May 28, 1997

Sprinkler Systems

Diane's education as a homeowner continueth.

So the gardener came by today and we walked around the garden. We talked about what needed to be done. First, bring everything back to life (since I've managed to kill it with neglect since moving in); then begin to create anew.

He took a look at the sprinkler system and said it looked very nice. And, of course, I ought to start using it.

I turned it on for Section 1 (turns out the backyard has 3 sections) and everything looked great. It wasn't until he left that I turned it on for Section 2, and you'd have thought the creepy, percussion heavy music that started playing would have clued me in.

Yes, a pipe burst.

I swore like I haven't in a while. After everything I tried failed to solve the problem, I went in to the house and interrupted Darin (clearly, this was a pressing issue for me to have interrupted him). "Could you turn off the water?" I asked.

"Why?"

"I think our sprinkler system is flooding the backyard."

He found the shutoff switch for the outside water. Now I have to go find a shovel, clear out the area by the pipes, and see if I can fix the pipes in that area. Oh joy.

The gardener can't come by to do the massive cleanup that needs to be done in the garden for three weeks. Hoi hoi hoi.

I got mail from Dave Filippi, fellow NetHack enthusiast, telling me that NetHack Repetitive Stress Injury is not unheard of and I need to be careful. (I need to play less NetHack, that's what I need.)

After all that work I did yesterday, I thought I'd be exhausted by bedtime. I lay awake until 4 -- not in pain, not concerned about anything, just awake. I have to get back into regular exercise, because despite my advancing years, I think I'm a little young to be this creaky.

Re: Joe Camel: wouldn't any self-respecting teenager be embarrassed to be lured into smoking by a cartoon character? Just say no to stupid cartoon characters. "Joe Crystal Meth...mmmm."