Do it
My friend Jen guessed what I guessed, that I got my infections at one of the times the place flooded, with my hands bailing water like mad. It was pretty gross and I knew that I pulled a splinter out of my hand while painting.
Father-in-law: You’re telling me that you can’t even paint without needing medical help?
Me: Clearly, your daughter married down.
Him: (laughing) That I knew.
Me: (laughing) Why do you kick a man when he’s down, sir?
Had a pretty fitful sleep because the very next day, two more plumbers arrived promptly at 9AM to try to resolve this issue.
They cut open my wall, found a pipe, cut that pipe open, cleaned it, and started packing to leave at around noon.
Them: It’s clean, there’s nothing there. But, we did fix a crack that needed to be repaired.
Me: That’s impossible, there must be another pipe.
Them: Probably not. Besides, the only way to see is if we jackhammer your concrete floor and brick wall.
Me: Do it.
Them: What if there’s no second pipe?
Me: There will be. Do it.
So, they had a chipper/small jackhammer delivered – honest-to-god, you can get anything delivered in NYC these days – and then they started cutting open my floor.
Three hours later…
Them: OK, we found a second pipe. We need to dig out enough of it to cut it. Keep jackhammering?
Me: In for a penny, in for a pound. Yeah.
Four hours after that…
Them: It was this. (they hold up a small rusted lid) It got into your system somehow and backed up all the sediment you see here.
Me: God, if it wouldn’t be weird, I’d give you both a hug.
Them: (blank stares)
Me: I’m…not actually going to give either of you hugs.
All-in-all, they were here maybe ten hours and I have a gaping hole in my basement floor and wall. Still, it rained yesterday and today and there wasn’t a lick of problem.
Which is not to say that it was all smooth sailing after that but this entry’s getting long so I’ll tell you the rest tomorrow.
Podcast Version
Location: earlier today, by Steele; right now, watching Project Power with her
Mood: Off
Music: out of my head, I keep letting you in though (Spotify)
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