quejo, en realidad no me quejo.
¿Recuerdan el vistazo al vestíbulo del edificio de apartamentos que compartí el otro día? Pueden verlo de nuevo abajo. La entrada está entre un restaurante chino y un Domino’s Pizza (¡puaj!), así que no me había impresionado mucho el edificio al pasar por delante. Le eché un vistazo desde el otro lado de la calle, y no está mal. Construido en 1994 y solo 8 apartamentos. Algunos muy espaciosos. Hay jardines traseros en una calle estrecha y empedrada frente a parte de la antigua muralla de la ciudad. Ahora tengo curiosidad por entrar al edificio. Señor curioso. ¡Lloviznó esta mañana!
• Bienvenido a nuestra casa.
• Este es solo mi decimonoveno ataque de nervios.
• Nunca confíes en alguien que te diga que es muy humilde.
I like your ‘new’ corrugated sculpture!
Yes, I like that lobby as well.
Looking forward to seeing the aquarium set up.
Jim:
It’s at least on the base now.
And soon hunks lifting in your dining room. Something to look forward to.
David Godfrey:
It was a pleasure.
The treat will be an apartment with three Goiko Guys lifting things …. “Now do me!!”
And I hope you get inside that building and case the joint and report back!
Bob:
What a “guys”!
Oh my!
Rade:
Yeah.
It’s really impossible for me to believe that song came out sixty years ago. I was twelve years old and I remember listening to it like it was yesterday. Jagger/Richards were a pretty damn good writing team.
No one ever speaks of anyone having a nervous breakdown anymore and yet people had them all the time when we were young. At least women did. Usually mothers. Which I am sure is related to “Mother’s Little Helper”.
Okay. I’ll stop.
I understand how dealing with the chaos around you is driving you crazy. I’m glad you’ve got some hunky guys coming over to help. At least there is that.
Mary Moon:
I had the same thought about the age of that song. Thank the goddess for hunky guys.
I have a fondness for them myself.
Ahhhh, that fish photo is priceless for this post!
Judy C:
Yeah, that face seemed to fit the situation.
By a bizarre coincidence, “Very humble and ancient sacramental brotherhood of the most holy Christ of the remedy of souls and Our Lady Mother of God in her sorrows” was the name of my high-school glee club.
wickedhamster:
Such glee!
“Very ‘umble” is a bit “Uriah Heep”, isn’t it? [The Dickens character, not the prog-rock band…]
I feel your pain when something as big as SG’s new project completely disrupts your orderly flat. But still, at least you’ll have a roomful of sweating, grunting Spanish hunks to drool over! Jx
Jon:
As for Uriah Heep being ’umble, exactly why that description of self has a different meaning for me.
That yellow stripey fish in the first photo kind of looks like SG, doesn’t it!
Debra:
I hadn’t thought of it, but, yeah!
I think that tank is bigger than the 50 gallon tank I thought you said was the size. I had a 50 gallon tank that the red ear slider turtle lived in until she outgrew that. I looked up a size chart and 125 gallon tank weighs 206 pounds. I don’t blame SG. I doubt I would hae taken it apart either but then it would bug me forever and I would take it apart. Looking forward to the filled fishy tank.
ellen abbott:
What’s strange is when I look up the weight of 200 or 240-liter tank (SG’s I think may in fact be 240) you’re right, but the information on the tank packaging said it weighed 93 kilos empty. Weird!
I agree with Ellen that a 55 gallon tank wouldn’t weigh that much. And oh boy do I sympathize with the mess and heavy lifting involved with setting up large tanks! Sometimes I wonder at how Gregg and I stayed together through three moves with multiple large aquariums that had to be disassembled, moved, and reassembled! I was really pissed off a few times, let me tell you. Moves are stressful enough without all that nonsense.
Hang in there, friend!
Jennifer
Jennifer:
I don’t really understand. You and Ellen appear to be right about the weight, but the tank itself was marked that it weighed 93 kilos empty. Once this aquarium is up and running, we are NOT moving!
Did you get a photo of the ” hunky guys” ?
Hope the new base can take the weight of the water too!
Can’t wait to see the finished aquarium.
Frances
Coming later today. I, too, can’t wait to see the finished aquarium. The base is built for the aquarium, so it had better support it.