There.  Remove the curse.  Please.  Over the last two months here is what has happened… I’ve probably missed a couple…

microwave quit working – only worked on high.  Repair method – slapped it like we used to with TV’s and radios when they hummed or picture went goofy… sometimes the turntable rattles a bit now, but if you whack it again it stops.  Sometimes you just have to swear at it.

TV startup – apparently my Samsung  HiDef TV has faulty capacitors.  Repair method – replace capacitors (about 20 bucks) but try and find them – they are ordered, but I haven’t turned off the TV for a month, cause it probably won’t start again (additional electricity bill $????)

Toilet – don’t flush properly (if at all) Repair method – (none of which have worked) – plunger, sewer snake, remove and reinstall toilet, lots of swearing…

Truck oil leak – oil puddles under the truck .  Repair method – open hood and come to the obvious conclusion I have no idea where to even start looking.  Take to shop and pay the nice people $550.00 to replace a broken oil cooler pipe.

Dish Washer leak – it’s a portable, and eventually will be replaced by a built in, but in the meantime, I don’t want to do them by hand.  Anyway, it leaks where you hook it up to the faucet.  Repair method – it’s a simple washer that needs replacing.  They quit making the repair kits two years ago.  You have to buy the whole assembly for $85.00 now.  Still unresolved, but if I hook it up and unhook it about 20 times (and of course, accompanied by swearing) it will eventually stop leaking…

Computer mouse – it just started working if and when it wanted to.  I think the laser was burning out. Repair method – new mouse.  About 40 dollars ’cause I bought one with extra buttons that I have no idea do.  But it is ergonomically designed.

Computer sound card- been stupid for a long time, but I think it’s still associated with the curse somehow. It has always buzzed and had static, and was always turned almost off so I couldn’t hear the noise.  Repair method – new sound card (cheap one – $65.00) I also bought new cables for the second hard drive, because it would vanish every once in a while.  On the drive where I keep all of my music, so now that I have a sound card, I might as well have music working

Oh yeah, let me reiterate that I think my brother is a really great guy, and very wise, and really good looking (for someone his age… )

I suppose I’m tempting fate with that last little bit…

Anyway, we bought a new lo-water, lo-profile model and all should have been good.  Except for the fact that it actually flushed “#1″ sort of haphazardly, and any deposit you could actually be proud of was at least a double flusher.  All of that made the lo-water, environmentally friendly feature redundant.  The only solution was a “How to Use the Plunger” poster displayed prominently on the bathroom wall.

The fact still remains, it’s a good looking, futuristic toilet. I’m sure if I could hook it up to the internet, or use a USB plug and connect it to my computer, I could download an important update that would actually make it functional.  But alas, www. toilets-R-us.com seems to be down for the moment, so I need to revert to the old fashioned plunger and sewer snake method.  Or perhaps a sledge hammer.

I’m leaning toward the sledge hammer at the moment…

To be more precise, do something destructive. I need a bathroom upstairs, because it’s a long and dangerous walk in the middle of the night to the main floor for a pee. The obvious place (and the only place) is in the closet / hallway.

The fact that there is a couple of walls to remove can be remedied with a sledge hammer, a pry bar,a little ambition and lots and lots of dust.

Now, my original idea was that I would remove the walls, and (remember, there’s no real blueprint here) build a wall about 3 feet from the stairs and install a bathroom on the other side of the wall. I suspect it’s easier to say than it is to do. But, I do need a tentative plan. After all, you can’t just knock down a wall for no reason at all.

Well, you can. It IS sort of fun. Moving on…

As soon as the wall started to come down, I realized that there was a lot more light upstairs, (from the window at the end of the hallway) and I liked the look of the open space at the top of the stairs. In fact, I had suspected that would happen before I broke out the first chunk of plaster.

Reality check.

I need a bathroom upstairs.

The new effect is good too, though…

The dog was no help. He had no opinion except that there was a mess on the stairs that someone needed to clean up.

The more lathe and plaster I removed, the more I questioned my need for a bathroom upstairs.

Finally, the walls were gone. I REALLY like the open feeling.

Reality check #2.

You need a bathroom.

Okay, I need a bathroom. However, upon consideration, that business about privacy is kind of over-rated isn’t it?

To confirm my suspicion, I called my brother. Being clear headed, logical, and the most down to earth, practical guy I know, I knew his view would be valuable, and the only opinion I could trust and respect.

Naturally, he agreed. To a point. He suggested that a room containing a toilet should have a degree of privacy. An easy solution would be a couple of plants on each side of the toilet.

Reality check #3

I need a bathroom upstairs.

It’s probably going to be a whole lot smaller than the original plan, though.