morals and stories (mostly story. mostly)

rent. or buy. rent. or buy. we've been going back on forth with this for a year or so now, and i think i had a revelation. 2 days ago our bathtub ceased draining. or at least it ceased draining into the sewer. it now drains onto our floor. very slowly. and so does our sink. so jen called our landlord, who's not really our landlord because our real landlord is in another country (as she has been for the past 3 months). so our acting landlord never called jen back. so i called our landlord yesterday and, through her secretary, was told someone would be over last night. well that someone was another relative who lives downstairs who knows nothing of plumbing. he came up, ran some water, looked me square in the eye, and told me i had a clog. eureka! so his brother in law, who fixed this same clog (and also diagnosed it as a pipe problem, as in the pipes need to be replaced) was going to come today while jen and i were at work. what about beanes? so i tell this guy we need to get the dog to daycare, are you sure he's coming tomorrow? yes. he's going to be here during the day tomorrow, while we're at work? yes. you're 100% sure this is happening tomorrow? yes. seriously? yes. (i'm not joking - i asked this guy these exact questions.) so i go to work by myself, jen stays behind and brings beanes to daycare and takes metra to work and arrives an hour late. so we get home and what do you know - no one's been here! so i go downstairs and talk to the brain surgeon who told me i have a clog and ask what's up? what do you mean? is it fixed? no, you see my brother-in-law couldn't make it over today, maybe this evening, maybe tomorrow. you told me he was going to be here today, i asked you 4 times. yeah, something came up. ok thanks. so as i walk to get beanes, i call our acting landlord. she proceeds to get defensive over the fact that i keep calling her about this when she has real problems with her business and other things in her life. so i said ok, ill leave you alone, water will keep draining onto the floor, and eventually youll have to replace our floor and the first floor ceiling. no no, i don't want that mike. no no, neither do i - i want it fixed! well what do you want me to do - ill call my brother-in-law and my brother and see what's up - if he can't do it then ill just call a plumber. hello?!?!-i could have done that 2 days ago! ok well then why don't you just do that beccause i don't want to deal with this all weekend.

so after i call around looking for plumbers, im talking to my friend brian j. dunn, attorney at law, and the guy downstairs calls. 5 times. i kid you not. i answered everytime, spoke to him, and then he'd call back. wtf!??! so apparently the prospects of paying for something lit a fire under their asses and the brother-in-law is in my bathroom trying to fix this right now. he re-iterated that the pipes need to get replaced (but not right now), but right now is doing some sort of drilling or something. it sounds like a combination of drilling and sanding metal - awesome. all i know is if i have to use my giant university of michigan mug that i bought for $12 (it was full of beer, and was re-filled about 6 times - good investment) to bail water from my tub to my toilet after my shower tomorrow, heads are going to be a crackin'...

moral --> landlords suck (even if they have good intentions, as brother-in-law does, especially if they have bad intentions, as acting landlord does), and i need to buy a place.

MO

PS - don't be sleepin' on the toenail monologues...ya heard me...

good + good = fantastic-o!

of the many things i like, i have to say that flip flops and beer are pretty high on the list. they both epitomize summer, and go hand in hand with cornhole, which is also high on the list. so when i learned that reef makes a flip flop that opens beer, and thus helps me stay focused on the bags, i had to get them (i went with brown ones). they're my so-called "souvenir' from our hawaii trip, and i got to use them for the first time today (for all you weather geeks - we set records today in chicago - 79). the first beer i opened sprayed all over beanes, who was both happy and sad by that. but by the end of the evening, i had both regained my cornhole stroke AND learned how to open beers with my shoes without spraying the dog. talented, i know...

MO

PS - credit to mr. d. pashman for introducing me to these wonderful shoes. a true visionary...

one more time

ok, so i've clearly not been too interested in blogging for the past...4 months. ive been busy with stuff. you know, STUFF... jen and i made our way west to hawaii. it was only a short week, but it was pretty awesome, as you can kind of tell from the pictures. i also started a new job in the suburbs, which is pretty awesome except for the commute. we're going to spend the summer in the city (you know, to take advantage of things like the cubs, the festivals and the lake) and then probably move to the northern burbs. im not sure how i feel about that, but im sure we'll get used to it.

so that's all ive got for now, but ill try and be better about posting. it might be tough since im so busy with fantasy and non-fantasy baseball alike effective today, but ill give it the ol' college try...

MO