"Never again," I said last time
Jun. 18th, 2011 06:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soniaFifteen years ago as a new owner of an old condo, I bravely tackled a dripping bathroom faucet. A long saga and a plumber's help later, there were no more unexpected puddles under the sink from leaky shutoff valves, and I swore off plumbing.
Last night, my kitchen faucet abruptly stopped doing half its job - when I pushed down the handle, the water kept running. I called a plumber this morning, but they wanted $70 just to come out and diagnose the problem, so I started doing research on the internet. There are some helpful step-by-step youtube videos out there!
Three bike trips to A-Boy Plumbing and most of a rainy Saturday later, my kitchen faucet does its whole job, nothing but its job, and the hot and cold are once again on the correct sides. The jury is still out on the shutoff valves under the sink. I'll keep an eye on them, but I don't have the energy to replace them right now. I did buy the parts, but shutting off the water to the house looks unexpectedly difficult.
Downsides: frustration, took all day, really didn't want to make that third bike trip in the rain. Upsides: it works, saved money, I had a free day available, the folks at A-Boy were kind and respectful, I can now expertly disassemble and re-assemble my kitchen faucet. Oh, and the faucet is shiny-clean.
Through it all, I didn't panic, or yell at myself for making mistakes and taking time to figure things out. I took breaks when I got stuck, and asked for help at the store and from the faucet manufacturer. It feels like a non-crisis that could have been a crisis. Spending a day learning how to fix a leaky faucet is part of life, not an interruption.
Last night, my kitchen faucet abruptly stopped doing half its job - when I pushed down the handle, the water kept running. I called a plumber this morning, but they wanted $70 just to come out and diagnose the problem, so I started doing research on the internet. There are some helpful step-by-step youtube videos out there!
Three bike trips to A-Boy Plumbing and most of a rainy Saturday later, my kitchen faucet does its whole job, nothing but its job, and the hot and cold are once again on the correct sides. The jury is still out on the shutoff valves under the sink. I'll keep an eye on them, but I don't have the energy to replace them right now. I did buy the parts, but shutting off the water to the house looks unexpectedly difficult.
Downsides: frustration, took all day, really didn't want to make that third bike trip in the rain. Upsides: it works, saved money, I had a free day available, the folks at A-Boy were kind and respectful, I can now expertly disassemble and re-assemble my kitchen faucet. Oh, and the faucet is shiny-clean.
Through it all, I didn't panic, or yell at myself for making mistakes and taking time to figure things out. I took breaks when I got stuck, and asked for help at the store and from the faucet manufacturer. It feels like a non-crisis that could have been a crisis. Spending a day learning how to fix a leaky faucet is part of life, not an interruption.
no subject
Date: 2011-06-19 07:04 pm (UTC)I spend a lot of time online - but I don't have a Facebook account. Every so often I consider it, but my privacy is too important to me.
Agreed about the knowledge divide, and the fragility of the internet. Thing is, the newspapers and TV had already experienced corporate takeover. I think mainstream media, carried by any technology, will be subject to corporate control, and new technologies will continue to pop up. And if the internet breaks in a big way, little newsletters might pop up on paper once again.
As for those young whippersnappers lacking bullshit detectors and drawing skills - I think that's cyclical too. Each generation is losing some competencies and gaining others. I was thinking about pioneers & covered wagons and how adults considerably younger than I am had to build their own houses and figure everything out, without anyone to consult when they got stuck.