Diary of a Network Geek

At least, I think we do.
So, tonight, after going to the grocery store during peak hours, which I hate, and resisting the urge to ram the woman who somehow managed to block both the door and sidewalk with her cart, I think I finally managed to get the leak under control. Apparently, the non-English instructions for the toilet repair kit included helpful tips not meant for gringos like me. Luckily, I finally managed to decipher the pictures and got the funky, rubber gasket in place on the stub of exposed pipe on the tankbefore seating it on the rest of the toilet. Then, after cranking everything back down, it seems to have worked. Now, I just have to obsessively check to make sure I have no hidden leaks until the wee hours of the morning, just in case. (And, I actually had to reduce the water level in the tank because it was leaking around the handle!)
Sadly, this has left no energy to clean more than the minimal amount. Thankfully, having external genitalia lets me claim a certain amount of cleaning impairment, since my parents are very old school. With any luck, my mother will cluck about that instead of my goatee, since she prefers full beards. Or, the fact that I’m not dating yet. Don’t I get some kind of hands-off recovery period to get over the tragedy that was my marriage or something? Maybe I can use that last ten pounds I want to lose as an excuse for not being out there yet. I don’t know. Something to buy me a little time.
Anyway, the horror of bachelorhood aside, I’ll be busy for a couple of days, so I may not be posting much until Sunday night or Monday. I do have a Friday Fun Link set up to auto-post on Friday morning, though. Can’t let my adoring fans down, now can I?
So, now it’s off for a Scotch and bed. Hmmm, Scotch. “I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly…“

I hate plumbing.
No, really, as much of it as I’ve done in this house and as good as I think I’m getting at it, I still hate it. So, last night, I “fixed” my leaking toilet, right? Wrong. About 9:30PM, or so, as I’m getting ready to fold laundry, I notice a big, dark spot on the ceiling right under the upstairs bathroom. OH CRAP! I go running upstairs, tripping over the dog who thought I was getting ready to play with her, to find that, yeah, the “little drip” had become a “steady flow” and my bathroom floor was completely soaked. Nothing to do about it last night, but turn off the water to the tank and flush out the water already there. Then I threw down more towels to soak up what hadn’t soaked through to the ceiling downstairs.
Tonight, after some last minute grocery shopping, I’ll have the joy of taking that tank all apart, again, and tightening one, tiny nut that is most likely the problem. Or adjusting the one rubber gasket. There’s really only two or three things it can be, so I’ll check them all. And pray. The worst part is, I know Dad will be checking my work on this and offering “suggestions” for what I should have done, or could have done, or should do next time, to prevent all this.
After, hopefully, dealing with this for good tonight, I will have that Scotch I didn’t have the other night! Macallan, take me away!

Oh, and your Advice from your Uncle Jim today? “Double check your work, even when you’re sure that you did everything right the first time.” Damn plumbing.

Advice from your Uncle Jim:
"Give others a piece of your heart, not a piece of your mind."

I should be cleaning my kitchen.
But, instead, I’m doing laundry. Oh, and I fixed a leaky toilet. The usual things one does before the parental units arrive from the wilds of Suburban Chicago. Yes, that’s right, my folks are coming down Thursday night and staying through Sunday. I haven’t seen them in almost two years, though I talk to them on the phone every week.
So, anyway, in preparation for their visit, I went to clean up the upstairs bathroom a bit. Just to make sure it was all fresh-like, I flushed the toilet and suddenly there’s water streaming out from under the tank. Well, a few small purchases and a good fourty-five minutes of cursing like a sailor and the devil was done. Now, all I have to do is get everything tight enough in one night… Hey, at least it’s done… And most of the laundry, too.
Sadly, I have a couple of things to do at the courthouse Friday when they’re here. Not speeding tickets, but it does involve my car. I finally got the title and have to get it transferred to my name. So, my parents, who share my love of people watching, volunteered to come with me. Then, I’ll put the old man to work with me in the backyard, finishing off that water feature I mentioned so many weeks ago. I just have a few lengths of PVC to cut and paint and glue and test. I figure not more than an hour. Two if Dad actually helps. But, that will let me drag them to the pond store on Saturday to get a couple of plants and possibly a catfish or two for the ponds. When I get it all done, I’ll post pictures. Honest. Maybe even picture of me in my sporty new goatee. I think it makes me look more aerodynamic! (Aw, who am I kidding? I’m built for comfort and distance, not speed. The joys of encroaching middle age!)
Tonight, on the way home from work, I’ll stop and get all the things they need for breakfast. Like OJ, which I haven’t had in the morning for years. And decaf coffee. Ick! Why bother?
It’s going to be an interesting weekend!

This is National Novel Writing Month.
Or, if you’re one of the cool kids, NaNoWriMo. The idea, in a nutshell, is to write a book in thirty days or less. Or finish that monster that you’ve always meant to get around to again. Either way, the goal is a completed novel by the end of the month. Frankly, it seems impossible to me, but the guy who puts this on every year is also the author of No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days, so, maybe, just maybe it’s possible to accomlish.
Well, I won’t find out this year because I’m just in the wrong place to do that, but I may just get the book and read it so I’m ready for next year.
In any case, if you’re feeling up to it, it’s still a possibility for you. Hit the website and start writing!