Journal, Day 1616
Wednesday, 21 August 2024
Ukraine War: Day 911
Hamas-Israel War: Day 318
Mass shootings in the USA in 2024: 357
Days until the 2024 Election: 77
Another day without a shower (ew). I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep. I kept waking up to monitor the hot water heater situation and make sure that the wall and the downstairs ceiling didn’t start raining on the piano or on Houdini’s cage.
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I got up early to move the stairwell landing hall tree and everything in the foyer out of the way for the plumbers. They showed up at precisely 9:00 am and went to take photos and notes of the existing setup so they would have the proper hoses and gas line for the new unit. He told me they would be back before noon.
They came back at 11:40 and went straight to work. They were mindful of the birds as well as the heat outside, so they made sure to keep the front door closed, even when they had a hose running outside to drain the old unit.
I went back into the office and tried to concentrate on my workday. About halfway through, one of them came to ask me to open the garage so they could turn off the main water to our apartment, and then they wrestled the old unit down the stairs, brought up the new one, and set to work hooking it up.
It was done by 4:00. The lead plumber showed me how to re-light the pilot if it should ever go out, and how to read the cool, modern indicator lights. I noted that the new unit is Energy Star rated.
I let the plumber set the temperature to a moderate 110 degrees Fahrenheit, but after he left, I cranked it back up to our customary 135. We like it super hot to disinfect bird perches and dishes.
I’ll be taking a blissful, hot shower before I go to bed, once we work out the explosive air farts in the water lines.
