Gratuitous Domestic Posting

Regular readers must by now, of course, know that I am very, very happy as a family man. So I'm sure nobody will take it the wrong way when I suggest that perhaps there are some advantages to bachelorhood.

To wit.

For one thing, you can be pretty sure that somebody else isn't going to both clog the downstairs loo and, at the same time, not flush it properly, thereby allowing the water to keep running. You can also be pretty sure that such clogging and flushing activity will not suddenly cause monsoon season to set in from the ceiling of your Former Fortress of Solitude directly below said loo. And - this is the kicker - you can be pretty sure that this chain of events will not suddenly become known to you as you are trying to work out on the treadmill, necessitating the need to scramble for plunger and towels while gasping for breath and sweating like an ox.

For another thing, you can be pretty sure that you won't suddenly discover -when you're already running late in the morning - that one of your (very few) suit jackets has been caught up in a Salvation Army closet sweep and whisked away.

Just sayin'.

Lemonade From Lemons Handed You By Life Update: Of course, the upside of the second episode is that I can buy a new suit, something I've been thinking about for a while. I'm still looking for an upside to the first.

Update Deux: In the comments, our pal Lintenfiniel Jen asks what I mean by flushing properly. It's a legitimate question that warrants answering here. You see, the downstairs loo requires a quick, sharp plunge of the handle followed by an immediate release. If you flush slowly or hold the handle down for any length of time, the stopper will not seal properly on the outflow pipe. As a result, the tank never fills, the little bulb never floats up and the inflow valve is never cut off. This is just an annoyance when there's no blockage but, as noted above, can contribute to the Perfect Storm under the right circs.

I've informed the ladies of Orgle Manor about this little quirk time and time again, but of course nobody ever listens to Ol' Dad anyway, so why would a bulletin on this valueable piece of homeowner knowledge be treated any differently?