On Plumbing

This week I had two preliminary conversations about two different jobs and one real, in-person interview that went fairly well. I would say that that was a good week, except right now I'm wondering how long one (namely, me) can go without going to the bathroom before one (namely, me) gets hurt.

This morning Sam woke me up around 7am to say good bye when we heard a very loud "bubble" coming from the hall bathroom. Imagine the noise a REALLY LARGE water cooler would make if it made a bubbling noise. Over the next 40-minutes it became apparent that both toilets were clogged and dirty water was coming up from the drains in the bathtub in the "master" bath and the shower stall in the hall bath which then promptly overflowed onto the floor and then out to the hall carpet. After many panicked calls to the landlord and much pleading he informed me that a real plumber, not his surly old father, would be here between 9am and noon. So right now the cats and I are camped out in my bedroom. I have brought their food and water in here along with their litter box that I just saw Mae (thankfully!) use successfully. (Camping out in here is the only way I can ensure they don't play with the dirty water in either of the bathrooms or the hallway.) We're not such happy campers here and I'm sure none of you reading this will ever want to come over ever again.

The cleaning people are scheduled to come on Tuesday to help us get ready for my mom's visit (though she just may cancel after reading this) and I am trying to think positively that this will all be worked out by then so the professionals can clean up the mess, but who knows!

Right not I'm just trying to calm my bladder and I am thankful that when Henry woke me up at 4am with a fake puking attack I went to the bathroom!

I know our rent is cheap because this is a family run building which is not professionally managed, but I am starting to doubt the wisdom of that choice.

**UPDATE**
Apparently 6 hours is as long as I can go without going to the bathroom. Against my better judgment I went in the "master" bathroom, flushed and then quickly plunged. It does not seem to have made anything worse and I certainly feel much better. Though still totally grossed out. For more "Jamie on Toilets" fun click here.

**UPDATE 2**
Plumber has arrived.

**UPDATE 3**
The plumber is really nice and making progress by snaking from the garage/basement. He says that none of the fixtures are blocked but the sewer line out of the building is. He says we share that line with the people above us (the same people we park next to who have dinged our cars on a number of occasions and who supposedly had a "robbery" when money was stolen out of a drawer (but nothing else was taken) in their unlocked apartment shortly after we moved in). He also recommends we don't flush our kittie litter and he said he would keep that recommendation "just between us" so we didn't get in trouble with the landlords.

**FINAL UPDATE**
I have bleached the tar out of everything bleacable in the master bath. I am not getting in the shower to do the same to my body. I have called the cleaning people to come tomorrow rather than Tuesday. Hopefully this is the end of it. Famous last words.