The Handyman Can
Fix it, I mean. One thing about living in a house is that there are endless possibilities for education, in the voc-tech sense. If you haven’t had a chance to learn primitive carpentry, plumbing, electricity, etc. there’s no need to despair; the occasion is probably only a weekend away.
Today, I woke before dawn to the sweet murmur of a running toilet. I’d been forewarned that the stupid thing no longer flushed properly, and had picked up a degree of black around the fingernails that would appear “blue-collar” to anyone that cared. But, enough is enough, so after a good coffee (this is several hours later) it’s off to the hardware superstore.
I’m awed by the amount of stuff that is mysterious in that place. Almost another planet, in some sectors. After touring all but the lumberyard, I finally asked one of those who “know”, and in a jiffy I had a home toilet repair kit.
At home, the tools are not where they should be (Note to self, try to convince the other toolslingers to do something more productive than hiding the tools in random locations around the house). A wood clamp is not suitable for unbolting plumbing. Nor is a pair of diagonal cutters. Nor is the practiced dirty look (Another not, try it on the other toolslingers, instead). After several hours, I stumbled across a rusted pair of vice-grips, and the work went smoothly after that. We now have a renewed water closet.
On other fronts, Colleen Jones did not win a berth to the finals at the Scott Tournament of Hearts. She’s still my model.
Spent some time on Skype in conference with some old buddies. Well, younger than me old buddies. Remarkable how the ability to send video, links, etc makes the “phone” a way cooler toy.
