Fixing Things
My leaky kitchen faucet and dripping washing machine hose just got fixed. I also got my full length mirror hung. I had to wait two and a half weeks, and it only took twenty minutes for the work crew of two to complete the tasks.
I showed one of the guys where to hang the mirror, and we marked the drill spot. He then went to retrieve his substantially large drill from a nylon sack. I looked at it and noticed there was no plug; just a split, coated wire. (And in case you didn’t think about it, neither the workers nor I spoke each other’s language.) I put on my most shocked face and pointed.
The men laughed and said something like “No problem.” I had to leave the room as the one with power tool in hand stood ready to drill, while the other inserted the bare-ended wires into the socket. I jumped when the drill emitted a large whine/grind as it connected to the wall, then abruptly stopped.
I stuck my head around the corner to make sure no one had been electrocuted. The guy at the socket was busily shoving the wires in with a something that may have been a pen. This time I left for good.
I would love to be able to hang things myself, and possibly avoid having to give emergency CPR, but you can’t do it here. Or at least not without a drill. The walls are brick. I remember the first time I lived in a brick walled building. I’d spent about five minutes knocking on the walls trying to find a stud before I realized there were none. The advantage of not being able to hear your neighbors far outweighs not being able to easily hang pictures. Except that for right now, I can hear the workers upstairs building the two story penthouse.
The noise level has gotten radically worse since I first moved in. I had been looking forward to a few weeks of unemployment and spending my time in my beautiful home, reading and writing and creating. It has been all but impossible. The hammering is something I can put up with, but the electric tile cutter that sits on the floor directly above my apartment is unbearable. I was told by my landlord that when they built my apartment, they were not allowed to cut tiles inside because of the noise. They were also not allowed to work on weekends. But the people upstairs were at it all day last Saturday. I think my landlord phoned in a complaint today. However, nothing changed.
I am also a little concerned about how long it will take to complete. When I first moved in, they said one month. It has been almost three weeks and now they say another month. Oh well, I start work full time next Monday, so I guess it no longer really matters.
The good news is that I can now see the moon! I face north, which means no direct sunlight, but loads of light all day. However, I was starting to miss seeing the sun and I had never seen the moon. Then, a few nights, when the moon was full, it decided to visit my side of the building, and every night since I can see it for longer periods of time. It was still in my viewing range at five this morning. I never have been able to figure out the movement of heavenly bodies, so will just have to wait and see if the sun puts in an appearance.
Oh! There goes the helicopter again! Or at least that was what I thought it was for two nights running. Sounded to me like it was circling for criminals, but I just couldn’t see any helicopter lights. Then it happened again yesterday, in the late afternoon. I looked out my window, and oops….there is a river just about half a mile down the road, (which, for some reason, I hadn’t been aware of even though I cross it every time I go into town.) That put-put-put is the sound of the fishing boats returning. Yes, I feel really stupid, but you have to give me credit for admitting my idiocy.
By the way, please do note the Google adds at the top of the page. Somehow I don’t think I am ever going to accrue enough of whatever it is to make any money, especially if you look at what is listed. I wrote about construction, and ads come up for concrete. I wrote about light bulbs and ads appeared for lighting fixtures. And when I wrote about a bad hair day, there were ads for afro wigs and bridal wigs. I am sure that when you read this, you’ll see ads for plumbing or maybe fishing.
And one final, further unrelated note: the picture is of an ENTIRE supermarket shelf of MSG, which one can purchase by the kilo. Just one more reason I avoid eating out.
I need to check on the moon.
Kate
