Fuel Leak

...well, not a fuel leak. A water leak.

Here's the story this fine Sunday morning. We have no water. Over the last couple of months, we've noticed that we've had this exorbitantly high water bill. Figuring that this was due to summer water usage, we paid the first one. Having reduced our water usage and getting the same results, we paid the second one - but we suspected a leak somewhere in the line. This Wednesday the city was going to come out and perform a leak detection. They would send air into the line and using their tricorder or whatever, would determine the location of the leak. It would be up to us to actually repair it, but the city would give us a discounted bill.

So according to my wife, this morning we have no water at all. She called the city first, and they began a cursory inspection, finding the leak immediately - near an old maple tree. "But," you might ask, "don't they need their roto-rooters and plungers to do that?"

Apparently not. They confirmed the leak by visual inspection. It was that bad.

So now, we have one of Atlanta's fine plumbers to come out here and look at the leak and hopefully, repair it. Ruth did all of this while I was asleep, as I generally sleep until 10 am. Wow.

We've not had good luck with plumbers. There was one plumber we used to use a lot - if you knew how old this house was, you'd be surprised - but he seemed half in-the-can and when repairing our sewer line dug up the entire front yard to do it. Once we got the bill, I told Ruth I didn't want to use that guy again.

That is why, this morning, I'm waiting for random chance to deliver us a plumber. Oh, yes, and I'm hungry. And I've started Weight Watchers again and am re-disciplining myself. I lost 44 pounds and have...oh, about 44 pounds to go before I get to George Clooney handsome. Selah. So what I want to do is springboard this water disaster into a chance to go out to eat. Which I shouldn't be doing - a bowl of cereal makes a fine breakfast - but I want to go out. Get it?

Incidentally, this evening the Atlanta Dream will be playing the Seattle Storm in Game One of the WNBA Finals. I've planned my entire day around that game because I'm a huge Atlanta Dream fan. The game is on ABC at 3 pm where it will be undoubtedly buried under the start of the NFL's regular season. Whereas Atlanta drives to Pittsburgh to meet the Steelers at Heinz Field, San Francisco flies to Seattle to take on the mighty Seahawks. For most Seattleites, the Storm/Dream game will be the second-most important sporting event taking place in their city that day.

What did someone say about success? "I don't know the secret of success, but I know the secret of failure: trying to please everybody." The WNBA, in their attempt to please both the NBA and women's college basketball by not competing directly with either organization - and possibly earning their ire - finds its season wedged in the summer months like a foot wedged in a shoe two sizes too small. After five months of walking, one of the straps breaks and Game One of the WNBA finals is on ABC for the only time this year going up head-to-head against football. I believe this is the only time that a WNBA game will be shown on ABC this year. I don't know whether to applaud or to boo.