How to Sabotage Yourself
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Well now, here we are, Sunday evening and not a post to show for my past few days. Bear with me, I do have a good reason.
In a grand effort to sabotage my present good fortune regarding side work, I blathered on about how much the freelance work picked up. I’ve got some good work on the table, which could really help out with the seasonal gift giving (and bill paying). Well it wasn’t blathering, but just mentioning it was enough. I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.
What do you think happened on Friday night? I asked Nancy why everything smelled like onions. She replied with something similar, yet more colorful. I noticed what appeared to be a leaky water line to the dishwasher and resigned to tighten it up on the weekend. Once the weekend came, that “leak” turned out to be a corroded, copper drain line. The bathroom sink drain line. In the wall. Behind the sink.
The drain is shared by the kitchen sink, which also drains the dishwasher. So, I couldn’t use the bathroom sink, the kitchen sink or the dishwasher until this got fixed. The hole turned out to be about 2 inches long and wide enough for my index finger to get covered in bathroom sink sludge that smelled far worse than any onions I’ve ever smelled.
After cutting a hole into the wall with my trusty drywall saw, I did some creative engineering and managed to cut out about 8 inches of the offending drain line, re-plumbing it with a variety of PVC parts. Thankfully, it is no longer leaking, but the fans have been running in a futile attempt to dry the water damaged walls and cabinets. The dishwasher is back where it belongs and the mess is cleaned up. Just in time for Monday. 
What does all of this mean? Well, I was going to post about the award I received from Susanne. I was also going to give Dan some major props for his awesome butterfly photo and the continued linkage he’s throwing my way. I planned on giving Opal a much deserved shout out, just for being so helpful and inspiring. I even had some link love for Joanne, but I guess I’m too late, since she’s probably in Japan already.
Maybe even Debo Hobo would have seen me lurking. I planned on mentioning Mike Goad’s, Daily Chronicles of the American Civil War, which is definitely worth a visit or two. AntiBarbie got me riled up with a video of some atheist family, but I didn’t have time to tell her how I felt. Bobbie and Jerry at The Right Blue are visiting the Blue Penguins in New Zealand and I’m fixing smelly drain pipes. Diane is probably having more fun in dreary Dorset, even though her vacation is over.
I would have addressed the near-loss of Jon, but I didn’t have to because he is blogging again (for now). And I would have told Joeprah to stop hacking his own site, although he did manage to fix the line spacing issue that has been bugging me ever since I met him. And the Monetizer probably thinks I fell off the face of the earth, but I doubt it since The Monetizer is busy making money and talking in third-person.
I guess it could be worse. My traffic is slightly up, I’ve made a few positive changes regarding ads and affiliations, and my two-week vacation is quickly approaching. I’d better make sure that I have everything fixed so I can get some posting done. This self-sabotage really keeps me from my work.
This post has 13 comments
December 9th, 2007
So sorry that happened to you. That is just awful. I can’t imagine getting smelly sludge all over me. *shudders*
AntiBarbie’s last blog post..QOTW - Who would you give coal to?
December 10th, 2007
Isn’t it scary when your readers increase when you’re not posting?
Thanks for the link.
Too bad about the plumbing issues. I dislike plumbing issues. We just don’t get along.
dcr’s last blog post..Winter Snow
December 10th, 2007
I wondered what the smell was….
Why do these things always happen over the weekend? Thank goodness you were able to sort it out. I would have had to pay a fortune to get a plumber in to fix it - and paid extra as it was a weekend….
Even when I was married my husband was useless at DIY - he usually made things worse….
Diane’s last blog post..Back to reality
December 10th, 2007
PS Thanks for the link
Diane’s last blog post..Back to reality
December 10th, 2007
dude! that scummy, hol-laden pipe would have made for groovy picture, it could have been a splash on ww with a neg effect laid upon it’s old copper bone! another photo op down the drain, oh well, thanks for the crafty puzzle piping baby! xxu
December 10th, 2007
You are so funny and creative. And the perfect handyman as well, I would have had to call the plumber out at double overtime for weekend work.
Thanks for the linakge.
Debo Hobo’s last blog post..Walk with me!-Top 10 Most Walkable US Citites
December 10th, 2007
Ownage. Pete, those onion laden pipes had no chance. If you need a drywall patch let me know…wait, you may want it done sometime before ‘?’ Thanks for ‘holla’ link love. I was actually thinking of you when I hit off the line height. I keep going between IE and Firefox to see how it looks…strange how they are different right? Peace man!
December 10th, 2007
wow. you sure have been a busy bee.
meleah rebeccah’s last blog post..Meme 1:How Do You Do Christmas?
December 10th, 2007
Interesting post. Thanks for the link for Daily Chronicles!
Mike Goad’s last blog post..Using WordPress - or thinking about it? Win a free book at ProBlogger
December 11th, 2007
AntiBarbie: It looks like the problem is still be there, so I may have to endure another round of sludge. I can mail you some if you want. You can give it to your aunt.
dcr: I dislike plumbing issues as well. For some reason, some brilliant architect decided that putting the pipes inside the walls was a good idea. I’m wondering how much toxic stuff I’ve ingested doing this repair.
Diane: I know people that make things worse frequently. Home improvement stores are a great idea, but I have a conspiracy theory that says the home improvement contractors are behind them. They know that people will try to fix something, then mess it up worse, thereby picking up the phone and calling them. It’s a huge scam.
holypipes: Batman!
Debo Hobo: Hey, no problem, thanks for appreciating my cynical humor.
Joe: You can drywall my house anytime you want. I have the tools and materials. I will fly you down here. (I despise drywalling.)
meleah: My two-week vacation is nigh! Hopefully, I can get in some major blog updates and features during that time. Responding to comments in a timely fashion would be nice too.
Mike: Your “Chronicles” blog really is interesting. I feel like I’m time traveling when I read it. Funny how politics haven’t changed since then.
December 11th, 2007
Why am I getting a flash of the show Home Improvement? Hopefully you won’t have to endure anymore smelly sludge.
Thanks for the mention.
Opal Tribble/Vegan Momma’s last blog post..Manic Monday
December 14th, 2007
It’s always those unexpected things that sneak up! Our hot water heater did the same thing this summer - I can relate to the fans for drying and the smells - it had a nasty musty dank odor with an onion tinge - and there weren’t any onions around it! Glad to hear I’m not crazy - must be something about leaking water.
kml’s last blog post..ABC Wednesday - U
December 17th, 2007
Opal: I’ve been seeing too much of that show lately. Maybe it was some kind of omen.
kml: Thank you for validating the “onion” thing for me. I swear, it permeated everything in the bathroom. Onion towels, gross. The fan is still running, but I think it’s dry by now.