We haven’t had running water since Friday morning. And it’s annoying. It’s annoying for obvious reasons, I’m sure. But there are other parts of the lack which have contributed to the ugliness in and around me, and I’m not too happy about it. The apartment is dirty and I want to clean it and there is stagnant water sitting in the toilet waiting for a flush. And there is nowhere for it to go or end up or stay as our pipes were severed and capped. I haven’t been dealing with it very well. I have been rather ugly (at times, hostile) towards people (mainly Toby) and it just sort of sucks. I can’t imagine how some people live this way. I NEED clean. I don’t need tidy, I can mess shit up like the best of them. I don’t even mind dirt. Dirt is fine. It’s mildew and mold and stench and old food and rusty water and dust and grime and filth. I can’t take it. Not at all. And I’m having nightmares because of it.
Last night I dreamt about the toilet. I won’t go into details. It’s as if New York City (an already filthy set) has moved home with us. It’s coming through the pipes and the cracks in the floorboards. I can smell its gas coming up from the sink. And if water were here it could help us fight it. The pipes’ throats are bone dry and soar and soon they won’t be able to even whisper for help. And the dirt and all the bugs and the germs will take over and push us out.
I wasn’t going to write about this (as this is something I consider personal) but it’s there (always) on my mind. And I might like to look back on this in a year and see how much it matters then. Am I just too spoiled? Along with zooming in to the microscopic bugs and germs everywhere, I have begun to place my own self under the microscope, and I am becoming horribly hyper-critical and ugly.
Thank goodness, my brother lives a few blocks away. At least our bodies are clean. We do have that.
Why don’t you have running water? When will you get it?
I’d rather die.
It’s not fun at all. It doesn’t help that I have two arm tattoos I’m freaking out about as well (skin things have always been a “thing” with me) so my neurosis on cleanliness has been amplified as if late. Open wounds and germs are a bad thing.
We should have it today. If we don’t I will take other measures.
They are rebuilding the downstairs lofts. Our plumbing is separate from the rest of our floor. They cut ours no knowing it was a working pipe. They are supposed to repair it all today.
::crosses fingers::
I am very unhappy.
And I’m trying to be as quiet as possible about it. But it’s hard and it’s not really working.
I think that’s something worth complaining about. I’m all for complaining, as long as I’m not driving someone else insane. It’s not like you’re complaining over something insignificant.
When my washing machine hose broke and FLOODED MY ENTIRE HOUSE WITH 2 INCHES OF WATER, and I had to get the carpet ripped up and live with big fans and heater and mold for five days and no water for 1 1/2 days, I had the audacity to complain about it to my friend, who informed me that I should just be grateful that I have what I have when other people have nothing.
My reaction? “Fuck right off.”
See, I love that shit. And I’m doing that to myself as well. “There are people who don’t have _ or _.”
But you see, I pay a FUCK LOAD of money to live there. I hate to hear myself complain, and over the past few days….. poor toby.
“IT’S OUR TIME! IT’S OUR TIME DOWN HERE!”
I want water. ME ME ME ME ME ME!!
Volumes and levels… some are angry they can’t take that trip to the moon….
me? I want running water. And I’m not too pleasant right now because of it.
Well, shit, Mihow, you pay for water, you should expect water. It’s not about who has and who has not. Yes, there are people more unfortunate than you and me and everyone else. You are aware of that perspective. But there’s also the Mihow perspective, and you have every right to be a bit cranky. Just be grateful you have somewhere to shower, and everything will be fine.
there is nothing wrong with desiring basic amenities, or even with desiring certain mutually beneficial levels of hygeine among folks who live together.
i think the water being out can serve as a marker for the place. we can sit down tonight and set up some basic rules of cleanliness, at least voice concerns about the place and the workflow. it always gets uneven when multiple people live together, but lately everything has been falling on you. dishes should be cleaned well and immediately, clothes and towels should be washed frequently, floors should be swept frequently, the fridge needs to be maintained well, the stove, the counters, the rugs, and the toilet should be checked and cleaned by each one of us after every use (when working).
things are skewed, and for my part i apologize. we need to get this weight off your shoulders and distribute it evenly. you’re right – we all pay a lot and it could be a great place. we can’t avoid the building managers making shitty mistakes, but dammit, we can all do our part so everyone stays happy and everything goes smoothly.
i’ll await my punishment tonight, warden.
toby is just ITCHING for that spanking…
I agree with toby
You want a spankin too?
My cats are a big contributor to the filth. And I have every intention on getting all fours and scrubbing the FUCK out of, near and around that litter box. I will do so once I have water. And I will mop it all.