Oh Sh*t

Time: 9pm last night
Place: My living room
Scene: I am so excited for the Bachelor season finale. I have even finished my homework early just so I could finally have one night to just relax. I run to the bathroom before the show starts. The oven is heating for chocolate chip cookies - I'm going all out.

Then the toilet clogs.

"Bert, both toilets are clogged now and I swear I only used a little bit of toilet paper!"

Shortly thereafter, Bert gets the plunger and tries to go to work. We are both annoyed because our toilets have been giving us fits lately.

"Call the leasing agent - there is now sewage coming up in the bathtub!" says Bert.

I am freaking out.

I don't look at this bathroom or the other one, because I am afraid if I see sewage in the bathtub that I will be scarred for life.

I call the leasing agent, and 20 minutes later, she finally calls back. Bert tells her the situation, and she calls the plumbing place. Then, she calls back and tries to tell us that it probably can't be fixed until morning since they are all out on emergency calls.

I can tell she has said this, and I start going crazy. "NO! NO! NO!" I scream in the background. I am stuffing my face with cookies, not even enjoying them.

And I am barely catching what's going on as I halfway watch the show I have been waiting for all season.

Bert says he'll call her back.

I say there is NO FREAKING WAY someone is not coming out tonight. I said it is their problem, not mine, and they can deal with it. I don't CARE how much it costs to have an after hours plumber.

So, Bert calls her back. She starts asking questions, like if there might be hair in the drains.

Um, yeah. Due to the fact we bathe, YES!

So, I start screaming in the background again, "Deal with it! There's sh*t in the bathtub!"

My blood pressure must be sky high, and I can feel my heart pounding.

Finally, the plumber tells the leasing agent that the issue is coming from the main drain outside the house (aka NOT our fault), and they are not sure how long it would take them to find it in the dark. Could be several hours at $185 per hour. And the leasing agent is not going to pay that.

And so, at 11:00pm, we break down and pack our bags for the Holiday Inn Express. We are told that it will be STRONGLY RECOMMENDED we are reimbursed for our hotel expense.

WTF? How could we stay at our home with no working toilets and sh*t in the tub? And we were going to the Holiday Inn Express, not the Hilton. Give me a freaking break.

Anyway, this morning, it takes the plumber all of 5 minutes to locate and clean out the drain. Bert is at home now, dealing with the aftermath. He rinsed all the nasty away last night, so he has hot water and ammonia sitting in both tubs. Bless him.

And that, my friends, has been the past 14 hours of my life.

Thankful

I am thankful that I stayed up with my mommy talking until 3:30am this morning. As I hugged her good night, she whispered to me, "You are a blessing."

She is a blessing.

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family. I love you all. And I miss you so already.

Yuck, A Giant Paper

Yep. I have a big ol' approximate 20 page paper due for grad school in a couple of weeks. Journal articles and budgets are all over the place. I have been working on it for hours, and still have a long way to go. I need to finish three more pages before I can go home and reach today's goal.

I hate being so goal-oriented. I have goal OCD. I will do whatever it takes to reach my goals, even if I have to spend most of my Saturday sitting at my desk at work typing.

Well, I have to get back to it. Just finished munching on some Chex Mix, and really wishing General Mills made Chex-only Chex Mix. That would be delish.

Hope all of you are NOT working on ginormous papers about budgets today. Blech.

Update: Great. Now I have a fever, sore throat and nausea. And much more paper to write. Thank goodness I have such a great murse to take care of me.

Three Years Ago

On November 14, 2003, I met someone named Albert. He had an eyebrow ring and earrings. He was not my type - at all.

But I just couldn't stop talking to him.

I was drawn to him instantly, and I had no idea why. We talked for four hours that night, about everything. I hated the name Albert, so I started calling him Andre'. And, yes, I kissed Andre' after knowing him less than 8 hours.

When I woke up on November 15, I was terrified. Was this person really supposed to be "the one?" No way.

Then why IN THE WORLD did we call each other the next day? And why did we become inseparable?

Because we loved each other. That's why.

The way Bert looks today - I always saw that. I always saw the goodness on his inside. People are shocked when they see him after this transformation, but I guess I always saw it. I always knew from the first moment.

Two months later, we were engaged.

Nine months later, we were married.

And when I woke up this morning, I was happy. I am so glad I made the decisions I made three years ago. It feels much longer than three years, and I guess that's because we're soul mates. I believe our souls were connected long before we knew each other.

Unsaid, and Perhaps Best That Way

I got this idea from Just Me, KC. The exercise is as follows:

List ten things you want to say to people you know but you never will, for whatever reason. Don't say who they are. Use each person only once.

Anyway, so, here goes...

10. You have broken all of our hearts.

9. You are a complete and total hypocrite. Wow, I can't believe I was ever friends with you.

8. Dude, seriously, are you gay? It's really fine. Just tell me!

7. I must've had such low self-esteem to have ever given a jerk like you the time of day.

6. You never stop running your mouth long enough to hear anyone speak. SHUT UP!

5. This one is sans words: kick in balls.

4. You are a psychotic b*tch. (This one actually goes for three people.)

3. I don't know why you cut me out of your life because of your problems. You know good and well I would have always been there for you. If you picked up the phone and called me today, I would still be your friend.

2. You were the best teacher I ever had. Thank you for making 4th grade so wonderful.

1. This one I want you to know: you are the best thing that ever happened to me. You make the bad stuff go away. I am lucky every single day because I am yours, and you are mine.

Proud to be an American

What a glorious news day.

She's Alive!

Whew.

Moving sucks. Mental note: wait a long time before moving again.

Anyway, we are about completely moved in. A few pics need to be hung, etc. All boxes have been unpacked. I cooked supper last night for the first time in two weeks...I am so happy normalcy is back.

Work is insane, school's even worse, but I am hanging in there. My parents were here this weekend, and we had a wonderful visit. We went to my cousin's valima (wedding reception) in Atlanta, and I got to wear a fabulous sari. Lots of fun.