By now, you've probably seen my and others' reviews of Indiana Jones [4] and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as well as other recent genre movies. On Sunday, 25 May 2008, Janice and I successfully recaulked our tub and sink. We still need to repaint the bathroom in our duplex.
The next week started out inauspiciously. On Memorial Day, Janice and I noticed that a water stain above our kitchen sink was growing. We had suspected that the toilet, which was directly above, was leaking, but the situation became more urgent as the paint discolored, cracked, bubbled, and finally began dripping.
We put in an emergency telephone call to our landlord and were directed by its answering service to our usual handyman. He promised to come look at the problem the next day. In the meantime, however, we were reluctant to use the shower or toilet, so I made a reservation at a nearby Sheraton hotel.
Once we got there, however, we found another problem: Instead of reserving a room in Needham, Massachusetts, the central booking agency had reserved a room in Newton, Mass.! Fortunately, the misunderstanding was quickly cleared up, but as nice as our room was on such short notice, it still wasn't how we had planned to end the holiday weekend.
On Tuesday, May 27, we returned to work. On my way home, heavy rains flooded out Route 9 east, and to make matters worse, the "check engine" light came on while I was stuck in traffic. I had to bring the 1998 Honda Civic coupe to Direct Tire and Auto in Natick, Mass., the next morning, and the warning turned out to be a gas vent-seal problem that was easily remedied (but still cost $85).
Although my kitchen ceiling still needs to be repaired, the toilet seal seems to be better. The short workweek felt tentative, and CW's copy desk will be shorthanded through June because of various vacations. Fortunately, the following weekend went much better.
Next time: Virginia visit!
Gene's Worlds 
