2004/01/02

we need water ... good good water

and maybe somebody's daughter

The plumbers finally arrived and commenced work on my water leak. They cut a great L-shaped slot in my wall, drilled holes and crawled through the ceiling running PVC pipe. They even hooked up hot water to my washing machine, which has only had cold water before. Wonderful!

Then they went back out to the water meter and turned the flow back on.

We heard the sound of water in the pipes. This was not good. That very sound was the first indication I had that there was a leak in the first place.

After about 20 minutes, water started seeping up near the back door, and started flowing up into the bathroom.

As it turns out, they had only been told to re-pipe the hot water system! This was never discussed with me during the previous two visits during which the situation was assessed by their company. In fact I got the distinct impression (mostly due to direct comments) that they were going to re-pipe both the hot and cold water lines.

I should be angry. I am most definitely disappointed.

It has now been five full weeks that I have been walking out to the road to turn the water on every time I need it. My bathroom smells like an outhouse because I've only been flushing once or twice a day. I have dirty dishes piled up in the kitchen. My laundry is piled sky-high. I've been taking showers every two to three days.

You might think that this sounds like a typical single guy's house, and you might be right, but it isn't my usual situation. I'm sick of it and I believe that I deserve better.

2003/12/29

here's a couple wacky ideas

From the "Truth is Stranger Than Fiction" department

1. Let's require foreign law enforcement officers to carry weapons into our airspace, especially if they come from a potentially dangerous location.

2. We'd better keep an eye on people who live here and happen to carry The Old Farmers Almanac. They might be plants. (Sorry about the nasty pun.)

Let's examine Number One first, because that's what I originally wanted to discuss. I just happened upon the Almanac story a few minutes ago, and it just seems too ridiculous to be real. I need to cogitate on that nugget for a while. This administration should have inured me to the Theater of the Absurd, but I guess I just keep expecting John Cleese to pop up and say, "and now for something completely different."

Number One: Foreign air carriers will be required to carry armed law enforcement officers on selected international flights that enter or leave U.S. airspace. This means that even if the flight only crosses our airspace, then our government can require them to have armed guards.

First off, this is a bit arrogant on our part. Just because we have a relatively open attitude about guns does not mean that all of our friends do. Personally, I don't have a problem with our own airlines having armed U.S. Marshals on board. We have well trained, professional Marshals. I'm sure that the British have a comparable equivalent.

Firearms as such don't bother me in the slightest. I wouldn't mind being allowed to take my own weapon on board; I'm a good shot and handle a firearm with aplomb. I've spent my life around guns. I even have my favorite and most-disliked locations for the safety on a firearm. (Most-disliked: for handguns, in the trigger itself or on the backside of the grip, because they are inherently unsafe. For long guns, a longitudinal slider on top of the receiver [i.e. the Mossberg method], because the springs tend to wear out.)

What really worries me is this: the "Selected Flights" that squeeze the Armed Guard Trigger are probably coming from someplace dangerous, or will have somebody considered dangerous on board. It is a fair estimation that many of the law enforcement agencies around the world are not as well trained as ours, and as Americans we know that many (or most) of them are probably woefully underpaid. Thus they may be subject to bribes in order to switch places with an impostor. Some of the terrorist organizations have deep pockets, and could likely gain access - armed access - to a "Selected Flight." No need to sneak weapons past security; they could just walk on as the Official In-Flight Security Force. And no pesky pocketknives or nail clippers in the hands of the passengers to slow the "tairists" down when they make their move.

They may not even need to bribe their way in; they may just strongarm their way in. Take the real guard(s) prisoner before the flight and present themselves as the real McCoy or as replacements; same result, they get on board as armed potential assailants.

Reminds me of the Monty Python election sketch featuring the Loony Party.

Speaking of loonies, it appears that a significant majority of CNN online poll voters believe that this is actually a good idea.