The 24-Hour Whirlwind - The Taming of the Dew - Part II

*BEFORE READING THIS, PLEASE SEE "THE 24-HOUR WHIRLWIND - THE TAMING OF THE DEW - PART I" - IT WON'T MAKE SENSE WITHOUT IT*

So, the Friday craziness continues. Quick Recap: Brad the Plumber snaked my sewer line - $550 and Tim & Israel started cleaning up the aftermath once I paid $2500 up front....they gotta have payment up front because they aren't offering a product that can be re-possessed....and it's not like they can shoot your crap back into your house.

So, the next one to arrive was Troy. Troy is a Sewer Technician with myPlumber. He brought the camera to snake down the sewer line to confirm it was all cleared out and see if there were any tree roots or blockage. He fed the camera down the line and had a portable screen. Tim (from Servpro) and I couldn't help ourselves....we had to watch. I mean, how often do you get to see the inner bowels of your house. With fascination, Tim and I looked at the screen as it made it's way through the pipe. It was just a pipe, nothing interesting ...then.....EWWWWWW....... we both looked away as the camera came upon some messy stuff. Tim suggested that we stop watching, I agreed :).

Tim & Israel continued to soak up and sanitize my basement. Troy came up to announce there were tree roots in my line and that it was 90% blocked.... the roots were like fingers just waiting to catch anything that came by. The camera has a beacon on the end of it which was left at the roots while he took a machine outside to pick up the signal. He did this so they would know where to dig to get to the pipe to replace it.....GREAT! That won't be expensive or anything!!!

Remember that I originally stayed home on Friday for my A/C to be repaired? Well, while Troy was outside and Tim was going in and out of the house as he disposed of items, Alan from BGE Home arrived. When I explained that the A/C was tripping the breakers whenever it turned on, he expressed his hope that it was just a short somewhere and not the compressor. Thanks....I really need to worry about THIS worst-case scenario, too! Whatever!

Within the first 5 minutes, Alan was able to tell that it was the compressor which led me to share my sob story with HIM! Wow....he said....yes...Wow... The compressor would be a few thousand to repair. Because I have the service contract with them, labor would be free and I would get a discount on parts which could drop it closer to a couple thousand....great, thanks! Alan asked if I had the warranty information on it because most systems come standard with a 5-year warranty. No, I don't have that information and I've lived here for 7 years and how do I find out how old the system is and if an extended warranty was purchased? (Because I needed one more thing to research and make calls about right now). Alan told me that he would call the service department, find out any warranty information, and get the repair quote...might take about 15 mins....Okay......great.....I'll miss you while you're gone....... *sigh*

While Alan was in his truck racking up my next bill, Troy asked me to come out front to talk about my tree roots and his findings. Along the walkway to my house are 2 dogwood trees. There's some sort of water main type thingie to the left of them. Troy told me the beacon was responding just under the dogwoods...... that would mean the pipe is coming from my basement out the front of my house which is not a walk-out. That means the pipe is about 10-15 feet down and to get to it, I would lose 1, maybe both dogwoods...... this would be a 5-digit job....ummmm...that means $10,000 or more....... GREAT!!!! I had just spent over $3000 on the snaking and the clean-up and I was informed of my layoff less than 24 hours prior to this...... what's another $10k......, along with the pending compressor estimate.......... THAT'S IT!!!!! I can't do this anymore....I just can't do it....I can't afford any of this.... I wish I lived somewhere else!!!!!

But, I don't! I live here, and it is mine to deal with. So, I shall deal....*breathe*

*TO BE CONTINUED*
Please....bear with me....the fun stuff is yet to come....really.... I promise....this IS a sitcom!

The 24-Hour Whirlwind - The Taming of the Dew - Part I

*BEFORE READING THIS, PLEASE SEE "THE 24-HOUR WHIRLWIND - THE MORNING DEW COMETH" - IT WON'T MAKE SENSE WITHOUT IT*

Friday, April 9, 2010 was quite the adventure! I had so many men rolling through my doors that it MUST have impressed my neighbors!.... either that or generated TONS of sympathy!

My first man of the day was Brad, the plumber. Brad arrived with scary, crazy-loud equipment to snake my line...... I really don't want to know too much about that! Upon hearing the story of my previous 24 hours, he knocked 10% off the price of the "sewer-line snaking". Thank you Brad!!!!
While Brad was here, Tim and Israel from Servpro arrived. Now I had TWO service vehicles out front of my house. They instructed me and my brother (okay, mainly my brother because my head was swimming in all of the crap...) to begin removing everything from the storage area.....EVERYTHING??!!?? Do you mean 7 years worth of storage and junk that I just kept dumping in there??? Time to clear out all the junk I'd dumped since my sewer line decided to take a "dump" on my stuff.. (actually, it didn't take so much as it gave!). Items from the damaged area which had not been in contact with the contaminated material would go into the finished area of the basement which had been spared. Sewage soaked items were escorted outside.
As I finish up and pay ($550 on credit card!) Brad's work, Tim was surveying the poopy damage with Israel and determining the course of action....and the cost!!! Brad left with the promise that a camera crew would be coming out to run a camera through my line to see exactly what/where the blockage was. GREAT!!! A whole-house colonoscopy! Pretty!

So, I call the insurance company to update the claim submitted the night before with the additional "crap".....BTW, in case you hadn't caught on, there were so many "crap" jokes flung around that day, it was a "stinkin' " riot!!! While I'm on the phone with the insurance company, Tim from Servpro tells me that he needs to speak to them so he can get approval to begin the work. No problem, I've got her on the phone so this would be the perfect time.....NOT!!! She tells me that she can't approve the clean-up because she doesn't know if the blockage was in my line or beyond mine and into the county. WHAT??!!?? My basement if full of water and sewage....visible sewage.....I'm supposed to wait for the whole-house colonoscopy??? That wasn't going to happen for about 4 more hours.........and my house STINKS!!!!! Sewage en masse in an enclosed area is not very pleasant....

Here's the deal with Servpro.......they won't begin the clean up until there is insurance approval or payment up-front....and my insurance wouldn't approve it...and I'm broke and have just been laid off.....Sometimes, life is priceless...thank you MasterCard.... Heck! What's another $2600? ...... Put that on the credit card since the insurance company won't fight for me as I put in a call to Brad - myPlumber..... He calls back and I tell him that I had to pay Servpro upfront so they could start the work and my insurance won't cover it unless the blockage was on my end, not the county.... "No problem" says Brad. "Have the adjuster call me and I will confirm the blockage is on your end"........... Again, Thank You, Brad!!!!

In the meantime, since I'd handed over the plastic and signed off my life - Tim & Israel put a plastic tarp down across the floor of the basement's finished area from interior door to exterior door. Love them!!! We could haul my "crap" outside without dropping it in the "clean" area!

*TO BE CONTINUED*

The 24-Hour Whirlwind - The Morning Dew Cometh

*BEFORE READING THIS, PLEASE SEE "THE 24-HOUR WHIRLWIND - THE DAY OF" - IT WON'T MAKE SENSE WITHOUT IT*

So, after cleaning up the sewage spew of the previous evening, I was first on the list for the plumber on Friday morning. Before Drew left for the day, I asked him to take a peek at the basement to see if there had been any further sewage flooding. Ummmm..........................

*MORE BAD NEWS*

The landing, powder room, and ENTIRE laundry/storage area was a puddle of water & sewage....ah Poop! The toilet had erupted a sewage volcano. How did I get SO lucky!!!
My A/C broke, I got laid off, and there was Lake Poopy in my basement.
Work from home/Air repair day had turned into mourning the loss of my job and wallowing in crap. I had more men coming through my door than a sorority house on a Friday night, only none of them were drunk.
The day began with a 7:00am call to myPlumber as I was already first on the list. When I explained the situation had gotten worse, they were VERY sympathetic and helpful. They asked if it was something I could clean up myself or would I need a water mitigation company.....a what?? They work with Servpro and would call them and get the ticket started for me. THANK YOU!!! Nice! One less call I had to make.
The best call I made that day was to my brother. I asked for help.....I'm not so good at that. When I first called him he asked me what I needed him to do. I couldn't tell him....all I could say was that I had no A/C, was losing my job, and had a basement full of crap. I didn't know what I needed except to call the plumber. After calling them and realizing that Servpro would be coming out to rip up and clean out my basement, I knew what I needed. I called Charles back and asked if he could come over and help me move my belongings out and go through damaged items. My brother took the day off work to come over and slosh through my basement, help with the physical moving of my belongings, but mainly.... I needed him for me, to be the stability, the person unattached to the possessions, the person who could answer questions when my mind had enough. He was all that and more. It was as though he picked me up and carried me around in his arms that day......and we had a really great time together! I know that sounds crazy considering all that was going on; but, because we were together, I was able to laugh through the tears, stress, and the crap that was consuming my day.

*PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER IN "THE 24-HOUR WHIRLWIND"*

The 24-Hour Whirlwind - The Day Of

*BEFORE READING THIS, PLEASE SEE "THE 24-HOUR WHIRLWIND - THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM" - IT WON'T MAKE SENSE WITHOUT IT*

Thank goodness for my service contract with BGE Home, they told me they could come out on Friday, and it would not cost me a thing to have the problem diagnosed. They would do the annual inspection and cleaning at the same time which might fix the problem. *Awesome!* Wouldn't that be great! Thanks!!!!

I put in the request to work from home on Friday so I could wait my turn for the tech who would arrive at some point between 8:00 & 5:00....way to narrow it down! A rather sympathetic understanding of the need to address the situation led to the approval of working from home. See, I work with people that have also had the pleasure of "home-ownership drama". It just sucks, and we all know it! I went to work knowing that I didn't have to worry about the A/C for the day. I could put it aside, and know that it would be waiting for me to deal with on Friday.

At least I could focus on work.......not so much! The afternoon of Thursday, April 8, I was told that my grant ended in November 2009 (which I knew), and there is no further funding for me (which I didn't know, but was scared of). My contract that goes through June 30, 2010 will not be renewed. My skills, and the things I do are not a fit for the work needed to be done. There aren't enough full-time, project-manager level tasks to justify my employment during times of budget cuts and lost grant funding.
I DO NOT HAVE A JOB PAST JUNE 30, 2010. Well, that sucks!

Sucks though it may, I didn't feel the need to throw myself on the floor and cry, panic, scream. That was a bit more energy than I felt needed to be expended. Good thing I held back.....

When I got home, the kids told me that the downstairs toilet had backed up which led to a water/sewage flood. When you walk downstairs, there is a landing/foyer area, with a powder room straight ahead. To the right, behind a closed door is the finished basement. When you go down the stairs, to the left, there is another door which leads to the laundry room and storage area. Sooooooooooo............ the sewage back-up was in the powder room, foyer, and a portion of the laundry/storage area.

WOW!!!!!!!! My A/C busted, I got laid off, and came home to shit in my basement in less than 24 hours...........now that's a bummer of a day!!!!

*PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER IN "THE 24-HOUR WHIRLWIND"*

The 24-Hour Whirlwind - The Calm Before the Storm

In our lives, there are certain events, or series of events which suck. They are upsetting, stressful, ridiculous, etc. Some of these incidents cause friends to say, "well, you'll look back at this in 5 years and laugh". But, have you ever had a series of events occur in a 24 hour period that would be too much to handle over the course of a year?

Well, let me tell you about a 24 hour period that was so full of shit that you won't believe me. You literally will not believe me! You will think I'm exaggerating, embellishing the truth, or flat out lying. I assure you, my friends, the following is all true. No creative license has be taken to embellish the truth.

After being pounded with chains of blizzards and feet of snow, the Mid-Atlantic region broke yet another weather record. We broke the high temperatures last week by getting into the 90s in early April. It became ghastly hot on Tuesday, April 6th. I had not used my heat in a month and wasn't even CLOSE to ready for the air conditioning, so I refused to turn it on. I put on a fan and peeled off outer layers. I made it through the night, and toddled off to work the next morning feeling proud of my success. Wednesday was another ghastly hot day. When I got home from work, it was 80 degrees in my house, and the afternoon sun was beating through the windows. On Tuesday, it had been just me, but the kids were home on Wednesday.

When the temperature got up to 84, I broke and turned on the air conditioning (henceforth, to be referred to as the A/C). A cool-down was forecast for Thursday evening and Friday so I knew we would be able to head back toward saving electricity for the good of the planet, and my big-ass electric bill.

About an hour after turning on the A/C, I noticed that it didn't feel much warmer. Checking the temperature revealed that it was still 84 degrees. My wonderful son, Drew, checked the fuse box and reset the breakers for me. Thank God that was an easy one.....But, Wait!!!! No, the breakers tripped every time the A/C went on. That was one HOT night! Fans and light clothing wasn't really enough.....little did I know this would be the least interesting, stressful, or difficult thing that would happen to me in 24 hours.

---

*PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER IN "THE 24-HOUR WHIRLWIND"*

The Ineffective Middle Finger

There are ways to be effective and ways to be ineffective. I'm guessing that most people have the goal of being effective. Only a dumbass would strive for ineffectiveness. Well, I met one such dumbass last week. Here is the story of our encounter......
I left work and took the exit for 95 south. I go only one exit until I take the route that travels east to take me home. A car behind me headed down the ramp to 95 south, at close range. Rather than go around me, he remained closely behind me in the right lane. We both took the exit to head east. Upon merging onto the eastern route we both wanted to move to the left lane as there was slower moving traffic in the right. Here is where the fun began.
As I was in front of the tailgater on the southern route, on the ramp to the eastern route, as we merged onto the eastern route, I was still in front of him as we moved into the left lane. Apparently, this was not pleasing to him and caused anger. He shoved his hand very far forward in the front window and raised his middle finger. This was effective. It revealed that he was angry and didn't like me. It was even effective in that it elicited a raised middle finger from me in return. Because there was a line of cars to the right, he couldn't go around me which may have led to more frustration.
Having exchanged middle fingers following proper protocol, I believed our encounter was over. However, being the good driver that I am, I followed the 3-second rule and looked in my rearview mirror. It was at this time that I noticed the angry man driving with both hands on the wheel with the middle finger still extended. My thought was "whatever". However, the finger continued to be extended as I drove on. In fact, this continued for the entire eastern route of 13.8 miles. 13.8 miles?!?!? Wow.....that is one angry person.
Funny thing is that after about mile 2.4, it was losing its effectiveness. It became funny, but was also no longer the most noticeable thing on the road. Just as a hood ornament can be seen as you glance in the rearview mirror, the finger remained in place. This person's anger with me caused him to lose his control of the situation. Eventually, it turned around and my behavior controlled his action........ for 13.8 miles.
Now, that's ineffective.....but it was really funny!

The newest addition to the family

It all started last Friday, July 3rd. The kids and I woke up late since it was a holiday. Ginny let the dogs out back and went down into the yard with them. Suddenly, there was screaming, birds squawking, and a flurry of activity. I ran outside to Ginny screaming that there was a baby bird in the yard and the puppies were trying to get it. I helped get the dogs inside, then went back out to assess the situation. Sure enough, there was a baby bird in the yard that didn't look too good. The neighbors were out on their deck and said they had 2 of them when they woke up that morning, but that they thought the birds were gone. The birds weren't big or strong enough to fly yet so it looked as though the nest had been blown out of the tree....Hence, Momma Robin who kept swooping down to attack when we got close to her baby. I was pretty sure the baby wouldn't make it through the day, so we kept the dogs out of the yard.

DAY 2: We kept the dogs out of the yard again because the baby spent the day hopping around all over the entire yard. She still didn't look great, but she was getting around. Throughout the day, we saw Momma bring bugs and/or worms around. She would sit on the fence and chirp. The baby would chirp back, Momma would fly down, the baby would hop over and open it's mouth VERY wide at which time the food would be dropped in.
In the meantime, the neighbors didn't see their birds anymore (they may have been behind the shed) and let their dog in the yard. I was out on the deck when their dog found the babies. As the neighbor's dog attacked, 4 robins swooped, screeched, squawked and yelled in pain. It was awful!

DAY 3: The baby was looking healthier and better every moment. Momma was feeding her numerous times throughout the day, and we kept the dogs out of the yard. By this time, I was able to stand right next to the baby and say "Hi, baby!" without Momma attacking me. She would only attack if I put out a shovel or rake to try and get the bird to jump on so I could put her up high. At that point, the baby would squawk and the Momma would swoop.

We have just ended DAY 5. We have named our baby bird "Baby", Momma still feeds her and no longer attacks. Baby new responds with a chirp when I call out "Baby".

Stay tuned....there is more to this story, including the harrowing experience of Day 5. It was a draining day of which I will blog later. I've really become attached to my newest Baby. (pictures coming soon).

Fairy Godmother, Pics

So much to blog about, and will do so later. I want to get the pictures up from our visit to the Fairy Godmother. It was so amazing and I started crying the second she came out the door, the crying hit another level when she started singing.
Our evening at Cinderella's Royal Table was AMAZING:
THE CASTLE:



Ginny was the Queen of the Castle and ran around taking pictures, laughing and loving it all. We got to take pictures with Cinderella before we were taken up to the dining room....
THE DINING ROOM:
The room was beautiful. A rounded room overlooking the Carousel, rich colors, chandeliers. But even better than the Dining Room was the show....
THE SHOW:
And, here's where the tears flowed. The Fairy Godmother touched my shoulder each time she passed, and my dreams really did come true that night.

Not exactly swimming with the dolphins....

We arrived in Orlando on Sunday after visiting a most exciting place to eat. It's an old Sugar Mill at DeLeon Springs State Park http://www.planetdeland.com/sugarmill/sugarpage2.htm. The tables have a griddle in the middle and you can make your own pancakes...and eggs. They bring out 2 different kinds of batter, stone ground and all purpose flour. You order toppings as desired. We ordered bananas, blueberries, and chocolate chips. It was a fun thing to do with the family!!!!

Drew has spent the week at tennis camp at Heathrow Country Club where my Dad is a member. He's been the man to beat this week and I'm sure that's been great for his ego! He's sooooooo tan, and looks really great as he builds his muscle and "hot guy" status.

Ginny and I have been hanging out by the pool, swimming, reading, relaxing. I did get a manicure/pedicure.......ya like?????

What? What is that you say? It looks like a lizard on my hand? Well, yes....yes, it is. There are many, many lizards around my parents house. The baby ones are very cute and much fun to swim with. We named this one Maddie. We've caught her a couple of days in a row to take swimming with us. She seems to be responding to her name now.

Absentee Blogger

Yes, I've been an Absentee Blogger. But, here's the quick and dirty version of some of the things I said I'd talk about:

The Gala - went to a most wonderful event for my nephew, Henry. It was a fund-raising gala for his school. There was a silent auction, raffle, and beautiful video/slide show presentation of all of the students at his school. Henry began the video sitting behind the Principal's desk with his glasses on (he doesn't need glasses, but has decided they are now a part of his character). If this video becomes public or I can get a hold of it, then I will post it here. He was amazing! He had a scripted part which was delivered with meaning and feeling. Then, there was his ad-libbing which brought the house down. Check out Alice's blog about the gala: http://thefairfax.blogspot.com/2008/03/weekend-to-remember.html

The Recovery - Drew's Kidney healed and his visit to the doctor after returning from Florida showed almost no blood in the urine. Hallelujah!

The Appointment - Ginny had her CF appointment. Her weight gain was, once again, beyond expectations. The "hungry pill" really made the difference in our lives and has taken her out of the "hmmm....she may need a permanent feeding tube" status.
Bad news is that her PFTs (Pulmonary Function Tests) have decreased from the 130% range to the 100 % range. Still very good, but significantly lower than her norm. She had a cold which contributed to the lower numbers. But, that is no excuse and we need to ramp it up a notch.
Good news is that we had a wonderful visit with one of the physical therapists who connected with her regarding the ability to "cough up stuff". Ginny calls it "Gunk-a-loogey" and has, generally, been disgusted when it comes up. We need her to embrace and be proud of her gunk-a-loogey. Since this visit, she has been much more productive with her cough.....I've never seen so much mucus, but I'm a proud Mama.

The Birthday Party - Ginny had the most fun & amazing birthday party. We had a room in the back of Ledo Pizza in Crofton. There was pizza, chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks and amazing entertainment. We had 2 dance mats plugged into the PlayStation2 which was hooked up to the flat screen on the wall. The karaoke machine with her iPod & TV were across the room, and we had a station for sand art. The girls sang, danced, ate, and made tropical fish & dolphin sand art keychains. My parents and brother were there, and Ward's Mother and sister + kids were there. A great time was had by all!!!!

Next up: Bahamas & Drew's Birthday Party

I am here! I am here!

Okay, so it may seem as though I have disappeared over the last 2 weeks. I have not, I promise. However, I do have much to catch up on. Be looking for the upcoming topics which have happened since I posted at the beginning of the month:

The Kidney
The Transportation
The Funeral
The Gala
The Recovery
The Appointment
The Birthday Party

Did this catch your attention? If so, check back over the next couple of days as I recal the wild events of the last 2 weeks.

PLUS - COUNTDOWN: 8 Days to Bahamas!!!!!!!!!!!!

Highlight of the Month

This is a category which I just added last month. I am going to find a minimum of one Highlight each month. It is the 18th of this month and I'm getting a bit concerned that my cracked toilet will be my highlight of the month. If that happens, shoot me now..............

Le Weekend de Smetheram

Last weekend was an incredibly fun, exciting, and proud weekend for le famille Smetheram.
My sister flew up from Florida on Thursday evening, stayed with me & my kids, my brother came on Friday and the kids went to their Dad's. That left me, Alice, & Charles staying at my house Friday through Monday. Ginny's room was made up for Alice and Drew's room was made up for Charles.
Can I tell you how much fun we had? WOW!!!!

Here were some of the agenda items:
Eating Out
- Pazo - http://www.pazorestaurant.com/ (succulent tapas and hugs for the waiter)
- Ledo Pizza - http://www.ledopizza.com/ (tribute to my Robby)
- Cafe Bonaparte in Georgetown - http://www.napoleondc.com/main.html (DC Restaurant Week)
Entertainment
- National Treasure 2 (for historical value)
- H & M (for a Swedish memory)
- Mount Vernon - Tour of the Mansion and basements which are rarely opened (because it was in the historical movie we choose to view)
Priceless Moments
-Making fun of our parents
-Making fun of each other as kids
-Making fun of each other as adults

What made it such a proud weekend was that we were so excited about it! I know our parents were excited that the three of us were together. As a parent, I can't even imagine how proud I would be if one of my children went and stayed at the home of my other child. Proud of both of them for being adults together.
As children, who would ever have thought they would voluntarily spend time with their siblings in their own house.......like, a grown-up house, like...yanno? Crazy, just crazy, I tell ya!

How great is it to have such an amazing, fun, proud, and exciting memory this early into 2008! And, this is just the beginning!