best intentions....

I have the best intentions. Really, I do. Things just never seem to go the way I think they will. :)

I went to flyball practice this morning (late of course) and planned on coming home, doing the dishes, finishing swearing at the computer (I did curse a hell of a lot yesterday), and tuck into my homework.

After practice (Freddie gave me a bunch of new bruises, Yay) I came home and played with the dogs for a bit. They got a big kick out of chewing on the icicles I was knocking down. Before you get all up in arms, they were in the house while I was knocking them down. I have no interest in spearing them with icicles. :p

After that I started playing with the computer for a bit more. I found out which file it needs *this* time but I didn't feel like dealing with it anymore. I went to make a cup of hot cocoa and while I was waiting for the water to boil, I started doing some of the dishes. I wasn't going to do them all, just what I could while the water was boiling. I noticed, tho', that the water wasn't going down the drain.

Hmmmmm.....

Ok, I start pulling dishes out so I can make sure I didn't have the stopper in. Nope. Then I figured it was blocked by food or something. Nope.

Damn.

I call Dad. He tells me to block 2 of the 3 holes and plunge the open one. I can do that, all I have to do is put the stoppers in! Ha. That would make sense, right? But that's not actually how it works - the pressure of my plunging lifts the stoppers out of the holes. I'm sure that's just because of all them muscles I have. :p

Call Dad back. He tells me to figure out a way to brace them so they don't pop up. Duh. Short of growing another hand, I have to get creative. I won't even go into some of the things I came up with! Anyway, I finally get the right sink braced, I'm holding down the garbage disposal one, and plunging the left one with one hand (those muscles again.) I do that for about.... 20 mins or so. I take a small break, drink the hot cocoa, which is no longer hot, and rest for a bit before trying again. Another 1/2 hr of plunging and I'm done.

Call Dad again. I suggest Drano, he says fine, try it. I take a quick trip to Home Depot (they have the more powerful stuff) and decide to get a snake as well. I'm sure there's another name for them, but I only know them as snakes - the long springy thing that you turn once it's in the pipe. I try the snake, that doesn't work - I can't get it up into the trap, I can only make it past one bend. On to the backup plan - Drano. Guess what doesn't work? Yup, Drano.

Call Dad yet again (have I mentioned how much my Dad *loves* talking on the phone?) Plan Z - drain the sink via the stopper at the bottom of the trap. Then I can stick my finger up there (that just sounds wrong) and clear the blockage (that sounds even worse.) I can do that! I know where it is. I have a tool that can do that. Great. I drain it all out (it smells like Drano), slosh it all over the floor bringing the container to the bathtub, multiple times, but finally get all 3 sinks drained.

At this point I've spent about 5 hours working on the sink. Fun stuff.

Call Dad again - what now? Add more water, does it go down? Sigh....Doh! I add just a little, after all, I'm not completely dense, just a little dense. :) Nope, it doesn't go down. Damn.

I clear the sink yet again and the take apart the connector to the pipe that goes down into the cellar. You have to remember, we built the piping! I know how to take it all apart. :) Ok, my Dad built the piping, I just cut it and watched. :) So I get that apart and try to snake the pipe that goes into the basement. I get it past one bend but then hit a wall. Dad was still on the phone for all of this so he gives up and says he'll be up tomorrow.

I go downstairs to see what it was I hit, why I couldn't get the snake past 3 feet. Dad's still on the phone btw. :) There's this big drum/barrel type thing. Well there's your problem! My problem, actually. My Dad said it some kind of trap thing but I can't remember what it was called. It has a screwy thing on the bottom tho' so we can take it apart. I ask my Dad if he wants me to try it? He laughs. That would be a no. :)

After 8 hours, my Dad is coming up after work to help clear out the barrel thing. I have a couple of 5 gallon buckets ready and waiting. I'm sure this is going to be one of those really freakin' gross things that's going to make me curse being a home owner. As I said, I had the best intentions!!

So the kitchen is *trashed* - and I mean really trashed. Under the sink is all cleared out and all over the floor, the dirty dishes that were in the sinks are all over the counter, stove, and spilling on the floor. The pipes are all undone and hanging out all over the place.

Sigh.

The good news is that I started working on my homework after all of that and I got everything done - for the whole week. That's 2 weeks in a row that I rock! So tomorrow, I don't have to worry about doing homework while I'm getting splashed by all sorts of gross shit. :)

Jo sent me a few pictures of the girls today (the girl puppies from her litter.) Damn they're cute! I sent her an email back asking which one seemed the calmest. She wrote back and laughed at me. I think I'm in trouble. :) I should probably mention that one puppy was shredding the carpet in one of the pictures and another one was chewing on my friend's jeans. Oh yeah, I'm soooo going to be in trouble. :) I'm going to try and take a trip up to see them either during the week or over the weekend.

Holy shit! Look at the time! Doubtful I'll be getting in to work on time. :p AND I have to leave early to make sure I'm here for my Dad!

Gotta go!

D