The Relaxing Day

Today is the one Saturday where Erin and Haylie are out of town so I (Justin) decided to have a relaxing day and do nothing. Now, my "nothing" is probably contrary to what most people would consider "nothing", but it's my nothing. The nothing that I was going to do today consisted of fixing our faucet in the bathroom, putting up a hand towel rack in the spare bathroom, changing the oil in my car, mowing the yard, going fishing, and watching football.


The Bathroom Faucet

Problem: The hot and cold handles are not even when the water is turned off. (This is a big deal, right? :p )

Solution: Take the handles off and straighten the handles.

My Bad:

I don't know what I was thinking when I thought this would be a good idea. I got the handles off and realized that I had to loosen a few nuts to adjust the shut off position of the handles. I started with the hot water side. The nut on top was finger loose so I figured it wasn't really doing much. I decided to just loosen it more to adjust the shut off point. Turns out that nut does something very important. It keeps the water from shooting out of the handle up to the ceiling. When the nut came off and the water started spraying out, I thought I was strong enough to push the nut back down and tighten it so water would not continue to shoot everywhere. I am not that strong. I am weak. The water quickly got so hot that it started burning my hands and I had no choice but to abandon my attempt to replace the nut. Hot water is now hitting the light and the ceiling and raining down everywhere. I quickly get under the sink and turn off the shutoff value for the hot water with my burned hands. Of course the shutoff value starts leaking under the sink but what's new. I finally get the shutoff valve to stop leaking.

Crawling up from below the sink I inspect the damage. I realize there is a rubber washer, spring, and plastic piece sitting on the counter. Crud, where did these come from and how do I put them back? I have no clue and no option other than take the cold water side apart to figure it out. I finally figure it out and get both sides put back together, not realizing the handles were in worse alignment than when I started. Who cares? Not me, not at this point. (This is my nothing day.) I turned the shutoff valves back on and they started dripping water. Drip, Drip... Drip. Groaning, and questioning why I even try sometimes, in at last attempt I tighten the nuts on the shutoff valves. They stop dripping water. "Don't touch it, just walk away", is what thought to myself. I did it. I just walked away. I later came back and dried the water off the walls, ceiling, mirror, light, towel rack, the counter and the floor.

Fishing
Problem: None
Solution: Go fishing
My Bad:
After struggling with the faucet it was time to do what I really wanted to do. GO FISHING (I sung it as I typed it). I tried to find someone to go fishing with me but I couldn't. No matter, I decided to go fishing alone. I put on my grubby clothes, sprayed my legs and arms with "Off", and I was ready to go. I grabbed my fishing pole and went to grab my tackle-box... "Where is my tackle-box?" I flipped out! I called Erin, she didn't remember seeing it. I called a couple of people that helped us move and they didn't remember see it. Grrr... So the search began. I literally looked everywhere I could think of. I looked in the garage (where it should be), in the attic, in the shed, in all the closets, in all the cabinets (including the kitchen and baths), in both cars... no tackle-box.


I tore the house apart looking it. In the process I noticed that one of my handguns was missing. Now I was on the search for my handgun. I looked everywhere I could think of. I was thinking, someone robbed us and stole my handgun and my tackle-box. Seriously, that's all someone decided to steal? What a stupid thief. Someone should teach them to be a better thief. --So all those places that I looked for my tackle-box, I looked again for my gun. Did I find it? Not in any of those places I originally looked. I finally found it on the top shelf of a book shelf. With a sigh of relief, I returned my gun to its correct place. Now I begin to think the theory of someone stealing my stuff is just silly. I felt better about finding the gun but I am still obsessing about the loss of my tackle-box. No tackle box, no fishing. Where is the world is my fishing tackle-box? I cannot seem to find it. I want to go fishing!!


The rest of the story
The prior two events have consumed about 5 1/2 hours of my day which started at 8:30 when Erin and Haylie left this morning. I am now convinced that today is a normal persons "do nothing day". I am content with sitting on the porch swing, watching the leaves fall from the trees, eating 1/2 of a chocolate frosted vanilla sheet cake, and watching two teams that I could care less about play football. Life is good. I can't wait for my sanity of Erin and Haylie to come back home tonight! I would be lost without them!

**Update 10-17-10** The tackle box has been located. Guess who forgot it at the lake house?? Thanks Dan for finding it! - Erin