To get at a drain issue, I pulled the sink trap and found a nasty hair clog, which I pulled out. I then re-assembled the trap to find — joy of joys — that now, the trap-to-train connection dripped. Why would it leak now when it hadn’t leaked before? I have no clue. Probably the clog meant there was less water in the system, so there’s a pressure difference, or whatever. But this is why I hate plumbing work. I can patch a chunk of the cold water supply, and then tightening it perfectly so it doesn’t drip is an art I’ve never mastered, which means it’s actually a lot of experimentation, and then I can fix something else and now it drips again. Wheee!

So, ~70 comments went up on the K-Rod piece yesterday, including some of the swearing-free “you made it up/Photoshopped it” ones. Another hundred or so didn’t get up, and it was running about 1:2 signal:abuse total when I gave up, with new comments almost entirely abuse. By type, I’d classify them as

I color-coded them that way to match my new hot gay lifestyle. Who knew?

There were also a smattering of “You’re a Yankee fan,” “you’re a crybaby,” and all kinds of other random insults.

My wife was horrified. “Yankee fan?” she said. “That’s personal.”

I’m always a little shocked at the sheer level of bile that gets thrown around on the net (and then laugh because I think of “Green Blackboards (And Other Anomalies)“.

Good times.

To fix a drip at a valve connection under a sink today, I pulled the valve off and part of the long-corroding pipe came off with it, leaving not enough thread to put it back on. Had to pull apart and replace pipe. The good luck was I only had to go back one connection.

Going to a hike, my car hit a pot hole and punctured the oil pan, which is great fun, and had to be towed back to my mechanic, again, for the second time in four days, the second time it’s seen a tow truck after years of absurd reliability.

I’m probably going to be out $600 for this, bringing my week-long total to ~$1500, or about half the trade-in value of my car.

This is extra-good since I’m unemployed. I mean, uh, writing.

Had a nightmare about being reviewed in the New York Times Book Review in which they liked the book but spent most of the review savaging the typos and minor errors that were included in the advance copy (which was pre-copy edits).

Woke up when the UPS guy delivered the first copy of the actual, finished, off the presses book.

Looked up the ski conditions for Snoqualmie – I’ve got not much time left on the rentals, I’m probably going to be employed soon, and the forecast looked promising. Conditions look awesome.

Throw my stuff into the car, tear off for Snoqualmie.

Ski for a long time. Mostly sunny, some new snow, and the face runs weren’t crusty, but a perfect slushy goodness. Most fun I’ve had all season.

Nearly get horribly mangled or worse when my coat catches on the edge of the chair. Really scary. I’m a little impressed I managed to act reasonably rational in figuring out what happened.

Lost my wallet.

Found my wallet when some good soul turned it in, contents entirely undisturbed. Yay humanity!

Brief skiing.

Planning to get back well in time to head out for my scifi workshop, return to my car, load it up – car won’t start.

Get a jump from security. Won’t crank over.

Call for tow. As phone battery cranks down while I’m on hold, get quoted really long wait time. Head to lodge, have beer. Tow calls, delay. Wait, wait, wait.

Tow shows up. Can’t jump the car with their massive cables etc. For the first time, get to see my Volvo put on a flatbed. Long ride back.

When I finally get home disastrously late, discover a lot of my galley changes didn’t get into the final version.

In the email:
Another job possibility.
A chance to write a piece for… I don’t even want to say it.

Been a weird, weird day.