A Sign You Might Have Reached Brain Capacity
Following church on Sunday, I began to clear the debris and straighten up. My poor husband would like nothing more than to live in a neat, tidy dorm-like room, yet I continually torture him with my crazy piles. I have a pile of Babygirl's clothes on my dresser, waiting to be put away in her room. A pile of my shoes sits jumbled on the floor. A pile of clothing drapes over the exercise bike. A pile of papers waits to be delivered to my desk. Piles, piles, everywhere. And none of them are his.
And frankly, I can't stand it, either, when I don't have time to put everything away. But Saturday was crazy--we flew through the party for YoungestBoy--loud, loud, loud boys, ten of them, descended upon my house and wrestled and shouted and celebrated. I highly recommend the 90-minute party. Just as you begin to wonder, "What was I thinking?" the first parent arrives to retrieve a child.
When the party ended and Babygirl settled in for a nap, I left to meet a new friend, my New Best Friend for a very late lunch slash early dinner. (She called it "linner.") We chatted as if we had known each other for at least forty years (she told the waitress, "We haven't seen each other for forty years!" and the waitress looked a bit puzzled and said, "No way! You don't look that old!") Three hours flew by and then I flew back down the freeway to my family. (And how cliche' is it that I "met" my New Best Friend on the internet?) That night, I typed and typed on my transcription job.
Sunday then. As I was saying, after church I puttered around tidying up while waiting for Babygirl's naptime. I put away baskets of folded laundry, returned shoes to the closet, made the bed, and then made the fateful decision to wash an item of clothing by hand in the bathroom sink.
While it soaked in Woolite, I flitted about, creating order in my bedroom. I returned to the sink, drained the soapy water and began to run rinse water. I heard Babygirl downstairs screaming, so I hurried down to see why.
Once downstairs, I helped Babygirl fix her computer game. Then since I was near the laundry room, I pulled a dry load from the dryer and transferred a wet load from the washer. Then I started a new load. I noticed the cats' bowls were empty, so I fed and watered them. I picked up things here and there, industriously decluttering and straightening as I went. After some time, I returned back upstairs, toting a laundry basket.
And then I heard the pleasant waterfall sound of a . . . waterfall? OH NO! I forgot to turn off the rinse water. I leapt to the bathroom, grabbing bath towels to dam the flowing water. Even after I turned off the tap, the water still cascaded over the counter. I stopped that stream and yet water trickled. I flung open the cabinet doors to find water, water everywhere. Then I opened the drawer and found an inch of standing water.
My husband returned home then and I said, "I am the stupidest woman in the world." I explained what happened. He made a joke about my needing to find extra things to do because I am so "bored." We made light of the flood I caused while I spent half an hour throwing away water-logged items and wiping others dry. A different kind of man might have yelled or berated, but my husband is the best kind of person to have in a crisis. He's unflappable.
Today the ceiling has an enormous wet spot and many smaller wet spots. I haven't even googled to find out what one should do in cases of self-inflicted water damage because I can't bear to know if we must do something other than let it dry and repaint the ceiling. Please, if you have a horror story, DO NOT TELL ME.
So, when your brain has reached capacity, please learn from me and do not even attempt to adhere yet another post-it note to its paper-plastered surface. There is no point and sooner or later, you will find yourself dealing with a catastrophe you have caused yourself.
If I had an early warning system, it would have been flashing. Alas, I have no such system--I'm like a house with no smoke detector, only a sprinkler system to put out the fires I've started myself when all the flaming torches I'm juggling tumble out of orbit.
And frankly, I can't stand it, either, when I don't have time to put everything away. But Saturday was crazy--we flew through the party for YoungestBoy--loud, loud, loud boys, ten of them, descended upon my house and wrestled and shouted and celebrated. I highly recommend the 90-minute party. Just as you begin to wonder, "What was I thinking?" the first parent arrives to retrieve a child.
When the party ended and Babygirl settled in for a nap, I left to meet a new friend, my New Best Friend for a very late lunch slash early dinner. (She called it "linner.") We chatted as if we had known each other for at least forty years (she told the waitress, "We haven't seen each other for forty years!" and the waitress looked a bit puzzled and said, "No way! You don't look that old!") Three hours flew by and then I flew back down the freeway to my family. (And how cliche' is it that I "met" my New Best Friend on the internet?) That night, I typed and typed on my transcription job.
Sunday then. As I was saying, after church I puttered around tidying up while waiting for Babygirl's naptime. I put away baskets of folded laundry, returned shoes to the closet, made the bed, and then made the fateful decision to wash an item of clothing by hand in the bathroom sink.
While it soaked in Woolite, I flitted about, creating order in my bedroom. I returned to the sink, drained the soapy water and began to run rinse water. I heard Babygirl downstairs screaming, so I hurried down to see why.
Once downstairs, I helped Babygirl fix her computer game. Then since I was near the laundry room, I pulled a dry load from the dryer and transferred a wet load from the washer. Then I started a new load. I noticed the cats' bowls were empty, so I fed and watered them. I picked up things here and there, industriously decluttering and straightening as I went. After some time, I returned back upstairs, toting a laundry basket.
And then I heard the pleasant waterfall sound of a . . . waterfall? OH NO! I forgot to turn off the rinse water. I leapt to the bathroom, grabbing bath towels to dam the flowing water. Even after I turned off the tap, the water still cascaded over the counter. I stopped that stream and yet water trickled. I flung open the cabinet doors to find water, water everywhere. Then I opened the drawer and found an inch of standing water.
My husband returned home then and I said, "I am the stupidest woman in the world." I explained what happened. He made a joke about my needing to find extra things to do because I am so "bored." We made light of the flood I caused while I spent half an hour throwing away water-logged items and wiping others dry. A different kind of man might have yelled or berated, but my husband is the best kind of person to have in a crisis. He's unflappable.
Today the ceiling has an enormous wet spot and many smaller wet spots. I haven't even googled to find out what one should do in cases of self-inflicted water damage because I can't bear to know if we must do something other than let it dry and repaint the ceiling. Please, if you have a horror story, DO NOT TELL ME.
So, when your brain has reached capacity, please learn from me and do not even attempt to adhere yet another post-it note to its paper-plastered surface. There is no point and sooner or later, you will find yourself dealing with a catastrophe you have caused yourself.
If I had an early warning system, it would have been flashing. Alas, I have no such system--I'm like a house with no smoke detector, only a sprinkler system to put out the fires I've started myself when all the flaming torches I'm juggling tumble out of orbit.
posted by Melodee at Monday, February 28, 2005
7 Comments:
Just trying to make you feel better, Mel - One day I was filling up the kitchen sink to do dishes, and with the water still running I went out front to talk to a neighbor - for 10 minutes. Thankfully it was a double sink and most of the water went in the other side, but I still had quite a mess to clean up. You're not the only one!
www.autumnville.com - read back a few posts re advice on what not to do with insurance companies in the case of water damage.
And I'm a notorious turnonandleave/forget/floodthehouse person. It's a sign of a mind absorbed with higher things.
We had a leak in the shower upstairs and it caused a spot on the ceiling downstairs. No biggie because the damage wasn't extensive, we just let it dry and painted over it!
I am notorious for running water for dishes, going to throw clothes in the washer, and then getting distracted by the children, and coming back to find the makings a a small sudsy flood. It's just a matter of being human and having too many irons in the fire. It sounds like you got some good suggestions on the ceiling. Take care.
Okay, weird, weird, weird. I have been checking your blog everyday via the link on my site, since Feb 15, but there were no updates, which I thought was very strange because you are a VERY regular updater...I even left a second comment, cause I was wondering where the heck you went. Then today, I try once again for the heck of it, only to discover a million new posts since that date. I say WEIRD. I did get a fun time catching up and printed out two Newsweek articles. Still can't figure out what happened. But it was nice to have the huge dose of fresh Mel at once. :)
-Rebecca
I bet it will dry. Yes. Yes, it surely will just dry up. We have had more plumbing troubles than you could shake a stick at, and they have ALL just dried up, leaving those lovely stains on the ceiling. I just wish that yellow spotted ceilings would be featured on a home improvement show, and catch on all over the world.
I had a birthday party for my 78 year old mother at my house Sunday. 90 minutes is sounding better to me everyday for ALL parties!
I learn so much from you Mel! But, I am jealous! I want to be your new best friend...
I am just super impressed that you go so much done that day! Okay, so you flooded the bathroom....but look at all the wonderful things you got done while you were flooding it out! I would never accomplish that much in so little time!
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