(Reading time: 2 – 4 minutes)
As you know,* it’s been raining cats-n-dogs around the San Francisco Bay area last few days.
Makes for good working-on-the-computer weather.
After pounding on blog posts all morning, roundabout noon Wed (20 Jan 2010), I’m getting hungry. I could stay in and create some dude food, got plenty of raw materials for that, but I decide to step out to the grocery store instead.
Down the stairs and splash, I step out into the huge puddle resulting every time we get a big rain. The drain is clogged and the water pools 4 to 5 inches deep at the base of my stairs.
Nice!
Around the corner, Jerry the Plumber is parked in the drive. Jerry’s out at the curb in front, rooting out the drain. After all these years, Esteemed Landlord is Doing Something About It.
I watch Jerry work. The rooter is grinding away in the drain: “grrr grrr grrr grrr.”
It’s pretty cool. All you dudes know what I mean.
Plumbing.
I like it. You show up, you do your work, you’re done. Drains drain, toilets flush, faucets flow, how satisfying.
Unlike anything to do with blogs. Blogs are never done. There’s always more to do: more articles, more linking, more security, more plugins, more design, more More MORE! Even when you think you’re done, there’s some bloodthirsty parasite or lurking predator attempting to crack your blog to use for a phishing scam, serve pr0n or something equally reprehensible.
I had a sudden flash of envy: I want to do something that gets done. At least once this year.
So I stand there and watch Jerry work. The little rooter isn’t doing it. Miles of palm root emerges, but it’s not enough.
Fine. Switch to the big rooter. Grind away with that for a while.
Nothing.
Change bits on the big rooter head.
Grrr grrr grrr grrr grrr.
Still more nothing.
I left for the store at this point, confident that as soon as I pulled away, Jerry would be drenched as a half acre foot of water (I’m being hyperbolic. A little.) comes spurting out the cleared drain.
That’s always how these things turn out, right? Nothing happens until you aren’t looking, then you miss everything.
Jerry is still at it when I get back. The “pond” hasn’t dropped an inch. He’s changed bits again, still kneeling in front of the stupid drain, still feeding the stupid rooter into the hole. He says the drain is probably broken and it won’t clear, it will have to be dug up. Looks like the next storm is about to blow in. Scratch that, the squall just hit; it’s really pouring out there.
Grrrr grrrr grrrr grrrrr.
And I’m back on couch, kicking back with some hot tea and (very) dark chocolate, knocking out articles and writing you this little story.
It’s hours later. Jerry never succeeded in rooting the drain. Last I saw, he had a sump pump running, and it’s just pouring again. Bummer.
(I find out a few days later the yard will have to be ripped up and the drain replaced.)
So, how’s your day going in Blogistan?
*San Francisco Bay being the center of the Universe after all.
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{ 18 comments }
I love this – really identify with it. I seem to have spent my whole life thinking “I wish I was a postman / bus driver / delivery guy. Work 8 hours and walk away without a thing on your mind. Zero stress baby!”
Never gonna happen, is it?
Mike CJ´s last blog ..Saturday Discussion – What’s the point of blog comments?
Back when I framed houses, I spent a fair amount of time thinking about how to get a “real job.”
Now, with so many jobs moving to temp and contract without benefits, contracting doesn’t look so bad!
Dr Wordpress!´s last blog ..How Moderating Comments On Your Blog Destroys Conversation
10 years ago, I never thought that I would ever know as much about plumbing as I do now. Funny how things change.
Better the storm drain than the sewer drain!
Deacon´s last blog ..Sales Pitch for Men: Give Her Hand Made Art for Valentine’s
My post on my blog today has nothing to do with my blog, either. I just wanted to tell a story.
Okay, you managed to work in a paragraph about blogging. You win.
It’s not about winners and losers.
And it’s not true either. Your article this morning (The Night The Party Ended. Congo, 1998) is very much about cleavage. On many levels. Society. Family. Personally.
Just because you can’t see this doesn’t mean it’s not there.
That’s why I like doing dishes. when they’re done they’re done…clean, dry, and warm.
If I get angry, I do dishes and then everything’s ok again.
…until the next load of dishes. Dishes like cleaning house never get done, its like residual work, once you start it never stops! …. hmmm. It’s Sunday morning, think there is a post for a Sunday morn musing ….
best………….valentina
Valentina´s last blog ..On Silver and Gold and The Week That Was: Jan 31-Feb 06
That’s probably a good thing. If I didn’t have the dishes to do, } would probably be sleeping on the couch a lot
Looking forward to next Sunday.
Carlos …
and I just couldn’t help myself 
The devil made me do it … but it was so inspirational
best……………valentina
Valentina´s last blog ..Musings on a Sunday Morn: Done? Never!
Let’s see, my step-dad once pulled some roots out of the toilet, I had to call the city out on St. Patty’s Day [they removed a large chunk of congealed grease from the main line] – guess I wasn’t the only one having issues, and I learned to be quite handy with a snake and a plunger. I’m not allowed to touch the ballcock.
Today it’s all snow and sleet in the lovely state of Virginia. Where my universe seems to be asking me, yet again, why I moved away from South Florida.
Anne´s last blog ..Self-aware or Self-obsessed
Anne.
You have stories to tell. Please, tell them!
You have a month to go, then you’ll start seeing the crocuses popup. They’ll come right up through the snow, too.
Dr Wordpress!´s last blog ..How To Rapidly Create Pillar Content For Your Blog
Probably, Jerry is not that lucky today. Maybe tomorrow, or the next time he do the job… It’s a great Sunday here, Dave… with a clear blue sky… I’ll spend aprox. 3 hours later in Blogistan…
Cebu Tech Blogger´s last blog ..Microsoft Office 2010 RC Torrent Download
We only have about 30 inches of snow in the Philly area. My street is a sheet of ice and the grocery stores have been out of milk and other essentials for the last several days.
At least I had a chance to build an igloo today (really)!
Gabe | freebloghelp.com´s last blog ..All-in-one SEO is mandatory for 99% of all bloggers
@Cebu – Yeah, that drain has been clogged like that for over 10 years. It’s time to be replaced anyway.
@Gabe – Only 30 inches? Sheesh. You’d think you had a blizzard or something.
Dr Wordpress!´s last blog ..How To Rapidly Create Pillar Content For Your Blog
Up here in the Pacific Northwest we are used to the wet stuff as winter is more likely to be a continuous rain rather than snow – but not the kind that drenches you … just kind of scotch mist that hangs around, or just plain pissy. Most of us “natives” don’t even bother with umbrellas!
Of course right now we could use some good steady rain in the city so that our mountains could get some of that much needed snow for the Olympics which are now less than a week away. The snow making machines are working overtime and we are actually trucking and helicoptering in snow from Manning Park (not that far away but it has the real stuff, lots of it and its good quality – whatever “good quality” means when it comes to snow). This applies only to the city mountains … Whistler where most of the snow shushing type of competition will take place is just fine.
Best…………….valentina
Valentina´s last blog ..On Silver and Gold and The Week That Was: Jan 31-Feb 06
We’ve been dry the last few years, but doing well this year. Supposedly still in a drought though.
It seems the best way to guarantee no snow is have a Winter Olympics scheduled!
Dr Wordpress!´s last blog ..What the Heck is Pillar Content and Why Do I Need It?
Today in Blogistan, I spent far too much time on the phone trying to help an artist client understand that even if “every other artist does their site like that” it’s not necessarily a good idea. Radical marketing idea of the day: if you sell something, say so.
I need dark chocolate.
I do see the appeal of concrete results. While it would be nice to do something that gets done, I try to remind myself that every little incremental bit of work we do on our sites will count eventually.
Your post has more value than Jerry’s fruitless hours of grinding away in the puddle. Poor Jerry. Unless of course Esteemed Landlord IS motivated by Jerry’s efforts and digs up the yard to permanently fix the periodic wading pool.
Karilee´s last blog ..Who Are Your Favorite Bloggers?
Nothing like a good story with a happy ending to make you feel good about blogging.
Ralph´s last blog ..Up with Failure
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