JEEBUS FRIES!

I'm back from Tok. It was good to see everyone again. My uncle got his questions about why I don't have a boyfriend out of the way early, so at least I didn't have to worry about that. That's not to say he stopped teasing me, of course, because that'll never happen.

The party was fun. I didn't know a lot of the people, but it was good to see the ones that I did know, and I haven't seen my grandma in a couple years at least. She'll be 94 next month.

I went outside with the kids at some point to watch them on the playground. About 11 years ago, my aunt and uncle took on a foster child from the village there. So, while I'm not blood relatives with many people in that area, I'm my foster cousin's cousin, thus I'm related to everyone in her family, and everyone in that village is related to everyone else.

One of the girls (she looked about 10) asked, "Are you our auntie or our cousin?"

I started to explain what I said above, then realized that was stupid, and said, "Just call me cousin."

A few minutes later (and here's a blow to my pride) she called to me, "Will you catch Shirrai on the slide, Granny?"

I blinked. "Cousin."

"Oh, yeah!"

Heh. I know she's just used to talking to Granny and it wasn't anything personal, but it gave me a little pause. I was introducing myself to the kids by my name, but then it occurred to me that they don't call their elders by their names ANYWAY, no matter that I'm not really an elder - they call them all "Auntie" or "Uncle" or "Cousin" or "Granny."

My cousin John (who is just finishing up 4th grade) did pretty good at the party. Being surrounded by people who are primarily at least 18 years older than you can get tiring for a kid. But by the time 4 o'clock rolled around, and the party was winding down and people started getting tired, he was lying on the couch in the corner moaning repeatedly into a pillow "I. WANNA. GO. HOME. I. WANNA. GO. HOME." I told him a couple times that, since his mom was the one who coordinated the party and had to clean up and close down the Center afterward, it would probably be a while before he could go home, but that didn't deter him. It got a little embarrassing when there was a lag in the conversation and we could clearly hear his voice throughout the room. His mom ended up taking him home and then coming back.

Anyway, the real fun came after I got back to my trailer.

The water behind my washer has been running all winter, because the handyman put a "splitter" in. Basically, that means that there's a trickle of water running back there (into a pipe) all the time, to keep the pipes from freezing. Most of the time, people here have to leave a trickle of water going from their kitchen or bathroom faucet in the wintertime. Frozen pipes are a bitch. With the splitter, even if I forgot to leave the water going in the sink, the pipes wouldn't freeze because of the water behind the washer.

Anyway, I got home and wandered into the bedroom (which shares a wall with the bathroom) and stepped into a wet spot about the size of my fist.

"Oh dear," mused I.

I had noticed that spot being damp before (not wet) but assumed it was just a little condensation, because it didn't seem to stay damp all the time.

I went behind the washer and tried to turn off the water using the valve. It wouldn't turn off no matter how I twisted it - I could still hear it running. I thought maybe it just had to run itself out, so I took a shower, then tried again. Nothing. So I went into my bedroom - and the wet spot had grown! It was now 2 wet spots, and they were getting bigger!

"Oh, my," thought I.

So I called my good friend getting_weary, because her husband owns a plumbing store. She called his cell and had him stop by on the way home from work.

Long story short, after stopping by and trying to figure out what was wrong, he diagnosed it as a pinhole leak behind the vanity with the sink, not the washer. But the water still wouldn't shut off! And the shutoff valve is beneath the trailer! AND THE "ACCESS PANEL"* IS STUFFED WITH CARPET PADDING AND BOARDED UP! WITH BOARDS! AND SCREWS! AND A REALLY BIGASS SPIDER!

So he unscrewed the thing and shut off the water.

Meanwhile, I had talked to my landlord (who is in California at the moment) and left a message for her handyman.

At least the lake in my bedroom isn't growing anymore. But there is no water.

A CONUNDRUM!

But never fear, my WONDERFUL friend getting_weary and her WONDERFUL husband who doesn't have an LJ but is, in fact, The Real Handy Man, are letting me stay with them tonight, and my landlord's handyman will be taking a look at my trailer tomorrow morning.

So. Yeah. How was your weekend?

*The access panel is supposed to be easily accessible - The Real Handy Man informed me that the one on their trailer is a little door with hinges. The one on MY trailer is more like a jagged hole plugged with soft materials (which themselves are glued to the trailer with squirt-on foam stuff) and then boards. Because EVERY PROBLEM HAS THE CAPABILITY OF BEING AN ADVENTURE! And we mustn't make the access panel too ACCESSIBLE, after all, THAT'S NOT WHAT IT'S THERE FOR!