pigstyblogger
New Member
Fighting my own little war on grime, one insurgent at a time.
Joined: February 2009
Posts: 45
|
Hiya!
Feb 25, 2009 2:41:14 GMT -5
Post by pigstyblogger on Feb 25, 2009 2:41:14 GMT -5
Just wanted to say Hi, and let some of the great people I met at Squalor Survivors know I'm still out and about. And dealing with my squalor-ish tendencies.
I used to post at Squalor Survivors as pigstyblogger (IIRC), so no big change there. Of course, with me, something has to set off my desire to post, and this time it is the same old war on grime I go through once every year or two. In the meantime of course, I don't actually keep things all that clean, though I try now and then since joining Squalor Survivors. Nope. It just builds up and builds up until something lets loose, such as the plumbing problem I originally had back in the day when I first went to Survivors. The same problem that now, two or three years later, has happened again.
Last time, for those not in the know, I had my usual apartment full up of trash. I'm not, I think, a hoarder per se. Just a procrastinator. I look at the trash I should take out and say, "I can get that another day." Then, as you know, a month goes by and I realize the floors need vacuumed. Again, "I've got trash on the floor. I'll vacuum after I've cleaned that up, and I'll do that another day." You know the drill. So at that time I had at least a year or two of trash to go out. I don't quite recall how many trash bags I took out over the course of a week, but it was something like 20 to 30.
Tonight oh... about two hours ago, my plumbing let loose. Something clogged up down in the main drain, and although my bathtub and toilet drain without issues, my kitchen and bathroom sinks refuse to drain. Instead, the water now accumulates and overflows. For a while it was overflowing in some vent pipe in the kitchen, but now it just fills up my bathroom sink. (The drains for my sinks are connected. Well connected. They know the sinks of BOTH my upstairs neighbors too!)
Last time, I spent a week cleaning my apartment and scooping water from the bathroom sink to the bathtub. Tonight, I decided... after mopping up what I could, "To heck with that!" (though I used more colorful words), and went to see my upstairs neighbors.
First the Hindus who live directly above me. When I told them that any time they use their sinks, the water ends up on my floor, and would you please for the love of all that's holy not use any sink faucets until my problem is solved, the guy looked at me like I was asking him to slaughter his infant children. I *hope* he will do as I ask. If he doesn't, I'm going to complain VERY loudly.
The neighbors above him, an older American couple, who I had to wake up when they, I'm sure, had just gotten to sleep, seemed to comprehend and understand the problem, and I trust that they won't be using the sinks.
Okay... so that done, I tackle the next problem. Calling the "emergency" number. My place is messy as hell, but I don't like plumbing problems. I hate them. And it isn't so bad that I can't clean a good enough portion of it up tonight. Emergency number goes to voicemail. I leave a message and hope they get back to me. They do.
I inform the man of the problem, tell him that, despite the fact that my upstairs neighbors have been told not to use the sinks, I am still getting a very slow output of water and would he please do something about it. Hopefully, now. Apparently, my landlord doesn't believe in paying extra for any service, even emergencies, so he decides to run a wet dry vac over to me and call Roto-Rooter, and they will come tomorrow morning. Joy of joys. Either my landlord is a penny pinching champ, or Roto-Rooter doesn't do emergencies.
He's on his way, and I have trash to clean up. In under thirty minutes I have at least four kitchen bags of trash full. He shows up, I show him the problem. He leaves the vac, mumbles a bit, looks at the weird plumbing in my kitchen, and leaves. After that I bag up five more kitchen bags, and have now got the place just looking messy rather than trashy. I've decided there's no way I'm running the shop-vac, not after 1AM in the morning. Despite my misgivings about my immediate upstairs neighbors, they don't deserve the noise that will put out at this time of night. Not to mention the neighbors I share a wall, rather than a ceiling/floor, with. They certainly don't deserve the noise.
I'm very likely going to stay up another couple hours and bag up more trash, maybe try to make the place look somewhat cleaner, then I'm going to see about some sleep. Of course, that sink is still filling, albeit slowly, and I'm sure I'll end up waking up to the one sound that makes me cringe. The sound of water overflowing a sink and spilling onto the floor. It'll probably wake me more than once.
The good news? My apartment is cleaner in under two hours of desperate work than it has been in two years. Maybe another day or two of work and It'll actually be really nice in here. But if I know me, I'll just procrastinate again. Maybe not immediately, but surely by the time it's nice and clean, I'll look at it when I make a mess and start saying: "I can get that another day."
So, yeah. What an introduction, huh?
|
|
pigstyblogger
New Member
Fighting my own little war on grime, one insurgent at a time.
Joined: February 2009
Posts: 45
|
Hiya!
Feb 25, 2009 4:31:08 GMT -5
Post by pigstyblogger on Feb 25, 2009 4:31:08 GMT -5
Update: Two more kitchen bags somewhat filled and thrown out. The bathroom sink now has the wonderful tendency to fill up an hour after I use the ancient, cruddy, rarely-touched mop to evacuate said liquid. At least now the water is clear and clean looking, rather than the wonderful black greasy fluid that came out at first. I have a wonderful picture now of what food looks like after it's fermented, rotted, and generally transformed into muck in one's drain pipes. It looks like tonight is not going to be a good night for sleep, but after 11 kitchen trash bags that should've been taken out one at a time over the past year, I don't have the energy to do much more than vegetate in front of the computer or the TV until the maintenance guy shows up with roto-rooter tomorrow morning. Or would that be this morning?
I think on that number, 11 kitchen bags, and I count my blessings that it's only me in the apartment cluttering things up. I also count my blessings that I no longer drink soda from a can. I was drinking just filtered water for a while after my last run in with plumbing hell and the squalor insurgents. Then I started buying 2 liter bottles and drinking them. A slight improvement, but I think my waistline disagrees.
Back to that number. 11 kitchen bags. One per month or two. We'll call it one per month to be on the safe side (I have taken out SOME trash over the past two years). And of course, my computer room probably has a bag or two in it that could be vacated.
11 kitchen bags, in less than two hours of work. (Counting break times it would be four hours now. But I'm not counting break times.) Two whole intimidating mindless hours of work... for a year or two of trash. I feel three things. Idiocy, for having put off something so trivial for so long. Relief, that it was "only that much... how much worse could it have been?" Knowing full well that the level of squalor I live in means only very little, and that my, only-so-much would be another's at-least-it-isn't-that-bad. And Blessings. Every once in a while I pray to God to get me to clean up my place. And tonight he answered my prayer. Isn't there a saying? "Never look a gift horse in the mouth." Thus I call it a blessing. Thank You, God, for giving me the kick in the butt I needed to make me sensitive to my squalor again.
|
|
pigstyblogger
New Member
Fighting my own little war on grime, one insurgent at a time.
Joined: February 2009
Posts: 45
|
Hiya!
Feb 25, 2009 9:50:43 GMT -5
Post by pigstyblogger on Feb 25, 2009 9:50:43 GMT -5
Update 2: Maintenance guy (the second one, the one that actually seems to know what he's doing and care) showed up with roto-rooter. After I had been asleep for maybe an hour and a half. How do I know the time? Cause the bathroom sink was a quarter of an inch from full. Before that I had gotten maybe thirty minutes of sleep.
My eyes are nice and burning, and I'd like to get extra stuff done, but I have maybe 2 hours of sleep before I have to go to work. I'm almost afraid of going to sleep, 'cause it'll mean almost certainly that I'll oversleep. And work doesn't get itself done. Another thing to thank God for: I am part owner of my business, and my partners are understanding of my squalorish tendencies, and especially understanding of plumbing nightmares.
After I informed him, by request, that the previous night's maintenance man showed up about 30 minutes after I called, this maintenance guy asks me why the guy from last night didn't call roto-rooters out last night. I almost die laughing... took them maybe ten minutes to get the clog, and they would've done it last night. I tell him he'll have to ask his counterpart himself, that despite the messiness, I would've let any plumber with a powered plumber's auger in. Ah well. Next time, if I don't decide to move before there is a next time, I'll just say, it's messy as hell... but send roto rooter dangit.
Now to see if I can't get and keep the place clean!
If you made it this far through my ramblings, congratulations! And thank you!
|
|
|
Hiya!
Feb 25, 2009 10:17:13 GMT -5
Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Feb 25, 2009 10:17:13 GMT -5
- Just a procrastinator. I look at the trash I should take out and say, "I can get that another day." Then, as you know, a month goes by and I realize the floors need vacuumed. Again, "I've got trash on the floor. I'll vacuum after I've cleaned that up, and I'll do that another day." You know the drill. I am very much like this ! Welcome brother! I remember you from Squalor Survivors! I just read your three posts in this thread. Awesome job on confronting your trash and calling for the plumber! -
|
|
|
Hiya!
Feb 25, 2009 11:50:35 GMT -5
Post by autumn on Feb 25, 2009 11:50:35 GMT -5
Congratulations!
|
|
|
Hiya!
Feb 26, 2009 0:27:56 GMT -5
Post by 123jake on Feb 26, 2009 0:27:56 GMT -5
Hi, I'm new. I also live in an apartment and despite my efforts to clean up, I still end up in the same boat. I have had problems with my heater, but I'm too embarassed to ask the manager to come in and fix it. Right now I have piles of stinky trash - also nicely bagged and ready to go out - but no, it's just sitting there. Like you said, "I can get it another day."
Once I had a leak from upstairs too and I had to deal with it myself until I could get my place cleaned up enough to let the manager in. Another time, I called the police with concerns about a sick, mentally ill neighbour and they came INTO my place. I was so embarassed by the mess.
Congrats for getting it under control. It sounds like we both need to learn to KEEP it under control.
Hope to hear more from you. Sharon
|
|
pigstyblogger
New Member
Fighting my own little war on grime, one insurgent at a time.
Joined: February 2009
Posts: 45
|
Hiya!
Feb 26, 2009 4:10:09 GMT -5
Post by pigstyblogger on Feb 26, 2009 4:10:09 GMT -5
Thanks! Well, went to sleep after work at about 7 or 8 at night. Woke up half an hour ago, so I just got a decent 6 or 7 hours of sleep, which is good. I just realized one of the things that helped me the most last time I dealt with this: Pictures. I've decided that I'm going to walk around my apartment and take photos of all of the stuff I need to clean up. Even in the spots I don't worry about when people inevitably have to enter my private littel fortress of solitude.
|
|
|
Hiya!
Feb 26, 2009 4:14:20 GMT -5
Post by valor on Feb 26, 2009 4:14:20 GMT -5
Welcome back! Glad you were able to get some sleep after all the hassle.
|
|
|
Hiya!
Feb 26, 2009 14:45:11 GMT -5
Post by lorrainemondo on Feb 26, 2009 14:45:11 GMT -5
Welcome back, pigstyblogger!
I remember your posts from the olden times. I enjoyed reading the play by play then and did again this time, too.
You may be like me and simply "turn on" under pressure. At rest I don't get much done, but under pressure I sure do.
You had your place cleaner in 2 hours than it had been for 2 years! I hope you think of an appropriate way to celebrate.
Lorraine
|
|
|
Hiya!
Feb 26, 2009 16:46:42 GMT -5
Post by annieblue on Feb 26, 2009 16:46:42 GMT -5
Hey I thought you had said the roto guy was coming on MONDAY (my bad,) so that's why I said Monday over on the other thread. Woooooo on being back in the happy sink zone! And PLEASE, everyone, don't forget that the utility people have truly seen it ALL in their line of work. They really don't care BEANS about the condition of your place. Just tell them you are working on it & let 'em in! We all already have enough to struggle with. It makes no sense to let our pride cause another struggle to be added to the mix - as in appliances or plumbing or heating being shot & us not taking the steps to get them fixed. We don't need to run down the street EAGER to greet more struggles coming up the road! We really don't. Kudos to you, PB, for nipping this in the bud & going after the fix! Next time, if there is a next time, tell your concerns about what some utility guy might think to take a hike! Welcome Back & Best To You, Blue ps: KEEP COMING BACK
|
|
|
Hiya!
Feb 26, 2009 22:57:37 GMT -5
Post by crazycatlady on Feb 26, 2009 22:57:37 GMT -5
Welcome back, Pigstyblogger. I used to check your blog sometimes, but lost the link when my puter crashed. I'm glad to hear that you have been able to clean up quicker this time around.
Hmmm...two hours, for two years of trash. Is that about 5 minutes a month?!? I'm sure that I spend way more time here....maybe it IS more efficient to let it pile up for a while!?!
|
|
pigstyblogger
New Member
Fighting my own little war on grime, one insurgent at a time.
Joined: February 2009
Posts: 45
|
Hiya!
Feb 26, 2009 23:11:15 GMT -5
Post by pigstyblogger on Feb 26, 2009 23:11:15 GMT -5
Welcome back, Pigstyblogger. I used to check your blog sometimes, but lost the link when my puter crashed. I'm glad to hear that you have been able to clean up quicker this time around.
Hmmm...two hours, for two years of trash. Is that about 5 minutes a month?!? I'm sure that I spend way more time here....maybe it IS more efficient to let it pile up for a while!?! Oh please, no... don't say that. I'd much rather have gone the less efficient route, myself. See... after that two hours I had a night of making sure the sink didn't overflow. Had my place been clean I would've ranted and raved and probably called roto-rooter myself and sent the bill to my landlord the next day. Possibly in person. I would've gotten sleep, and peace of mind. Also, that 2 hours is just for taking out trash. Still rather unkempt in my apartment. Need to usurp the vacuum cleaner from work (my home one isn't anywhere near as powerful as my business one), need to actually clean all of the rooms. Need to wash down counters and bathroom tiles and other shiny surfaces. Cobwebs need to be evicted. Books need organization. Clothes need to be either thrown away or washed. Dust needs to be wiped off. I'm betting 2 hours doesn't come close to what I'll need to get the place completely clean. However... now I'm off to take more insurgents out to the dumpster.
|
|
|
Hiya!
Feb 27, 2009 3:09:02 GMT -5
Post by creativechaos on Feb 27, 2009 3:09:02 GMT -5
congratulations on this great work, pigstyblogger! i have enjoyed reading this thread and following your progress! as a hoarder, i have trouble throwing anything out so am awed at the amount of trash you got rid of! WTG getting rid of your insurgents!
|
|
|
Hiya!
Feb 27, 2009 19:42:40 GMT -5
Post by crazycatlady on Feb 27, 2009 19:42:40 GMT -5
I hear ya, Pigstyblogger. It can be hard to keep on keeping on after the initial rush to clean....but DO IT! It is so nice to have a clean home!
I sure do wish that only doing certain household chores every two years would be enough! !
|
|