July 12, 2010

Mother-effing Shelves

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Some house updates.... Since people actually seem to be interested in it.

Remember that nonsense with my showerhead? Like, the pipe coming out of the wall was a weird size and therefore nothing would fit on it?

I went to four stores, including one that specializes in PLUMBING for chrissakes, and nobody could help me. The last one I tried, the salesguy shook his head and told me I was screwed. "The piece you need is very hard to find. Even Preston Hardware doesn't carry it, and they carry everything."

Even Preston Hardware doesn't have it? Well, I really AM screwed, I thought.

But two days ago I found myself in Preston Hardware buying Murphy Oil, and I thought I'd take a gander at the plumbing section. Just to see. A nice man asked if I needed help, and I described my problem.

"You have an old clawfoot tub, I imagine?" he said.

"Uh, yes... How did you know that?" I asked.

"This is the part you need," he smiled, holding up a piece of metal that cost a measly $3.99.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Oh yes. This will fix your problem. I'm positive."

Sure enough, I went home, installed my new find, and I can now take a normal shower. THANK YOU PRESTON HARDWARE. Everyone else, including YOU, specialty plumbing store... You suck.

In less triumphant news, I just realized that the "blanket" I've been sleeping under for the past week is actually my tablecloth. Ahem. No wonder it was so lightweight.

My BH and I popped into a few antique stores over the weekend to find a teak sideboard. We were wandering around the gigantic antique market in Old Ottawa South when I saw it... A little tenor banjo. Cheap, ancient, and oh so pretty. Did I mention cheap? I love buying instruments from people who don't actually specialize in music. It sometimes translates into affordable banjos for yours truly.

So instead of having a nice sideboard in the living room, we now have a new banjo in the music closet. I'm feeling pretty thrilled about it. Who needs a place to put a TV, anyway? I don't even have a TV right now. But I do have two hands and a WICKED NEW BANJO.

We accomplished a lot this weekend - our laundry area is totally finished, which means clean clothes and some motherfucking shelves (if you thought they were just regular shelves, well, you were wrong). Next up, we have to put together the dining room table and donate eleventy million books. Do you know how many books we have? So many. I can't even believe how many. It's time to thin the herd, so to speak.

Anyway. I can shower now. I think that's all I really wanted to say.

5 comments:

Kerry said...

We're still trying to figure out how to swing a shower at all. (Our tub is set under the eaves so I could take a shower (I'm 5'1") but I prefer baths. The boys in the house (5'8" and 6'3") take showers...but not unless they'd like to crouch.

We can't figure out an easy fix given the dimensions of the room and where the door and window are.

But it seems acadmic when what I REALLY want is a toilet that actually flushes.

I'm loving the home stuff and Papa Pan is envious of your music closet. We had one in Chelsea and need to build one here.

Nat said...

God woman...the tablecloth thing makes me think of something I would do.

Glad the shower thing was an easy fix. Plumbing shit ain't usually cheap. I reckon neither are banjos.

Shawna said...

I love you, I'm jealous of you, I'm worried about you, and I want some video footage of that banjo in action.

Pearl said...

The Preston Hardware people are pretty amazing.. they have heard my gesticulating doohickey gibberish and given me the part from the thin air.

Stella said...

MM: That's quite a predicament! I guess we're lucky that the rooms are mostly boring squares at the duplex.

Nat: I'm still sleeping under the tablecloth. It's the perfect summer blanket, even if it makes me look like a nut job.

Shawna: First I need to figure out how to play it! Also, I miss you.

Pearl: I was definitely impressed with them.... They didn't make me feel like an idiot, which is rare these days.