raw sewage

Talk about days not going as planned.

Al and I went to the movies yesterday even though today had been a better option in my mind. Get as much stuff done as possible on Tuesday, go to movies Wednesday. When he was trying to talk me into Tuesday, he had said, "In case there ends up being something we have to do and can't make it." Since when did I marry a psychic?

Yesterday morning was...stressful, to say the least. Al just does not get along with Mya most of the time (she thinks they get along just fine, but I know what his reactions and words to her really mean). The situation is really wearing on me, and I'm a person that seems to run on stress like cars run on gasoline. I just don't really get much done unless I'm stressed (not the best way to live, I know). But in my current condition, it's getting to be too much and I ended up in the basement (as planned). But instead of starting to stain the finally-sanded changing table, I sobbed hysterically and prayed for a while. I didn't think I could take it anymore and was asking God to do something. Apparently, he thought I could take some more, because an hour and a half later I was in the same situation, only in the shower. Anyway. If you're a praying person and read this blog, I'd appreciate prayer in that situation; you could just pray that Al and Mya learn to react appropriately to each other. I think that's the most diplomatic way to put it.

Eventually, though, I started staining the changing table. My goal: get the "top" half (one side) of each piece that I hadn't stained yet stained so I could work on the other half tomorrow. If I had time, I could tackle preparing the pieces that I had started with steel wool and give them a second coat. In the midst of this, I remembered a load of laundry I had left in the washing machine too long and decided to run it through again so it wouldn't smell (or get) mildewy. I flipped the washing machine on and continued staining. Al took Mya for a walk (they do tend to get along on these now, thanks to her new harness) and I went back to put the laundry in the dryer. I took two steps into the laundry room and saw standing water (about a ten-foot radius) and toilet paper above the drain. Ugh. We thought this was taken care of.

When Al and Mya got home, I gave him the bad news. He said he'd call somebody and I told him when they couldn't come (tomorrow during Mya's training; Friday during my doc's appointment), and the next thing I knew he was at the top of the stairs asking how long I was going to be since he wanted to go out and rent the snake again. I didn't see the point in that. He had already snaked the drain between 75 and 100 feet out, and it had only worked temporarily. What would make a difference this time? Besides, him leaving would mean I couldn't finish my staining because I'd have to go upstairs to watch the dog (either that or put her in her crate; she's afraid to walk up and down the stairs herself and too heavy for me to carry anymore). I had been itching to get this done for weeks, months. He went away from the top of the stairs upset and a few minutes later I was saying, "Put Mya in her crate." Instead, he came back and told me that RotoRooter would be at the house within half an hour.

Half an hour? That meant I had to quit staining anyway. I was in the basement, right where this guy would need to be, in my pjs and robe and not likely to stay down there with a stranger working on the drain. I probably shouldn't even be showering what with our drainage problems, but I needed to since I had plans to visit a friend I hadn't seen in four years and greasy hair. Thus my second crying bout of the day in the bathroom I rarely (err, never) shower in, and the unfinished staining still lying in the basement. It actually worked out, because by the time I got out of the shower my legs were so tired that I could barely stand long enough to do my makeup, brush and floss my teeth, and do my hair (about a half hour process; as I get older, fatter, and my hair gets longer, the minutes it takes me to get ready in the morning start to add up). But still, plans laid to waste...

The rest of our day went...okay. I had a wonderful time at my friends' house and got to see their new son, and on the way home discovered that Al hadn't returned from lunch yet, either. He had detoured to a local bar to meet some people from work. Um, baby's room? But I felt bad because I wasn't working, either. He got home close to an hour after I did, ran out to get us dinner (Taco Bell), came home and started working. I sat in my recliner for a while because I typically get exhausted by that time of night, but then I was able to help him (err, give advice to him? I did help a little bit) put up the curtain rod later on. He finished everything he could for now in the baby's room (trim is up; closet shelves installed; curtains hung; floor swept; what furniture we have ready is in the room). And although I'm going to bed, he's giving the dog a bath since she hasn't had one in about two weeks and that's a hard thing for me to do right now. I guess, in the end, all's well that ends well--and tomorrow's a new day.