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Saturday, November 21, 2009

Be Here Now: Unclogging the Drain


I am not paranoid, I swear, yet sometime I think our house is conspiring against us. Lately it's been problems with the plumbing, more specifically the drains. First the kitchen sink drain backed up. After drain cleaner, plunging and swearing, we called the plumber, paid $60 and the problem was temporarily fixed. Now, several weeks later, it's the bathroom sink. We again have tried drain cleaner and plunging with no success. I guess it's time to call the plumber again.

Our house was built in 1949. I guess a lot of things have changed since then, including what materials are now used for plumbing. After I bought the house in 1994, I paid to have the incoming water pipes re-piped from galvanized steel to copper. Now the plumber tells me that the drain pipes need to be replaced too. I guess they are made from the same material, galvanized steel, which rusts and can leak over time. A quick Google search tells me that PVC is now the pipe of choice for drains.

WTF Plumbing 1Image by timballas via Flickr

With a house that is sixty years old, repairs probably should be a surprise. I just question the timing. More often than not, house problems rear their ugly heads when we least expect them, when they are the most inconvenient and when we can least afford them.

I wish my house understood that I do want to upgrade it and make everything work better. If Robert and I were still DINKs--dual income, no kids--this might have been accomplished by now. But since I am disabled and my income is now Social Security Disability, reaching this goal is much harder to attain.

Funny how a clogged drain has gotten me in touch with the crappier aspects of living with chronic illness today.

I'm not so much feeling sorry for myself as acknowledging that sometimes reality bites. Make no mistake, if I could chose, I would not chose a life with chronic, disabling illnesses. I much preferred my previous life as an independent, self-sufficient, get-things-done career woman. Anyone who thinks otherwise of me just doesn't understand how chronic illness has completely changed my life.

Wish me luck getting the drain unclogged. As for my feelings, well, tomorrow is another day. Just because I feel this way today doesn't mean I'll wake up feeling this way tomorrow. I know that allowing myself to experience my feelings ensures my emotional drain doesn't get clogged.

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