Friday, July 22, 2011

Yesterday

In summary, yesterday sucked.

Let me tell you about my day...

It started with me sleeping in, and being late to drop off the dogs for their monthly grooming.  Despite having foregone my morning shower, I was an hour late.  For a groomer who has a waiting list for her "accepted clients" of about a month... she fires clients for a lot less.   Thankfully, when she saw how sick I was (have I mentioned that I've had laryngitis for about a week?!?) , and heard my story of the great house flood, she let my tardiness slip.

Then I went home to try to get a hold of the insurance company, who had not returned my calls in over 24 hours.  Then, when I finally did get a hold of somebody, she said that the exact same thing had happened in her house just a few years ago, and that from my description, she was quite sure that the water had seeped in through the foundation and floor.  Also, she was very sorry to have to tell me this, but insurance companies don't pay when water seeps through the walls and floor.  I raised something of a stink, pointed out that our houses are NOT the same, and that I do in fact have weeping tile around my house and - hey - the dang streets were underwater; maybe the storm sewers backed up?!?  She begrudgingly agreed not to close my claim until after an adjuster came out with a contractor.

It should be noted here that I have very little confidence in the title of "contractor".   After all, a "contractor" built my house.  Around here, it doesn't take anything to be certified as a contractor, so any hack can claim to be one.  Having the insurance company send out a "contractor" as some form of authority to determine if my house had in fact flooded did not impress or reassure me.

I then dialed into a meeting at work, which I expected to take 15 minutes.  It took over an hour, which made me late to pick up Cotton at the groomer.  I was so late that I thought I'd be able to pick up both dogs, but unfortunately I could not.  So, I picked up the Dude, went to the bank, and then headed home and tried to have a shower.  There was no hot water.  I figured that the water must have blown out the pilot light on the hot water tank.  I could probably figure out how to restart it, but I didn't have time.  I turned back around and drove downtown again to pick up Tallulah.  

Got Tallulah.  By that time, it was rush hour.  Granted, rush hour around here is nothing like the big city, but it's annoying.  Especially when the direct route home is shut down for construction, so you have to drive 10km out of your way.   For the sixth time that day.   Even more annoying when you realize that you've got a flat tire.  And, oh yeah, your roadside assistance on your car expired a while back because you've had it for more than five years.  Should'a bought a AAA membership.

I managed to limp home with the flaccid tire, realizing that I'd now be housebound until I could get it fixed.  BUT.  I was home.  I could go restart the hot water tank, and have my shower.  All I wanted to do was to stand in a steaming hot shower for about 15 minutes and forget about everything else.  So, I grabbed the hot water tank manual and started to read the instructions for restarting it.  Right there in black and white, it said NOT to restart the pilot light if it had shut off due to water.  So, I called a plumber.  Then I called another plumber.  Nobody was available for at least a few days.    And I'd be looking at at least $100 for the call.  So, I called some friends.  Then I called my parents.  Nobody was home to let me use their shower.

That's when I sat down and had good long (loud) cry.  I can deal with floods.  I can deal with corporate red tape.  I can handle being sick.  I can handle frustrating road construction, detours and even flat tires.   But not being able to take the shower that I'd been looking forward to all day; that was too much.

All that said, I have to say that things are looking up.  A friend of a friend told me about a handyman that she knows.  I called him, and he came out right away.  It took a fair bit of fiddling, but he got the hot water tank working.  Then we started talking and when he heard about my day, he told me I needed something good to happen, and he waved his fee.  I have a new hero.  And a new handyman.

Today, the insurance adjuster came out with her "contractor".  They determined unequivocally that the house had flooded due to overflowed storm sewers, and that insurance will pay to repair the damage.  They'll have a crew here tomorrow morning to start the cleanup.

And the tire shop fixed my flat.  For Free.  They said that when it came time to replace my tires (years down the road, with my low mileage), they hope I buy from them.  I will.




3 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry about your "Murphy's Law" day. But after all is said and done, I Love a 'Happy Ending!" Hang in (or hang on) and get well!!!

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  2. That's a lot to deal with but looks like your luck is turning a corner into happier times.

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  3. I am so relieved to hear that everything worked out on the happy side!!!!!! I've had days like that when you can do nothing but have a good cry...
    About AAA, I've got the one that comes with the car warranty too and in the back of my mind I'm always wondering if I should shell out the extra piddly bucks it would cost to put me back on my husband's membership, just in case.

    You've got me thinking along those lines again...and I'm betting you've already been on the phone with AAA.

    May you have smoother sailing this week!!

    Oh, and your dog grooming place would scare the crap out of me. Sounds worse than a doctor's office with those signs that if you are 5 minutes late they will be forced to reschedule...

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