Do over

If you get old enough, the same bad things happen over again.

So the other day I'm just about to back into the driveway, and I put the old Suburban into reverse and then it made a funny (not the laughing kind of funny mind you) KLUNK, zush zush zush sort of sound. It did not, however, go backwards. It just kind of sat there like a wild beast that had had its neck bitten by a lion and it was wondering whether to just die or kick the lion.

So the bad thing again part is that I needed to have the beast towed to a shop where mechanically inclined persons took it apart and made it better again. For $2507.

I suppose that's about 1/10 the cost of a new car or about 1/18 the cost of a new Suburban that seats eight and hauls all my crap.

But to offset the cost of fuel and my high caloric intake of the free snacks at work, I've tried biking to work. So far I've gone about one and a half times. Each round trip saves me about four bucks. There are problems.

1. The bike trip takes about 35 minutes - so I need to leave earlier.
2. My mountain bike (a "free" one I got with bonus points on my VISA card) is a little small for me and less comfortable than I'd like.
3. There are lots of cars with drivers that only take a passing interest in my feelings of safety.
4. I get sweaty and I'm in my work clothes. I need to carry a change of clothes.

I just need to suck it up I suppose.

So after picking up the Suburban, I was just going to go swimming, cause it was hot. Instead I noticed that the toilets were not draining, and that the bathtubs were filled about an inch with not very clear water... Yes Virginia, the main drain to the house was a main plug. And it was about 90 degrees. And I had not had dinner. And I was cranky.

I'll keep this brief.

The county sewer repair fellow, Luis, came out and after half an hour figured out that he couldn't really help me. It seems my house is missing a cleanout near the street. He was really nice.

This ultimately led to me digging a hole about 30 inches deep to get to the pipe connection where I could put in a pipe flushing thingy. It goes on the end of a garden hose and expands to fill the pipe then opens up to send pressurized water down the clogged pipe. That worked.

I went for a swim. Today was even hotter.