Moist Rebuke

It was only last week when I was semi-bragging here about my nascent plumber qualifications when I replaced the flapper liners on the master bedroom toilet. Predictably, I received my comeuppance yesterday when I decided I could ‘chalant (credit to the Pittsburgh College Roommate for that expression) my way through the additional repair of replacing the entire valve system on the same toilet. Everything was going swimmingly (poor choice of words that) when I completed the repair and descended into the Man Cave to continue my A-Z effort. Poor Chuck had just escaped the island when I was summoned above by my Favorite Panamanian’s signature stomp on the upstairs floor (our internal summoning system when I am in the cave).I came upstairs to find a healthy leak emanating from my recent repair. I tracked it down to the intake pipe. It’s the marriage of a metal nut to a plastic thread so the instructions (yes, I do read them) said to not overtighten. A quick twist with a pair of pliers fixed the seeping.

I sheepishly policed up the water from the floor under the very judgmental gaze of my Favorite Panamanian and then it was back to the Man Cave. Wilson had just been lost when I received yet another summons. There was still water seeping onto the floor and my wife wanted answers. I inspected and said it must be residue because it wasn’t actively leaking any more, so back to the cave. The third summons came just as Chuck Noland was landing in Memphis. I confirmed that there as still water seeping and finally discovered my own idiocy had led to the continued water works. After mopping up the initial leak I hung the wet towel over the back of the toilet in an out of sight out of mind moment. The water had leaked out from the towel providing the additional puddles. So that water leaked twice, kind of over achieving water. Oh well, my illusions of proficiency were sufficiently shattered for the nonce.    

Two movies fell in my A-Z effort, both keepers, Cast a Giant Shadow (birth of Israel stuff but Senta Berger – wow!) and Cast Away (maybe Hanks’ best performance, scariest plane crash and toothache in cinema history and, of course, WILSON!!!!).

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RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                     

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete - my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course