Very draining

Hello!

This week has been very draining. Actually, in a manner of speaking, this morning was draining, and the rest of the week wasn't so much. To fully understand, I need to take you back a few weeks. Our bathroom sink was starting to get a bit slow on the draining side. It wasn't so bad, but it was noticeably slower. We left it alone, but during this week it started getting worse. This has happened before, and so yesterday morning, as part of the Great Apartment Clean of Fall 2010, I disconnected the stopper from the sink and started digging around. I've done this before, and it has always helped. The usual suspects came out, some hair, some dirt, some still white soap. Satisfied with my digging, I connected the stopper again and ran some water through. Still slow. That's weird.

I walked out into the living room and picked up the new little flashlight (Australian translation: torch) that Liz got me for my birthday. It's a cool mini Maglite - it has different features such as strobe, SOS and a few others, that are all selected via a twist of the wrist thanks to an accelerometer (at least that's what the documentation leads me to believe). I disconnected the stopper again and looked down...

At that moment, I felt like I was in a movie. It was the type of scene where people at war see the opposing army and just how big it is, and they realize they're going to need a much bigger screwdriver and to change their tactics if they're to win the battle. We had so much more to do that I left it, and decided to finish the other tasks that needed to be done around here, and put it off until tomorrow. Basically, I sounded a temporary retreat to rethink my strategy.

Last night we brushed our teeth before bed, and the water just sat in the sink. I told Liz about the massive clog I had discovered, and that I was going to look at it in the morning. Luckily the water had all drained by this morning (we weren't sure if it would or not), so before I showered I readied for battle. I took everything out from the cupboard beneath the sink. It was an easy thing to do, because it is all in a sliding drawer. My plan had changed from yesterday: the new plan was to outflank it, catch the clog by surprise. I removed the stopper like yesterday, hoping to make the clog look up - it would never suspect a sneak attack from beneath. I put a bucket down, and removed the bending pipe beneath the sink. Armed with the trusty screwdriver, the longest we have, I started to dig. Small chunks fell out. I didn't want this to happen - now the clog knew I was onto it. Trying to end the battle quickly, I stabbed upwards - the screwdriver pierced something squishy. I twisted the blade and yanked it downwards.

PLOP.

The clog was massive - an entwined mass of hair, soap, dirt and a small rubber band for good measure - a couple of inches long. The smell of death (clog) filled the air. I called my trusted lieutenant.

"Liz..."

She stopped when she saw the clog, then began running water through the drain. The minions of the clog started dropping into the bucket - we were winning the battle. The screwdriver returned to make some more pivotal strikes, then, the battle was over. Connecting the bending pipe and stopper again, we ran some water, and it all drained successfully. The territory occupied by our hideous clog foe was free again. And, as a special bonus, there were no leaks. My lieutenant took the fallen enemies outside, and I showered.

I reflected on my victory - thinking about how this had to go on the blog, and about how satisfying it is sometimes to get things done around the place. No matter how small. We've actually gotten a lot achieved in the last 24 hours, which people may see the fruits of soon.

Now, if only I could change that light bulb in the bathroom. That, though, is a battle for another week.