Weekend: Reclamation Of Time Stolen
On two shows that I can think of, the size of the water heater in the house was used as a telltale sign of wealth (or the lack thereof).
On The Sopranos, there was an episode where the cops took photos of Tony’s basement as a prelude to plant a bug in the house. As they looked at the photos to determine which item to replace with an identical listening device, the cops discussed Tony’s HUGE water heater. I remember them taking turns complaining about the size of their own paltry water heaters (“I’ve got three girls. I haven’t had a hot shower in years.”) and pointing out that the rust on the Sopranos’ water heater was a surefire indicator that the water heater would soon give up the ghost. Indeed, before the end of the episode, the water heater dumped out its water and Tony had to get a new (equally huge) one.
On Breaking Bad, the first episode showed a scene at the breakfast table where Flynn complained about how they needed a bigger water heater so he could have hot showers and mom explained that he should get up earlier. “Maybe we should buy a new water heater”, he suggested in response. Later on, the water heater even gives up the ghost.
This is one of those things that I saw but never UNDERSTOOD before last weekend.
Well, I have a new water heater now. It’s less than half the size of Tony Soprano’s 120 gallon one. The internet doesn’t say how large/small the Whites’ water heater was, but I’m assuming that it wasn’t a particularly large one.
So I’m concluding that my new water heater is bigger than the one on Breaking Bad and smaller than the one on The Sopranos.
Which means that this upcoming weekend might just allow me to do more than sit in the basement watching over 7 or 8 industrial fans. It’s time to pick up cat litter and it’s always time to get groceries (but we picked up stuff from Costco in the middle of this week) so there is not a particularly high load of errands to run. We did last week’s laundry really late (I finished the last load Wednesday night!) so the laundry load is a lot lighter as well.
As such, maybe I’ll get some of the free time back this weekend that was stolen last weekend… stolen like from a guy in the mafia and a meth dealer. Or something. (That was my best attempt to tie everything together on short notice.)
So… what’s on your docket?
(Featured image is “peril on a hot water heater” by Jennifer Boyer. Used under a creative commons license.)
We had a fun escapade with a replacement heater where it turns out that our house had a water heater with a second loop that tied into the air-conditioning system; when we ran the house heater, hot water from the tank would circulate through the air-handler plant, and that’s where the heat came from. Which meant that on cold mornings you wouldn’t get a shower, because the water had all gone to heat the house overnight 😛Report
A while back I kickstarted Hellboy: The Board Game. The game arrived earlier this week. Hopefully, time permitting, my wife and I will get to try it out.
Less fun stuff: taking the dogs to the vet for routine maintenance, and working on my classwork.Report
I always have work I could do, but ruminating lately on mortality (partly brought about by someone I knew tangentially at best dying unexpectedly) reminds me that having been the person who always worked and always did stuff people asked, even if they asked at a ridiculously last minute, is probably not what I want to contemplate in my last moments on earth.
It might be a good legacy to always have been the person who fixed stuff or helped with stuff, but it’s not very fun.
Not sure what I’m going to do but I think coming in and doing work in my office is not going to be it. I’d like to go antiquing but I am also not sure I have the energy for that. it’s been a long week.
Maybe I just pop a Miyazaki movie into the dvd player and re-watch a movie I’ve seen many times (but Miyazaki is so quiet and calming) and knit or something.Report
I feel your loss. I had a couple of friends die over the last few months, and as I am just a bit younger than, these friends were between 45-50. And in learning of these, I was brought back in touch with many college acquaintances, thus learning of several other deaths.
It just kinda sucked.Report
We had to replace some part of the gas regulating system or heating element in our water heater a couple of weeks ago and our plumber informed us that, due to the age of our water heater (10-ish years old), if the replacement part didn’t fix the problem, we’d be better off replacing the whole thing. As it is, the part worked, but I’m now on guard duty to watch for the telltale signs of imminent failure.Report
I woke up during the last cold snap to a house that wasn’t up to temp the way I had set the system. And being as I do know a fair amount about HVAC systems, went poking about in the basement. Low and behold, the furnace was 17 years old, and its purge fan wouldn’t come on. Also, one of the downfalls of being in a small town is the lack of specialty parts houses to find a replacement. So, I called a heating company to take a look. Well, that part has been discontinued at four levels (meaning that each replacement had been discontinued and superseded) So I just went ahead and had the furnace replaced.
That was 4k I didn’t want to spend that morning.
Anyway, this weekend is a post business project shipout/prebilling weekend, so not sure what I am going to do. Maybe actually cut the grass.Report
It seems unfair to me that one should have to both run the furnace (ESPECIALLY having to get a new one!) and mow the lawn in the same week. If it’s cold enough to run the furnace, the lawn should stay dormant.Report
A few years back, my description of April was “Must be springtime in the Rockies. Shovel the driveway, mow the grass. Shovel the driveway, mow the grass.” On about a ten day cycle. After living here for 30+ years, I’ve gotten used to the 60-degree temperature swings.Report
I *HAD* planned this weekend to be the “move the winter clothing/flannel sheets to storage, move the short sleeves/linen sheets to the closet” weekend.
Eh.
Next weekend.Report
You obviously don’t live in Oregon. The grass is sprouting out like a octogenarians eyebrows.Report
Aside from your water heater going out this was a great uplift Jaybird.
Life can hit you out of the blue with things and circumstances. But you got to keep on going, which is what I’m facing right now. Uncertainty, fears, and the temptation to eat too many Reeses’ Peanut Butter eggs before next week.
I haven’t watched much news, but started watching Yellowstone with my brother. We didn’t always get along but our Dad’s health issues have brought him home and its nice connecting with him again. Now I want to learn how to fly fish!
I am writing but mostly journaling in order to keep my emotions balanced. Making a playlist while watching The Masters. It’s my Dad’s and my favorite golf tournament. Who gets the green jacket this weekend?
Change is in the air. I’m planning to embrace new avenues for myself beyond my own backyard. Feeling like it’s time to leave Vegas, and relocate. I’ve outgrown my city, and my family dynamic is changing beyond my control. God leads us to where we are supposed to be so…
I’m going to watch The Blacklist tonight, enjoy one last day with my brother, make my playlist for my last California road trip to say goodbye to a loved one, then start preparing for events that God has placed before me and choose to respond to them wisely.
God bless!Report
Years ago I was on a working vacation in Munich, staying at a campground / hostel. Lots of American tourists, and lots of mainly Irish and Eastern European folks on similar sort of working vacations. The bathrooms, particularly the water heater(s), were not really up to the number of people staying there.
Seemingly any number of Europeans could have their shower before work, and there would be hot water for the next person. They stripped, got in the shower, turned the water on then off again to get wet, lathered up, turned the water on then off again to rinse off. And the water heater could keep up, keeping the eight or so showers all supplied with hot water when they were used at that pace. The Europeans knew how to work with a small hot water tank.
But if you got up too late and even one Americans had been at the showers, it was too late. Some of them would turn the water on before they started undressing – by the time they even got in the water was on the way to cold, they’d wasted the heat on an empty shower.
This weekend, eh? Going dancing tonight, haven’t been out on a date with my wife in a long time. For the rest of the weekend, I don’t know. Hopefully some yard work.Report