Sometimes You're the Windshield....

I feel a bit like I have been the bug. I have so many sore muscles from things this weekend. I spent four hours Saturday morning working in my front yard, raking, pulling grass from the cement, general clean-up, tree trimmings, et ceterea. Our bulk trash pick-up starts today, and we needed to get it done since we have been procrastinating a bit of late. Needless to say, the street edge of our front lawn looks like a halfway fortified wall going along most of it, all the mattresses, plus several large garbage bags of lawn/tree trimmings and other miscellaneous junk. I was leery of checking it this morning, as from previous bulk trash days, it seems during the night people like to go through it, and end up making a bigger mess that we have to re-stack or they won't pick up. Luckily so far this has not happened.

So I am a bit worn out, and because of said achyness, I am not going to the gym today. Instead I will be doing a trip to Lowe's. Our stand-up shower in one of the baths has not been working, due to a leak at the piping of the shower head. The access to the piping is somewhat easy, as it is in a storage room, and the pipes are not hidden behind sheetrock. however, it is behind the water heater, and is basically unaccessible for me (due to my size). The Wife made it back there, and noted that the piping is screwed together, thus we should be able to unscrew the piping from the shower side of the wall. As I proceeded to test the theory, the showerhead basically just fell off. Seems the screwed in portion of the showerhead had broken (somehow) at where the pipes met, thus the leak. Well, we could use a new showerhead anyways, and I am sure I can get the "bent elbow" piece of piping that holds the head fairly easy. My problem now is the bit of threaded in piping in the pipe in the wall. I need to figure out how to get it out. There is not room, nor pipe, to just cut it  off and re-thread.

Because everything in my life is complicated, that isn't the only thing wrong, of course. With the shower being out of commission, we have been using the other bath for showers (one with regular tub/shower combo). The tub has always been a bit slow on the draining, but now has officially stopped draining. We tried using a plumber's snake over the weekend, through the tub drain, overflow, and even from the air vents on the roof.
Not working still. I will be working on that again today. Plus the Wife tried snaking it from the sink piping, and discovered that there is a leak from the sink joint to the piping, and the water line from the wall. I think it was fine until she undid the piping to try the snake, but either way, it is something else that will need to be fixed. And of course, all this happened over the weekend, when money is the tightest, and we can't afford a plumber until the tax refund comes in.

Some days, I just don't want to be alive.

PeacE

4-Year Plans, Repairs, and What's Next

This morning I got to spend an hour at the HS with the oldest son, as we met with his counselor and planned out a tentative 4-year plan for his classes. Surprisingly, though he has been struggling with homework (read: being lazy and doing it) he opted for continuing the Honors level classes. The Wife and I had discussed it this weekend, and I let it be known today that if he felt he needed to drop to regular level classes in order to keep an acceptable GPA for college, he had that option. Either way, the classes that he picked/planned out are all changeable as the year for them approach. I admit I was surprised he said he wanted to keep the Honors classes after issues already this year. Either way, there wasn't much input needed from myself, as the counselor did most of the talking.

I still need to get the plumber out here. I guess after looking at the pipe issue with the one shower, we discovered that one of the lines from the water heater has a 'very corroded elbow joint'. I put that in quotes, as they are the words of the Wife. So, another issue just got added to the list for the plumber to fix when I get around to calling them. Looks like it may be Wednesday before I get time for them to come though, as tomorrow I feel I will be without a vehicle most of the day. The Wife's van is due at the dealership in the morning, which means she will have my van. Preacher Tom is picking me up, but I will have him drop me off at the MIL's so she can do her usual Tuesday grocery trip, then I will be stuck there until they say the van is ready. As I need to be back at her place when the younger sons are released from school, it is just easier to hang out there for the day, I guess. I am not looking forward to it, but I do have my Kindle to read at least.

Most of this week is free, though there will be some rehearsals for the church play that two of the boys are in, plus the performances over the weekend. We are down to two weeks to try to get some shopping done for Christmas - if we have any money left after the plumber.

That's all I got for today.

PeacE

Time To Call It Quits

I wrote earlier this morning about the issues I am having with things around here. First, the damn toilet. The floor flange is broken now. It is an older home (built in the early 60's) so the piping is like cast iron. The flange is not bolted on (as is the norm for home nowadays) so it will need to be cut off from what I understand. I thought maybe a thin newer one over it, but, no bolts to hold it in place, and the piece that broke off is big enough, I can't just do a partial. Added to that, there is concrete flooring, that someone evidently had replaced this piece before, as it was all filled with plumbers putty and nothing to bolt into to hold anything in place. I went and removed the tank from the toilet to replace the flush valve. I just cannot get the holding nut to turn, without turning everything. I am guessing it is going to need to be cut off. Then, in the other bathroom, the piping to the shower head is leaking when on. Thankfully, the piping is exposed from the back side which is in our storage room, so access to it is available. However, it is metal piping, and I have no clue as to what to do to fix it. All jobs for a plumber. So, now I have to figure out a time that the Wife or I will be home for one to come by. Added to this, the van is going to the dealer again for the radiator leak on Tuesday, and both Monday & Tuesday I have other running that needs to be done.

I'm fucking done. I am frustrated beyond anything I have been before. I'm sore from trying to get shit to work and moving and up/down on the knees, my back hurts. I just feel like everything is going wrong. Makes me feel like just leaving the house and going drinking. But I know I shouldn't.

I just don't know what to do at this point. Or rather, how, and when.

Sigh

PeacE

Where's the Brighter Side?

Some days you feel like you just can't win for anything. Yesterday was one of those days for me. I need to still work on the toilet, as I didn't get around to it. I went to take a shower in the master bath. Lo, and behold, I now have a leak from the shower head piping, at the wall, and it runs down the wall. It all just keeps adding up. I'm frustrated, pissed off, and feeling like I am in over my head. I will be taking a look from the backside of where the piping is, which happens to be a storage room area, so there is a good chance that the wall will be open so I can get to the piping without tearing into drywall. And here's to an easy piping fix, where I won't need to call a plumber. In the mean time, while knowing the seal for the toilet isn't right, discovered the new flapper for the tank isn't seating properly due to "wear" on the valve it sits upon. Which means it needs to be replaced. So, now the tank needs to come off, travel to Lowe's again for the right part (taking it with me) then can re-seat the toilet bowl, hopefully getting the seal right, refit the tank and attach, and be done with the shitter. When I run to Lowe's, hopefully I will have a good idea of what I will need to do about the shower head pipe leak, and be able to get those parts as well.

Already my day sounds full of stuff I don't want to do, but obviously needs to get done. Here's hoping no emergency calls for a plumber are needed. I guess if I think hard and positive enough about it, the brighter side of things would be that with these repairs, there should be no need to worry about these items for at least a few good years....

PeacE

Let's Talk About the Shitter (Again)

So, I am pretty much done with my crapper seat. I went out yesterday morn, got the required materials (and then some). By the time I got home, I just didn't feel like messing with it. I recalled the Wife mentioning something about it running all the time, from the night before, and that the flapper didn't seem to be seated well. Sure enough, the thingy that it rests upon was a bit rough and pitted. So I read up on it, and feel that it is now beyond the simple step of a little sandpaper to smoothen it out. Which means, I will now be adding the removal of the tank, and replacing that wonderful piece of shit that I can't remember its name.... The only possible good news out of this, is, by taking the tank off, it'll be easier to set the toilet base and ring with it off.

Tonight the oldest son has his Winter concert. Joy. I know I should sound more excited, or at least caring. It just ain't happening this morning. I'm thinking another 60 minutes of sleep would do wonders.

PeacE

It's Round Three, and I am Losing

I am beginning to really hate toilet repair. What started out last Sunday as a simple wax ring replacement, has turned into a shitty (not quite literally) nightmare. Sunday was round one, and I made the mistake of placing the ring in the wrong way. Which of course, made it so there was no seal, and water leaked from around the base again. Starting round two, I thought I was better prepared. Got another wax ring, this one the extra thick wax, watched some videos and read some places about how to do things properly. I had the knowledge and the materials. Everything seemed to go right, and within 30 minutes, everything was done. There was some seepage from under still, but according to some of what I read, maybe letting it set overnight would be good. Yesterday morning I flushed her a good 3-4 times, and everything seemed okay. Come evening, one of the boys used it ,and suddenly, there was a flood again. I am almost at my wit's end about this, and ready to throw in the towel to get a plumber. However, I must give it that third try. Getting ready to head to the Lowe's to get yet another ring, and a few extra things: plumbers putty, caulk and some washers. If this idea does not work, it will be time to get professionals in here. I may wait until tomorrow to do the actual work though. Today feels a bit busy.

So, today being the typical Wednesday, the time schedule for the schools are different. I never understood why one day of the week they get out like an hour and a half earlier than usual. But that means I have to readjust my time to get things done. Topping that off, this is our last regular night of our pool league season - of which I am fairly glad. Being captain of the team has been somewhat stressful due to the lack of commitment from one player. Again I am waiting til a decent hour this morning to call him to verify, once again, if he will be there tonight or not. After tonight there are a couple weeks of little tournaments they do, that I won't be going to, and then the awards night, where basically all we are getting is a small amount of team money, and 2 players on the team get a 1st & 2nd little trophy/plaque. I have one of each from previous years, and will not be getting one this year.

I guess I should get my shoes on and head over to Lowe's to at least pick up the stuff I need. I have a small weakness though when I go there. There is a McDonald's right outside it, and I do love me some sweet tea with a couple sausage mcmuffins in the morning....

PeacE

Things Just Going to Shit

Saturday wasn't too bad of a day. I got some shopping done. That's quite a bit considering I hate crowds as much as I do. Though, I do admit, there were too many Indians around. By Indians, I mean Native Americans. I swear, there were busloads of them at every store I went to. Either I just shop at the wrong stores, or their government checks came in and they were buying out the places. I actually did even see one bus of them unloading. At least they go back to the reservation. Them damn illegals don't go back to Mexico.

The Wife made her pilgrimage up north and back just fine. Well, except that I noticed her van is leaking radiator fluid again. Looks like we'll have to get it in to the shop. I am thinking of trying to get it to the local shop rather than the dealer, as I wonder if this may be a more routine thing, like a hose, than necessarily a major part. If it turns out worse, we can take it to the dealer. Just the hassle of it all is gives me the wearies.

Saturday also brought me a leaking toilet in our hall bath. Right from the base, so you know it is a wax ring issue. No big deal, right? I got up Sunday morning thinking it might take an hour to fix, but within 15 minutes, I knew it wasn't. One of the nuts attaching it to the floor was corroded, and not enough room to get a hacksaw to it. Went to Lowe's and home Depot, to see about a nut splitter, but both guys in their tool dept had no clue as to what I wanted. One even looked it up on the internet to see what it was. Ended up buying an attachment for the drill, and a metal grinding disk, which worked fine. Got the new ring on, set the toilet, replaced the innards of the tank (which needed done also) and turned the water back on. Flush. Water leaking worse than before. Sigh. I give up. Might be calling the plumber today...unless I get a wild hair up my ass and decide to try it again. Maybe get another ring? I dunno.

So my week is starting out like crap. After all, I bee up since just before 4am.

PeacE

Getting Cooler

This morning I made that phone call to an AC service company. Fortunately, they had an opening to have the tech come by sometime between 11-4. Yeah. Five hour spread of time. I just don't get that. Of course I told them that I would home for whenever they arrive. Not that I had plans to be anywhere today. I really didn't have any plans. I did feel elated for a short time, however, when five minutes later the company calls back, and informs me that there was a cancellation, so the tech was being routed over to my place at that moment. Yeah.... some good news!

It was short-lived though. then the dread feeling started in... that internal debate of how bad is it going to be, the cost(s), etc. Within a few moments of being here, he had down the blower & motor from the unit. Yeah, motor is shot. We discussed a few issues regarding the unit. Mainly, that it is an old one, and obviously he suggested that it should be replaced with a newer unit. Price range for a comparable unit (new) about $4000. Sigh. After discussing it a bit, we agreed to replacing the motor for the blower now, and everything else will have to come at a future date, as I know the Wife won't be okay with me just telling them to do it. At least at that kind of cost.

So, the tech is back now, as he had to run to the shop for a part. thankfully it is 'just around the corner' and soon I will have cold air in the house again. I'm tired of sweating while I sit here typing. Not that I don't do that when the air is on, but this is without me even trying mental concentration.

Now, I need to figure out about getting my van fixed....sigh.

PeacE

Getting Old and Falling Apart/Stimulating the Economy

Twenty years ago I made a trip to the hospital. It was 'sort-of' an emergency, and it took place in the pre-dawn hours of the morning. By 8am everything was good though, and phone calls were made to reassure family that things were fine. Also, to share joyous news that my daughter was born. I remember in those fast, few minutes as her lungs were cleared, and breathing started; the nurse didn't stop to rinse her off as they quickly did those first tests they do with newborns. It seemed within seconds the nurse was handing her into my arms, pink, mucus-covered, little thing, with her legs literally sticking straight-up by her ears. Tears were flowing form my eyes, as I leaned over as careful as I could to show her to her Mom. Our daughter was a breech baby. They had tried internal, and external manipulations to flip her around, but to no avail. Being her first pregnancy, and our regular OBGYN being out of town, the Doc on call (old-fashioned doc) made the call to do a C-section, rather than the possible attempt our regular doc had discussed with us. It's still a very sore point with the Wife.

So now the daughter is 20, has an apartment in another town, living on her own (though with monetary assistance from us). I'm 40 and though am trying to get my body back to healthier version of me, still somewhat falling apart from the use, abuse and agedness (that a word?) of my body. Kinda like my house. And my van. Speaking of house and van .....

I took the van up to the garage this morning after I did the work-out at the gym. About 3-4 weeks ago I had an oil leak that was due to a pinhole in the oil filter. Everything was good for about a week or two, then puddles started showing up again. I had other things keeping my attention, that I had to wait until today to get it in to the shop. Turns out there is a coolant leak at the gasket seal of the water pump. There doesn't seem to be an issue with the function of the water pump, but that will be looked at when they take it off to replace the gasket. In fact, I just called there to see if the quote they gave me includes the replacement of the pump - which it is full replacement of pump, gasket, coolant, etc. Plus they will check the misc hoses near that area for possible wear/tear/damages. Another several pretty pennies when all is said and done to fix that. 

Then..... Monday, I was out watching the game with friends, but when I got home, the Wife let me know she and one of the boys smelled like a 'burning rubber' type smell coming through the ventilation system of the house. Stepping outside they couldn't smell it in the air in the neighborhood, so the Wife shut off the AC. Turning it on later, there was no smell coming from the vents. Actually there was nothing coming from the vents. I am guessing the blower motor has gone kaput on us. Today I am calling some places referred by friends & family to get pricing for a service call, and possible repair. So far, I am looking at the near the same cost as it is to fix the van. More pretty pennies.

Soooo, tonight the Wife and I will sit and discuss where we are financially, and which one of those two things take the priority in getting fixed. 

If nothing else, I sure feel like I have been stimulating the economy this past year.

PeacE

Monday Morning Stimulation

Isn't that what so many of us need on Monday mornings? Some mental stimulation to get us going, whether it is to work, or to get the kids up for school, etc. Today I need it. I laid in bed, telling myself to get my fat butt up, dressed and to the gym. My butt won though, and I didn't. After about half an hour I did get up though. My back and knees feel sore today. I am sure it is from the unusual amount of time I spent on that damn disposal yesterday.

Found the piece of piping that the dog had carted off. It is not chewed up (thankfully) so last night I tried to get it all back together, again. Another failed attempt. I have no clue haw the guy who lived here before was able to  literally fuck all this shit up. This pipe just basically 'sat' there - no connectors, no cement, no putty, etc. No way could that provide a seal. But somehow, it was working. Though I cannot get it to a repeat performance. Again I will be doing the trip to Lowe's to see about some proper connections, length of pipe, even maybe some advice on how to do it properly. More stuff I don't want to deal with.

Looks to be a pretty light week for events this week. Friday the Wife has her Homecoming Game, which I know she will want to attend, taking the boys along to "show them off". I told her this year I didn't really want to go. She was okay with that. I guess this way I wouldn't be there telling her I was ready to go, and being a bump on the log. What can I say, I am good at that.

PeacE

Winding Down from the Weekend

Sigh? Yawn? I am not sure what to call that exhalation of air from my mouth. The Wife is back home form the weekend visit with the Daughter, and so far has claimed nothing but a good time occurred there. In our brief conversation in the vehicle (trip explained later) I filled her on on what we 'men' accomplished while she was gone. I think the trip did her well, and gives her a nice breather.

So that trip? It was to Lowe's yet again. Wife came home, and had her flip the power while I switched over the wiring for the garbage disposal I am installing. Five minutes or so, no major deal. Went to physically hook it all up - to the drain, to the sink, dishwasher.... and I am missing a piece of pipe about 9 inches long. It was part that went from the disposal drain pipe, to the sink trap piping. Cannot find it anywhere amidst the other pieces and tools laying around where I am working. I had removed it the other day, so I know it was here.

There was a flash of white I caught from the corner of my eye. Daisy, the dog. The Chewer of Things. The Destroyer of all things she can reach. The Anklebiter Prodigy. I am sure she is the cause of the missing pipe piece. So I had the Wife drive me over to Lowe's to get a replacement. I measured so I would be sure of the right size pipe piece I needed, found it, got some pipe cement in case needed as well as a new washer and nut for the piping. Got home and went back to work. I didn't calculate the difference of about 2 inches that the piece would overlap in connecting to the one side, so it is now too short. I needed the other, longer piece. Store is now closed. So we are another night without the kitchen sink. Tomorrow morning after the gym I will head over and get the right piece, and hopefully finish up this whole weekend job.

Wife is home though. I'll sleep better tonight having her near me. That's the best part!!

PeacE

While the Wife Is Away ....

The Wife left this morning for Tucson, to spend the weekend with our daughter. A little trip both the daughter and I encouraged her to do. I think the time away from "near home" and alone time with the daughter, will be good for her to sort of recharge a bit. I'm glad the daughter thought it up, and helped me push the Wife towards to doing it. I think this morning she was actually excited about going.

So she is gone, and I have all three boys (13, 9, and 5) at home. I also have a garbage disposal replacement to take care of over the two day period. No big deal. Of course, those are semi-famous last words.

I had noticed earlier this week, that in replacing the disposal, there was a leak along the 'drain sleeve' that I was hoping to not have to worry about replacing. Okay, so now I needed some extra stuff from Lowe's (plumber putty). I picked that up yesterday. I know have all tools and stuff I am pretty sure of needing.

I get down in there today, unhook all the piping work that needed, loosened up the bolts for the drain sleeve...popped it out. Started cleaning the previous (and now pretty much non-existent) layer of plumber putty; only to discover a hole. No, not the drain hole, silly! On the metal through the edge about an 1/8th-inch in size. No way is simple putty going to not leak through a hole like that, at the juncture that the seal meets the area where water is to be. Sigh. So, another trip to Lowes today to get some stuff called WaterWeld (like JB Weld) that they said should work for that environment. I am waiting another half hour for it to set up so I can see if it hardened up good enough to finish the install tomorrow.

Hopefully, it will be ready to finish, and I will be able to do so. Shouldn't be anything unexpected now, unless something electrical happens I think. Yes, I know, I just cursed that part, too.

PeacE

Just. Can't. Win.

The Wife posted those three words, with that punctuation, last night as part of her Facebook status. It sums up very well the feeling we have about our house sometimes. Well, actually, most of the time. We moved into our current home back in 2000. It was our first home, as we had been renters for the previous 9-10 years, at several places. As any first home for first-time buyers, it was an exciting time for us, and a big step, not only financially, but in that whole 'family dreams' idealism. 

Like probably most first-time home buyers, we should have informed ourselves better about somethings, and learned to look at homes better. But, I admit, we were anxious to get out of where we were living, and settled pretty quick on our home. It is a bit older, built in 1962 if I remember correct. There are a couple additions to the home, that when done were not properly 'permitted' or even done completely correct. Some of that is in evidence now of minor repairs, etc we have had to do. Most of which seem to be from things 'wearing out' like water pipes.

How does this all relate? I'm not entirely sure, but goes along with my thought process. It just feels like we can't get ahead, and things seems to set us back just that bit, to bring us down. Pretty much Life, I guess. Last night, the Wife discovered a leak under the sink. She was able to track it down to it coming from where the garbage disposal connects to the sink underneath. At least it isn't a water pipe.... but (the inevitable but) the leak wasn't discovered until it had been bad enough to soak everything underneath, and seep out from under the cabinetwork. Hence, how she found it by feeling the water at her feet.

So, today got assigned a project. to replace the garbage disposal. Why replace when it only sounds like it needs to be re-tightened, or maybe put on some teflon tape? Because it doesn't work. It was a project I had not gotten around to doing, and we have the new disposal already here. Now, no better reason to not get it done. My procrastination and laziness about it can no longer talk me into waiting. Though, at 5am, I think I will still wait a couple hours before I get in there and tackle it all.

My Redskins beat AZ Cardinals this week in NFL. Next Monday we get the Monday Night slot against our rival, Dallas. Looking forward to beating them, in Dallas. The Wife is going down to the daughter's next weekend for an over-nighter to do girly things. The boys and I will be on our own, so I am sure the restaurant industry in N. Phoenix will have a sudden increase in business. 

I'm still trying to figure out the earworm I had a few days ago. Nothing I have come across is helping, and it is irritating me. I just want to find the damn song and will be able to 'let it go' once I have the title. In the meantime, this one was running through my head this morning.....

PeacE

It Crapped Out On Me!!

Sometimes in life, it just feels like things do that - crap out on you. Break down, fall apart, quit working, etc. For many of us, it always seems at the most inopportune time: on the road, in-between paychecks, while you are not somewhere near to replace/repair. It never fails. One Murphy's Laws, or another close relatives of Murphy anyway.

I know I have bitched/whined/complained about some of mine. Lately, it seems like the van. Lately means the past 2 years (rolls eyes). My oldest son and I took it up to the garage yesterday. Spent an hour and a half for them to say "We think we found the problem, but we are not sure". Oh, nice and affirmative! Seems the rear drums had some 'grooves' in them, that the theory is the brake shoes were grabbing, then slipping, hence causing the sort of thumping noise I heard. We gave them a turn on the lathe, to knock out the grooves, and so far, they are doing better. Great! Only wasted a little over 2 hours there to do that. At least it was covered since I just had them done Friday.

Things are looking up! Then in the afternoon, my computer mouse, quit working. Weird. System reboot seemed to fix the problem. It happened twice more throughout the afternoon, until I was just aggravated by it. I could not figure out why it would 'freeze up' - no new programs, nothing out of the ordinary. Well, at the Wife's computer, the kids had evidently spilled some sticky drink on her mouse at some point, and the buttons would stick occasionally, so I figured it was time to just replace them both.

We took the family out for dinner to Sizzler, and were met up by Reverend Mother and Preacher Tom. Had a nice dinner, then headed to Fry's Electronics. Picked up a couple mice of the cordless variety (wire-less, cordless - what's the diff?) and hooked them up once we got home. This morning, the Wife's wouldn't operate. After a reboot, it worked fine. This late morning, mine wants to get crazy with me, and occasionally just stop, then unfreeze and work normal. Teach me to go with the cheap stuff, but I couldn't see spending $40 for a fricking mouse.

While we were out, I picked a USB wi-fi card for the middle son's laptop. I tried to get that working last night, and it appears almost everything is working, except it is not giving him an IP address, so he can't connect to the internet, though it shows signal strength and access to the home wi-fi network. I have plans to call on that today.

So, some things crapped out, somethings just don't like me, and y'all are probably saying it is operator error. Just laugh at it, and move on.

PeacE

Talking About Leaking

Heh. This is NOT a topic about urine. No Whiz Quiz to be given. I am just talking about my front hose bib. What's that, you ask? Well, depending on where you are in the USA, it could be called a spigot, a tap, a nozzle, a spout, or even a bibcock (heh, I said bibcock). Either way, mine is leaking, and has steadily gotten worse over the past few months. Yeah, I said months.

At first I didn't pay that much attention to it. We have the hose attached to it, and a sprinkler attachment as well. So it dribbled a seemingly small amount of water constantly. We would just move the end of the hose (where the sprinkler part is) to a different part of the yard, and it helped like a slow-soaker. However, in recent days, it has gotten worse. It's now a bit more than a trickle.

First attempt was to see if we could take it apart (it's an older type) and maybe scrape out some hard-water deposit, or something. Nope. That wasn't possible. Looked like someone before ha tried that and ruined the screw so that we can't get the  screwdriver to get a grip. Must of been the guy who lived here before us.... 10 years ago. No biggee, I will just take it off the line, go to Lowe's and get a new one. Nope. I am scared to try to loosen it. The pipe it is on appears old and fragile. The hose bib seems 'cemented' on and covered with years of paint. As if it was the original one when the house was built (early '60s). I am afraid that if I were to force it, I could break the piping, or worse problems.

Yesterday I called around for plumbers. You realize that they charge like $90/hour, and that was some of the low side pricing. Of course no one would give me an estimate over the phone - never know how bad the job is, or the time to actually do it. I understand that. I explained it is a simple remove/replace - how long could it take? I was told an hour or longer possibly. Well, I finally found one place, that I talked them down to $49 to come out and give me an estimate, and if I wanted could do the work right then. So I said yes. Still looking at maybe around $100 probably before all is done, but at least I know I ain't breaking nothing. Expensive, but safer I guess. When I told the Wife I had scheduled for today, and told her pricing, she about came unglued. She started bitching about the cost, so I flat-out told her, if we tried to do the job, it could end up being several hundred, and broken piping and who knows how much more. She finally conceded.

So, for that special low price, I am on 'stand-by' meaning if the plumber gets some free time in between jobs, he will call and come over. I would have had to pay more if I wanted an actual appointment time. This way, he could come by between 8am-7pm, which is fine with me. I just want the damn thing done.

My 8 yr old son is home today. After the event Monday morning though, this is a normal one. He is sick. Seems like all my friends that have kids, they are getting sick. I guess it is that time of year. Even the Wife has taken some mucus clearing stuff for her chest. Right now the son is in my bed (yeah, I let him sleep there) after I gave him some decongestant. When he gets up later, the humidifier will be turned on and let him sit near it so it can help too. Sis and Stuman - both their families are getting sick. Seems the family get-together this past weekend may be the cause of it all....

That's all I got for now. Off to await a call from the Plumber. Hope his pants stay up where they should....

PeacE