I Give Up.

Friday afternoon, in the last few hours of the workday, I was informed that I was responsible for 9,000 words of writing on six subjects, to be completed in six working days. And each one required interviews. I freaked a little bit, then devised a plan to get out of the situation with my sanity intact and the deadlines managed.

This turned into an All-Monday pissing match, but I think I got what I wanted at the end of the day. So that’s good.

Saturday, the Hubster and I went to Morgantown, W.Va., and worked a football game. I need the cash (this goes to the "fun money" account. The household account is fine), so I’m sad I had to turn down the same gig for this upcoming Saturday.

When I got home, the puppy was in the yard next door, so I played with Syd for a while. And got a splinter in the pad of my right thumb. Ouch, but I could still knit.

I went to bed early and slept through the end of the Cubs season. We’re still hoping that their “century has arrived” but they’re going to have to execute the plan to add an additional digit to the “Eamus Catuli” sign.*

Sunday was uneventful. Until just a few minutes before kickoff of the Steelers game when I sliced my left thumb along with my bagel. OUCH. I can’t knit my sock, but I can still knit dishcloths. But really. Ouch.

Today started with the Hubster waking me up by saying “what plumber did your parents always use?”

This is never a good sign.

My brother (it’s his birthday today. So happy birthday, baby brother!) remembers when we had a miniature indoor waterfall above my dad’s desk in the living room. I don’t, but I trust my brother and dad’s memory on this topic.

We had a waterfall over the entryway between the living room and dining room. And it also spilled down the walls to the basement (some quilting magazines were dampened, but nothing, as best I can tell right now, is ruined). Within a couple of hours, we had a big line on the ceiling in the middle of the living room and it was dripping all over the smaller couch in that room. Yeek.

The plumber showed up a bit after lunch. He punched a little hole in the center of the living room ceiling and I’m guessing about five gallons of water poured out.

He’s coming back tomorrow. To cut a bigger hole. And make sure that it’s the shower pan that’s leaking and nothing else.

1. Archway between living room and dining room; 2. Towels and buckets catching the drips from said archway; 3. Close-up of Plumber-created drain hole (PCDH) in ceiling; 4. Another "wide" look of PCDH in action; 5. PCDH, looking towards back of house; 6. Carnage to catch all the water underneath PCDH.

Can I go back in time? The last two-plus days have really sucked.

And I wish I felt like tomorrow was going to be better. But I don’t.

*This is one of the rooftops in the outfield of Wrigley Field, across Sheffield Ave from right field. The numbers shown in this photo are for the 2007 season, since the Cubs were still playing October 1, 2007, but had already won their division. First two digits (00) are years since the Cubs won the division. Second two numbers (61) are for the number of years since the Cubs last won the pennant in 1945-- that means "advanced to the World Series" -- and the last two (98) are the number of years since the Cubs won the World Series in 1908.

The AC (Altus Catuli, or "Year of the Cub") number for the 2008 season was 006299 and next year it will be 0063100 since they won the division again this year.

See? You learned something today! ;-)