Murphy, that rascal, returns

  You might wonder what that poster has to do with Murphy, well read on my friend.  It has been exactly one week ago that we experienced  our main sewer line clogging and this morning as Jerry showered I heard the downstairs toilet gurgling.  Sure enough, new week, same problem.  The plumber says he can be here about 2 o"clock so we wait and wonder.  Last week we toughed it out on Sunday and waited until Monday afternoon for a plumber;  Jerry rented a snake from the hardware store and used drain unclogger chemicals to no avail  and just when it seemed like the plumber could find nothing in our over 100 foot sewer drain, paydirt (or dirt of another kind.)

We have 2 sewer drains on this house, and the biggest is clogging. We remain suspicious that this is a result  from our recent company who may have  flushed things  that we do not....think 13 year old girl for one and you can figure the rest out.    Apparently the  original culprit was not all cleared.  But we can use the downstairs shower and sink and we have the motor home for potty needs (ala an outhouse run!).  Having never had these troubles in the  7 years we have lived here, it is frustrating. 

While at the computer,  I heard gurgling, which was the backing up, shower water was backing into that downstairs toilet and I bailed.   It can always be worse and we will manage.  As we said last night with friends, while on this side of the grass, what's to complain? 

I had intended to spend today reconfiguring our wifi and really learning my new Samsung III smart phone and tablet...but Murphy said, "not so very fast there pardner'...not so fast.... If you don't know Murphy, consider yourself lucky.  Murphy even has a website for all Murphy's laws in one place   http://www.murphys-laws.com/     His law, and I maintain Murphy is/was a he, is usually stated as: "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong".  And so given that we can expect the unexpected to occur,  or it's always something as Roseanne Anna Danna wailed.    

Wikipedia has quite a bit of information about Murphy.  According to the book A History of Murphy's Law by author Nick T. Spark, differing recollections years later by various participants make it impossible to pinpoint who first coined the saying Murphy's law. The law's name supposedly stems from an attempt to use new measurement devices developed by the eponymous Edward Murphy.  Edward Aloysius Murphy, Jr. (January 11, 1918 – July 17, 1990) was an American aerospace engineer who worked on safety-critical systems. The phrase was coined in adverse reaction to something Murphy said when his devices failed to perform and was eventually cast into its present form prior to a press conference some months later — the first ever (of many) conferences given by Dr. John Stapp, a U.S. Air Force colonel and Flight Surgeon in the 1950s. The phrase first received public attention when Stapp was asked how it was that nobody had been severely injured during the rocket sled tests. Stapp replied that it was because they always took Murphy's Law under consideration; he then summarized the law and said that in general, it meant that it was important to consider all the possibilities (possible things that could go wrong) before doing a test and act to counter them."  And we thought engineers had no sense of humor!

I intend to master my new techie toys prior to our journey to PA for my 50th high school reunion, a master event for which planning  has been underway most of this year.  It is a two night event, casual Friday with pizza and  banquet dinner and music Saturday evening.  I am excited as we are going to celebrate ourselves, survivors, we have made it.  While I  am disappointed that so many of my friends from elementary grades are opting out, that will be their loss.  I do not understand  disinterest from the locals who have no cost to travel etc.  Well, some people just don"t see the significance of  celebrating milestones.  Some people complain about the cost, but they have had plenty of time to set aside some money for this, and some people simply are not interested, I suppose.  The curiosity would lure me if nothing else if I lived there and as it is, this is my first reunion since the 10th, the only other one I made.  There are even those who did not graduate with us who are attending, either they moved or they are wanna bes of our Ken Hi class of 62. 

Front of the tshirt.

I pulled out my Pittsburghese t-shirt which I purchased many years ago on a visit home, when I wear it anywhere but PA nobody appreciates it.    It has many of the dialectic phrases I will be hearing.  I really should alter it as I prefer a scooped neck, more tailored look instead of  these men's style.  I had already shortened it because it is a rather large and long size, the only one they had.  All my tasks and  'shoulds" amuse Murphy who always brings another plan...but be of good cheer, because it came to pass not to stay and we can get through this too.  It is best to hold onto optimism and or at least humor when all else fails. 



Back of tshirt

 As my old Uncle John said, "everything will be a funny story someday so we might as well laugh now" followed by, "nobody likes a moaner anyway..." Laugh and the world laughs with you, whine and you cry alone!   And this is how Murphy, plumbing and Pittsburghese makes it to the blog today...