I can't really justify that [dado set|jointer|router|digital camera] with
all this medical debt heading my way, but I decided damn if I was going to
just hand them every dime I have, wind up broke, and still end up owing
them thousands besides. Might as well take care of some household stuff
that needed doing while I could afford to do so. I guess this seed got
planted when my dryer blew up last month.

I replaced our brain damaged thermostat with one of those newfangledy
digital deals, which took care of one big annoyance. Next up, the hot
water heater. I noticed that it had finally turned 30. It was still
working, but after 30 years, I figured it was only a matter of time. The
top has been crusty with rust for years now, and I've been kind of holding
my breath every time I looked at it, hoping the tank wouldn't rust through
before I could do something about it.

So I got a super deluxe ultra floofy top of the line replacement. The
heater had a main shutoff, and one each for hot and cold coming off to feed
the washer. None of these three valves worked, and one of them had a
broken handle, and a horked up handle holding screw. So while I was going
to be knee deep in a mess, I went ahead and re-did the whole works with new
materials and new valves all around.

I spared no expense, and cut no corners. I took measurements, measured
twice (measured twice incorrectly, as it turns out, but that's a different
story), made a detailed drawing and an itemized purchase list. I got
everything I needed, then spent six tedious hours painstakingly cutting and
reaming and deburring and polishing and shining and spiffing and test
fitting the crap out of everything, then I finally had it all together,
hooked up, and pressure tested after the seventh hour. Another half hour
or so, and I had carefully fitted insulation and taped all the joints, and
had done the spiff damn biffiest job of installing a water heater anyone
ever saw.

It was kind of a nice day today, coldish, but above freezing, and sunny. I
wanted to spend some time outside, but I spent my entire Saturday working
on this damn water heater. SWMBO, meanwhile, was with Mom all day,
shopping and playing cards and stuff.

She came home, looked at my work, and had the audacity to bitch about the
mess in the laundry room. I asked her what she thought of my eight hours
of labor, and, for that matter, my $500, and she said, "Hrmph. It's a
water heater. Does it work?"

SHEESH! That's why I say wimminz is ungreatful. She shouldda said "It's
great honey. Nice job. Here, have a beer, then let's go back to the
bedroom."

Instead, she went in the living room after a hard day of playing cards and
shopping, and fell asleep on the couch. My Score Factor is a whopping 0,
and I had to get my own beer. Sniff.

Oh, and I have a headache too. Hrmph.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

She came home, looked at my work, and had the audacity to bitch about the
mess in the laundry room. I asked her what she thought of my eight hours
of labor, and, for that matter, my $500, and she said, "Hrmph. It's a
water heater. Does it work?"

SHEESH! That's why I say wimminz is ungreatful. She should said "It's
great honey. Nice job. Here, have a beer, then let's go back to the
bedroom."

Instead, she went in the living room after a hard day of playing cards and
shopping, and fell asleep on the couch. My Score Factor is a whopping 0,
and I had to get my own beer. Sniff.

Oh, and I have a headache too. Hrmph.
--------------
Show the work to one of your buddies who'll appreciate it.

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 21:37:09 -0800, Abe wrote:

She came home, looked at my work, and had the audacity to bitch about the
mess in the laundry room. I asked her what she thought of my eight hours
of labor, and, for that matter, my $500, and she said, "Hrmph. It's a
water heater. Does it work?"

SHEESH! That's why I say wimminz is ungreatful. She should said "It's
great honey. Nice job. Here, have a beer, then let's go back to the
bedroom."

Instead, she went in the living room after a hard day of playing cards and
shopping, and fell asleep on the couch. My Score Factor is a whopping 0,
and I had to get my own beer. Sniff.

Oh, and I have a headache too. Hrmph.
--------------
Show the work to one of your buddies who'll appreciate it.

I'm not exactly sure that Silvan really wants the kind of appreciation he
was looking for from SWMBO from one of his buddies.




+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
The absence of accidents does not mean the presence of safety
Army General Richard Cody
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Our hot water heater appears to be piling up as well. Sort of off & on
whether or not it will fill the tub with hot. Seeing as I won't be
home for another month or so, would you mind going to my place &
putting one in there? I'll make sure that SWMBO brings you lots of
beer, and she'll clean up all the mess. As far as the bedroom part
goes, you may have to take care of that yourself.

P.

Abe wrote:

She came home, looked at my work, and had the audacity to bitch about the
mess in the laundry room. I asked her what she thought of my eight hours
of labor, and, for that matter, my $500, and she said, "Hrmph. It's a
water heater. Does it work?"

SHEESH! That's why I say wimminz is ungreatful. She should said "It's
great honey. Nice job. Here, have a beer, then let's go back to the
bedroom."

Instead, she went in the living room after a hard day of playing cards and
shopping, and fell asleep on the couch. My Score Factor is a whopping 0,
and I had to get my own beer. Sniff.

Oh, and I have a headache too. Hrmph.

--------------
Show the work to one of your buddies who'll appreciate it.

Yeah, but he won't suggest going back to the bedroom. (I hope)

;-)
Glen

One should never do home handyman items without the significant other at
home and somewhat, if only lightly involved (cleanup, painting, etc),
ESPECIALLY if they made the job suggestion. Always let them see you sweat.
Most women who do not do their own repairs do not seem to appreciate any
efforts that they do not directly witness, or that they are not involved in.
I'm off on Fridays and weekends, and I make damn sure that I spend Friday
like I want to, then do the handy stuff on weekends so she will see what's
involved, all the while commenting on how much money those tools and I are
saving us along the way. My handyman co-worker confided that he had also
adopted this method, after not feeling appreciated for his efforts and
savings. OTOH, I am also very willing to wash dishes and
clean up when she cooks up a good meal. It's only fair.


RJ

----- Original Message -----
"Silvan" wrote in message
...
I can't really justify that [dado set|jointer|router|digital camera] with
all this medical debt heading my way, but I decided damn if I was going to
just hand them every dime I have, wind up broke, and still end up owing
them thousands besides. Might as well take care of some household stuff
that needed doing while I could afford to do so. I guess this seed got
planted when my dryer blew up last month.

I replaced our brain damaged thermostat with one of those newfangledy
digital deals, which took care of one big annoyance. Next up, the hot
water heater. I noticed that it had finally turned 30. It was still
working, but after 30 years, I figured it was only a matter of time. The
top has been crusty with rust for years now, and I've been kind of holding
my breath every time I looked at it, hoping the tank wouldn't rust through
before I could do something about it.

So I got a super deluxe ultra floofy top of the line replacement. The
heater had a main shutoff, and one each for hot and cold coming off to
feed
the washer. None of these three valves worked, and one of them had a
broken handle, and a horked up handle holding screw. So while I was going
to be knee deep in a mess, I went ahead and re-did the whole works with
new
materials and new valves all around.

I spared no expense, and cut no corners. I took measurements, measured
twice (measured twice incorrectly, as it turns out, but that's a different
story), made a detailed drawing and an itemized purchase list. I got
everything I needed, then spent six tedious hours painstakingly cutting
and
reaming and deburring and polishing and shining and spiffing and test
fitting the crap out of everything, then I finally had it all together,
hooked up, and pressure tested after the seventh hour. Another half hour
or so, and I had carefully fitted insulation and taped all the joints, and
had done the spiff damn biffiest job of installing a water heater anyone
ever saw.

It was kind of a nice day today, coldish, but above freezing, and sunny.
I
wanted to spend some time outside, but I spent my entire Saturday working
on this damn water heater. SWMBO, meanwhile, was with Mom all day,
shopping and playing cards and stuff.

She came home, looked at my work, and had the audacity to bitch about the
mess in the laundry room. I asked her what she thought of my eight hours
of labor, and, for that matter, my $500, and she said, "Hrmph. It's a
water heater. Does it work?"

SHEESH! That's why I say wimminz is ungreatful. She shouldda said "It's
great honey. Nice job. Here, have a beer, then let's go back to the
bedroom."

Instead, she went in the living room after a hard day of playing cards and
shopping, and fell asleep on the couch. My Score Factor is a whopping 0,
and I had to get my own beer. Sniff.

Oh, and I have a headache too. Hrmph.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

"Silvan" wrote in message
...
I can't really justify that [dado set|jointer|router|digital camera] with
all this medical debt heading my way, but I decided damn if I was going to
just hand them every dime I have, wind up broke, and still end up owing
them thousands besides. Might as well take care of some household stuff
that needed doing while I could afford to do so. I guess this seed got
planted when my dryer blew up last month.

It's all about balance. You did the right thing.

She came home, looked at my work, and had the audacity to bitch about the
mess in the laundry room. I asked her what she thought of my eight hours
of labor, and, for that matter, my $500, and she said, "Hrmph. It's a
water heater. Does it work?"

I feel for you. I was informed yesterday that fixing the downstairs toilet
is "man's work." Is that so? (I don't remember clogging the thing.) Okay,
how would a man do it? I think I'll be needing one of those underwater
camera snakes for this job. And maybe a pump; I used a sponge last time and
it took whole minutes to empty the tank. Life is too short.

My wife will likely never build anything in the sense of what we mean by the
word "build" around here. I have to content myself with the odd positive
remark, and play a numbers game. Ignore the bad stuff as best I can, and
keep the projects coming so my chances of getting a good one increase. It's
going to take awhile for your water heater day to stop smarting, but it
will. Get busy with the next thing as soon as you can.

FWIW, I think you did a great job on your water heater!

- Owen -

"Silvan" wrote in message
...

She came home, looked at my work, and had the audacity to bitch about the
mess in the laundry room. I asked her what she thought of my eight hours
of labor, and, for that matter, my $500, and she said, "Hrmph. It's a
water heater. Does it work?"

SHEESH! That's why I say wimminz is ungreatful. She shouldda said "It's
great honey. Nice job. Here, have a beer, then let's go back to the
bedroom."

Instead, she went in the living room after a hard day of playing cards and
shopping, and fell asleep on the couch. My Score Factor is a whopping 0,
and I had to get my own beer. Sniff.

Oh, and I have a headache too. Hrmph.


Business of having her "help" to impress her with the labor involved is a
mixed blessing at best. Saves time to do it yourself, in many cases, and I
find I get better rewards for service when she's not "tired" from standing
around handing and/or making four trips to the shop (~25') to get a tack
hammer.

1) Empty-handed. "I don't know where you keep your damned hammers."

2) With the 20 oz roughing hammer. "There's so many of them on that board,
how should I know? I'm not a mind-reader."

3) With a mallet. "Well, you said it didn't have a forked thingie on the
other end."

4) With a tack hammer (one of two on the board). "Next time why don't you
just get it yourself."

Indeed.

Ask her to bake cookies or something while you're working, putting in an
appearance or two complete with sighs and grasps at the back. Refuse offers
of help - you know where that leads - and ask if you can sample the cookies
when they're cool.

When she comes out with the cookies, show her what you've been doing, and
remind her that you make lousy cookies.

Now she's not tired, her ego has been stroked with the cookie praise, and
she's not seething over being loudly informed for the 466,788th time how to
tell a 3/8 combination wrench from a 9/16 - "Keeeeerist, woman, it's written
on the side of the thing" - so you've got a chance. May not be gratitude,
but I'll settle.

Silvan wrote in
:

snippage of a long, familiar story

The key learning I picked up was that, with her gone for the 'project
period', she missed the impact of 'no water' and/or 'no hot water', for the
eight hours. Also missed the requisite three trips to the hardware store
and/or plumbing supplier. Also missed the minor first aid portions of
'This Old House' out-takes.

To the uninitiated, all you did was play in the basement all day. And left
a mess in the laundry room. She had hot water when she left, and when she
returned. What was it you did? And you spent how much to do it?

BTW, given the choice, in my world, eight hours of plumbing work is a much
preferable choice to 8 hours with the in-laws.

Life isn't fair. But then, you probably figured that part out long ago.

Patriarch,
who NEVER does plumbing without someone there to at least call the
paramedics.

Sat, Feb 19, 2005, 10:53pm (Silvan)
claims:
snip Next up, the hot water heater. I noticed that it had finally
turned 30. It was still working, but after 30 years, I figured it was
only a matter of time. The top has been crusty with rust for years now,
and I've been kind of holding my breath every time I looked at it,
hoping the tank wouldn't rust through before I could do something about
it.
So I got a super deluxe ultra floofy top of the line replacement. snip

You mighta jumped the gun. From what I understand, the tank itself
is glass-lined. Should be no problem, as long as the glass isn't
cracked. The outer shell, is just that, a metal shell over insulation.
Mine is around 24 year old, and has quite on me I think 3 times.
Solution, get a new neater element, around $17 at Ace. First time went
to a plumber supply store, then found Ace had the same thing, cheaper.
Turn off the water and electric, drann the tank, unhook and unscrew the
bad element, screw in and hook up the new, turn the electric and water
back on, and viola, good for a few more years. All in about an hour, or
less, minus travel time. Ah, yes, you also need a special wrench to
unscrew the element, available at Ace, for around $5-7. If I ever buy
any stock, I think I'll get some Ace stock.

A few months back, did notice one of the water valves on top was
leaking. I got the parts, around $25, including PVC glue and PVC
cutter, and the younger kid had it a new valve on inside of an hour,
minus travel time. No prob.

I've since learned, that almost every hot water tank that's tossed,
would have been fine, with just replacing the heater element.



JOAT
Intellectual brilliance is no guarantee against being dead wrong.
- David Fasold

"Silvan" wrote in message

SHEESH! That's why I say wimminz is ungreatful.

So what do expect from a gender that will spend their last $50 on a $25 item
that was *supposedly* marked down from $75, and gloat, while flat broke, on
how much they "saved"?

Mine is ostensibly appreciative of the things I do around the house, but the
reason ain't exactly flattering. It dawned on me years ago that what I save
by doing so just means to her that she has suddenly been presented with the
opportunity to "save" by having more to "spend" on sales/bargains.

That's gratitude, right?

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 11/06/04

(J T) wrote in news:10490-4218F5C6-47@storefull-
3158.bay.webtv.net:

snip
I've since learned, that almost every hot water tank that's tossed,
would have been fine, with just replacing the heater element.

I have a gas-fired heater. How do I replace the element?


--
Best regards
Han
email address is invalid

Mark & Juanita wrote:

Show the work to one of your buddies who'll appreciate it.

I'm not exactly sure that Silvan really wants the kind of appreciation
he
was looking for from SWMBO from one of his buddies.

All my buddies live between 80 and 6,000 miles away, on the other end of a
glass screen.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 17:17:46 -0500, Silvan
wrote:

Mark & Juanita wrote:

Show the work to one of your buddies who'll appreciate it.

I'm not exactly sure that Silvan really wants the kind of appreciation
he
was looking for from SWMBO from one of his buddies.

All my buddies live between 80 and 6,000 miles away, on the other end of a
glass screen.


well we all want you to know that that was a very thoughtful thing you
did getting the water heater taken care of while your wife was out,
and that of course it was a heckofa lot of work and it's unfortunate
that your wife didn't appreciate it and absolutely you deserve to be
dragged screaming into the bedroom and done whatever you two like to
do there and we're sorry about the skinned knuckles and the hole in
your new pants from where the solder landed on it and how it took
seventy-billion trips to the stupid store and all of the mess in the
laundry room that she so unfairly blames on you and all.

oh, and how's the headache doing?

Patriarch wrote:

eight hours. Also missed the requisite three trips to the hardware store
and/or plumbing supplier. Also missed the minor first aid portions of
'This Old House' out-takes.

Did I give out those details? I don't remember if I mentioned the three
trips or finding out why they're called "needle files" or not.

BTW, given the choice, in my world, eight hours of plumbing work is a much
preferable choice to 8 hours with the in-laws.

Preferable to ONE hour with the in-laws. (Or ten minutes.)

who NEVER does plumbing without someone there to at least call the
paramedics.

Um... I'm having trouble figuring out what was THAT dangerous.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

George wrote:

to tell a 3/8 combination wrench from a 9/16 - "Keeeeerist, woman, it's
written
on the side of the thing" - so you've got a chance. May not be gratitude,
but I'll settle.

Yeah, I get where you're coming from. It might not have worked either way
though. Why should she have to slave over a hot stove all day to bake
cookies -or- "help" me on the job when she has the option to go next door
and spend all day goofing off?

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Owen Lawrence wrote:

I feel for you. I was informed yesterday that fixing the downstairs
toilet
is "man's work." Is that so? (I don't remember clogging the thing.)

Yeah, I like how this works too. "We're liberated. Its' the 20th/21st
century, and we can do everything we want!" That means, to borrow an
example from another post, that baking cookies is no longer "woman's work."
But it still means changing the oil or fixing stuff like this, or digging
the Hot Wheels car out of the brown end of the toilet is "man's work."

We're getting gypped on this whole women's lib thing, brothers. Our kids
too. It's OK for girls to be empowered and to play with GI Joe, but if
your little boy takes an interest in Barbie, SWMBO says noooooo way. (Of
course noooo way I'm going to let the boy play with Barbie either, unless
maybe he's "inspecting" her, but that's beside the point.

(I wonder how many youngsters are surprised when they get with their first
nekkit woman and learn that they don't have a formless void in that
area.

(Uh... Not that I know what Barbie looks like nekkit. This is, uh, just
something I've heard.)

It's going to take awhile for your water heater day to stop smarting, but
it
will. Get busy with the next thing as soon as you can.

Aw, it doesn't smart. I'm used to it. I was mostly just bitching for
comedic effect.

FWIW, I think you did a great job on your water heater!

Thank you.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Backlash wrote:

savings. OTOH, I am also very willing to wash dishes and
clean up when she cooks up a good meal. It's only fair.

Hee. Cooks a good meal? I guess I'm let out of the dish washing thing
indefinitely then.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

J T wrote:

I've since learned, that almost every hot water tank that's tossed,
would have been fine, with just replacing the heater element.

Nah, there's more to it than that. Black soot trails leading out of the
electrical box, and the metal all around the elements had that "I'm going
to rust through any day now" look. They *do* rust through eventually. I
had one in the last rental property I lived in that sprung a leak in the
same general place, and started dripping water right on hot wires.

The top really was all to hell too. No parts from Ace could have fixed that
if (when) it started leaking. The steel that the copper screws onto was so
far gone that it would have turned to dust if I tried to get those
connections apart.

If I get bothered, I'll throw some pictures up. I'm not going to go take
any right at the moment because it's pouring rain and dark where the old
heater is.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

s wrote:

do there and we're sorry about the skinned knuckles and the hole in
your new pants from where the solder landed on it and how it took

Nope. No solder in pants. No visible or obvious solder burns either, I
don't think. I even had enough sense to cover the plastic electrical box
on top of the thing before beginning work, so I have no solder blobs welded
into that either. Quality work.

seventy-billion trips to the stupid store and all of the mess in the
laundry room that she so unfairly blames on you and all.

Only three. Once to buy the heater, once to buy all the parts I needed
after carefully reading its manual, then once more to buy the right size
hookup pipes because the parts I bought said they were something that they
weren't. Not really my fault. "Works for all hot water heaters." It says
that right here in black and white. Sigh.

oh, and how's the headache doing?

The beer made it worse, the sleep made it better, the fact that I'm moments
away from having to get back to the dreary business of whoring myself out
to keep the paychecks flowing in has gotten it stirred up again.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Swingman wrote:

save by doing so just means to her that she has suddenly been presented
with the opportunity to "save" by having more to "spend" on
sales/bargains.

That's gratitude, right?

I hearya.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 22:53:10 -0500, Silvan wrote:

She came home, looked at my work, and had the audacity to bitch about the
mess in the laundry room. I asked her what she thought of my eight hours
of labor, and, for that matter, my $500, and she said, "Hrmph. It's a
water heater. Does it work?"

Ouch! Maybe get some estimates on what the pros charge for that job, just
to set the proper context.

SHEESH! That's why I say wimminz is ungreatful. She shouldda said "It's
great honey. Nice job. Here, have a beer, then let's go back to the
bedroom."

Instead, she went in the living room after a hard day of playing cards and
shopping, and fell asleep on the couch. My Score Factor is a whopping 0,
and I had to get my own beer. Sniff.

Is this the same lass that you fretted over in the hospital not long ago?
I hope that both of you are able to get past the stress of her illness and
the impending bills somehow.

Mebbe let her know about this as a way to make it up to you:
http://www.steakandbjday.com/

--
Joe Wells

Joe Wells wrote:

of labor, and, for that matter, my $500, and she said, "Hrmph. It's a
water heater. Does it work?"

Ouch! Maybe get some estimates on what the pros charge for that job, just
to set the proper context.

I should do that actually.

Is this the same lass that you fretted over in the hospital not long ago?
I hope that both of you are able to get past the stress of her illness and
the impending bills somehow.

Yeah, it's nice being able to shake my fist and bitch at and about her
again. I get it right back, believe me.

Mebbe let her know about this as a way to make it up to you:
http://www.steakandbjday.com/

LOL! Going to the printer right now. Won't work, of course. She'd
just burn the steak anyway, or boil it, or otherwise find some way to ruin
the flavor and make the whole experience miserable. To say nothing of the
other half of it.

Valentine's Day next year is going to suck. It's officially The Day Bubby
Died Day now.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Silvan wrote in
:

Patriarch wrote:

eight hours. Also missed the requisite three trips to the hardware
store and/or plumbing supplier. Also missed the minor first aid
portions of 'This Old House' out-takes.

Did I give out those details? I don't remember if I mentioned the
three trips or finding out why they're called "needle files" or not.

I'm an experienced homeowner. Water heaters are one of my nemisises
(OK, Herr Doktor English Professor - you make a plural of nemisis!)

And it is Holy Writ in 4 of the Western World's leading religions that
EVERY plumbing job takes three trips to the hardware store.

BTW, given the choice, in my world, eight hours of plumbing work is a
much preferable choice to 8 hours with the in-laws.

Preferable to ONE hour with the in-laws. (Or ten minutes.)

who NEVER does plumbing without someone there to at least call the
paramedics.

Um... I'm having trouble figuring out what was THAT dangerous.


Propane torch. Natural gas. Soldering equipment. Large tanks, of
questionable structural integrity, full of calcium deposits.
ADRENALINE. Frustration. Testosterone.

Calculate the permutations.

Glad you survived. For giggles, turn off the gas on your way to work
Tuesday. See how long before your cell phone rings. Or, less
deviously, spill a couple of quarts of water under the tank.

Patriarch

Silvan wrote in
:

Mark & Juanita wrote:

Show the work to one of your buddies who'll appreciate it.

I'm not exactly sure that Silvan really wants the kind of
appreciation he
was looking for from SWMBO from one of his buddies.

All my buddies live between 80 and 6,000 miles away, on the other end
of a glass screen.


Which is _really_ convenient when what you _needed_ was help with the water
heater.

Wanna help with the new shower stall?

Patriarch

Patriarch wrote:

Did I give out those details? I don't remember if I mentioned the
three trips or finding out why they're called "needle files" or not.

I'm an experienced homeowner. Water heaters are one of my nemisises
(OK, Herr Doktor English Professor - you make a plural of nemisis!)

Nemises, I think.

Confirmed by looking in ye olde paper dictionary.

And it is Holy Writ in 4 of the Western World's leading religions that
EVERY plumbing job takes three trips to the hardware store.

Unless you really screw it up, then it's more like six.

Propane torch. Natural gas. Soldering equipment. Large tanks, of
questionable structural integrity, full of calcium deposits.
ADRENALINE. Frustration. Testosterone.

Calculate the permutations.

No natural gas here, but it was plenty scary enough doing water connections
within squirting distance of my service panel. Especially considering what
that LAST plumbing job looked like, the first time, after only three trips
to the store.

Glad you survived. For giggles, turn off the gas on your way to work
Tuesday. See how long before your cell phone rings. Or, less
deviously, spill a couple of quarts of water under the tank.

Nah, let's just let the blasted thing do its job and forget about it for 30
years.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Patriarch wrote:

All my buddies live between 80 and 6,000 miles away, on the other end
of a glass screen.


Which is _really_ convenient when what you _needed_ was help with the
water heater.

Wanna help with the new shower stall?

Sure, it's a date.

Dad helped me wrangle the thing into place, BTW. I'm not superman.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Silvan wrote in
:

Mark & Juanita wrote:

Show the work to one of your buddies who'll appreciate it.

I'm not exactly sure that Silvan really wants the kind of
appreciation he
was looking for from SWMBO from one of his buddies.

All my buddies live between 80 and 6,000 miles away, on the other end
of a glass screen.



Then you can pretty well rest assured that your buddies *don't* want to
show you the kind of appreciation you were expecting from SWMBO.




+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
The absence of accidents does not mean the presence of safety
Army General Richard Cody
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Sun, Feb 20, 2005, 9:53pm (EST+5) lid (Han) asks:
I have a gas-fired heater. How do I replace the element?

I don't know the details, but you dump the gas burner, make a fire
box, and convert it to wood-burning. No prob.



JOAT
Intellectual brilliance is no guarantee against being dead wrong.
- David Fasold

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 20:02:16 -0500, Silvan wrote:

Joe Wells wrote:

Mebbe let her know about this as a way to make it up to you:
http://www.steakandbjday.com/

LOL! Going to the printer right now. Won't work, of course. She'd
just burn the steak anyway, or boil it, or otherwise find some way to ruin
the flavor and make the whole experience miserable. To say nothing of the
other half of it.

SWMBO can burn Froot Loops, but since we've been hitched she's learned a
couple of recipies. One of 'em is a nice steak. It really isn't that hard:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci...936_99,00.html

As for the other part, you're on your own...

--
Joe Wells

"Silvan" wrote in message
...

All my buddies live between 80 and 6,000 miles away, on the other end of a
glass screen.


That's a pretty sad statement.
--

-Mike-

"Silvan" wrote in message
...

Yeah, I get where you're coming from. It might not have worked either way
though. Why should she have to slave over a hot stove all day to bake
cookies -or- "help" me on the job when she has the option to go next door
and spend all day goofing off?


Is this the same woman you've poured your heart out over time and time again
over the past several weeks, or did you go and find a new wife?
--

-Mike-

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 22:53:10 -0500, Silvan
wrote:

snip

SHEESH! That's why I say wimminz is ungreatful. She shouldda said "It's
great honey. Nice job. Here, have a beer, then let's go back to the
bedroom."

Instead, she went in the living room after a hard day of playing cards and
shopping, and fell asleep on the couch. My Score Factor is a whopping 0,
and I had to get my own beer. Sniff.

Oh, and I have a headache too. Hrmph.

As with most of your posts, I take this with a grain of salt, knowing that most
are very "tongue-in-cheek"

This one specifically, since you recently found out how easy HER house work and
stuff were, right? lol



mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Now just wait until she tells you that the old heater worked just as
well if not better....


--

Larry Wasserman Baltimore, Maryland

Mike Marlow wrote:


"Silvan" wrote in message
...

All my buddies live between 80 and 6,000 miles away, on the other end of
a glass screen.


That's a pretty sad statement.

Well, so it's a sad statement? What do you propose I do about it? Tie a
porkchop around my neck?

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Mike Marlow wrote:

cookies -or- "help" me on the job when she has the option to go next door
and spend all day goofing off?


Is this the same woman you've poured your heart out over time and time
again over the past several weeks, or did you go and find a new wife?

Same one. All healed up, so now I get to complain about her again.

Hey, don't cry for poor SWMBO. She reads all my stuff, and gets a kick out
of it.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

I second the "plumbing instead of in-laws" remark.

When in-laws descend I will bus tables, clean up, or make ten trips to
the store to avoid the face time. And plumbing would fit right in
there. Maybe I should clog my own toilet so I could manufacture some
work.

RonT

(Ron Truitt) wrote in news:25646-421D3DEC-110@storefull-
3175.bay.webtv.net:

I second the "plumbing instead of in-laws" remark.

When in-laws descend I will bus tables, clean up, or make ten trips to
the store to avoid the face time. And plumbing would fit right in
there. Maybe I should clog my own toilet so I could manufacture some
work.

Several years ago, I figured that, rather than go across town to the
Thanksgiving feast, we should do it at our place. We invited 25, and 43
showed up. My eldest son managed to get the hall bathroom sink
'installed' at 2:30 pm, using silicone sealant, piping from a disused rug
cleaner, and parts scavenged from the sink in the wet bar.

We had a great time. I worked my butt off all day and all night, then
disappeared for the next three days.

NEVER tempt the plumbing spirits by working on critical systems, when the
supply house is closed. Even if you swear that everything you need is on
the shelf in the shed.

Patriarch

"Silvan" wrote in message

What do you propose I do about it? Tie a
porkchop around my neck?

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Not around your neck. You got that damned cheap grill, so cook it and
invite us.

"Silvan" wrote in message
...
Mike Marlow wrote:


"Silvan" wrote in message
...

All my buddies live between 80 and 6,000 miles away, on the other end
of
a glass screen.


That's a pretty sad statement.

Well, so it's a sad statement? What do you propose I do about it? Tie a
porkchop around my neck?


That might work for a while and the neighborhood dogs would certainly be
friendlier to you, but it'd probably start to stink after a while.
--

-Mike-