Its the plumber...he's come to fix the pipes!

It’s the plumber…… he’s come to fix the pipes!

When starting out in choosing a career, it has often been said that we as civilized human beings have, and will always need two basic services. Plumbing…….. and eventually… an undertaker. Without these professions life as we know it would literally “go to the dogs”.

Plumbing problems could very easily be hassle free, if as a consumer, you made the right choices.  But human nature has a way of derailing these so called “right choices” and hard lessons have been learnt. Things like, fixing it yourself… or “my uncle has a cousin who can help….” can cause serious and costly plumbing damage at a later stage. A quick fix is never or should never be a choice when dealing with plumbing.

Take a moment to consider how much of your civilized life is dependent on functional plumbing. Choose a company that has a state licence and is fully insured. The license number should look similar to this example: CFC 3456. As a consumer this allows you the peace of mind that the person you hired is qualified to do the job and if something should go wrong, you are protected from any unforeseen costs.

These licensed companies offer qualified and screened employees for the safely of yourself and your family. They come with fully equipped and stocked trucks and guarantee fast, affordable service. They accept jobs of all sizes ranging from minor drain blockages to major disaster management. These include sewer lines and even under slab leak detection.  Other services offered by these state licensed plumbing companies include the restoration of old plumbing, installations and even complete bathroom and kitchen remodelling.

The pricing quota is based on the individual job and most companies will offer you a free quotation but it is important to ask the receptionist when phoning if the company does indeed offer a free quotation service. Some companies may charge you a quotation call out fee to cover the employee travelling costs but this is mostly the case when dealing with smaller companies rather than with larger more stable companies. Prices may vary depending on the age of the existing plumbing (if the job building is very old it may be harder for the plumber to get to the problem), the labour required to get to the actual pipes and what may have to be repaired or in the worst case scenario replaced. It is always wise to ask for a complete breakdown of costs with the cost of labour and merchandise separate. This way, you can ensure that you are not overcharged for a simple job or an easily acquired plumbing part.

Simply said; make wise, educated choices when dealing with your home or work plumbing repairs and use companies that are licensed and insured and that have systems in place to protect you as the consumer.  After all plumbing repairs are an important part of everyday life as we know it and a good plumber is an investment not an expense.

The Concept of Death

It is unfortunate that this article is inspired by the death of my nephew Mark  and I suppose this is my way of coping with the idea that I will never see him again. It occurred to me that I  don't handle the concept of death well.... This I think is understandable, because death is not real until it happens. Only then is the thin veil of denial stripped away and the naked reality of death is revealed.
What is left...... is an aching emptiness in your chest and a constricted feeling in your throat. The thought that you will never see that person again, never hear their voice again. Someone will have to deactivate his facebook profile. His name will no longer be on any attendance lists. You know... like oh..and...Mark and Jason.  We have lost a very young member of our family and its a really tough one to swallow.
The worst part about death is that you can never be prepared for it. There is nothing you can do to make the situation better, or to influence it in a positive way...... death is final.  One of the first things I thought when I heard the news....was that I take my family for granted. I find it very difficult to maintain family relationships and when a family member dies it immediately makes you think about how much you actually do love your family....

Take it from me.......

Life is precious and time is fleeting. You may not have much time in this life but at the same time you will have all the time in the world. Use your time wisely, leave space in your life for living..... Love your family and friends regardless of your differences and treasure those that make you feel.

......................because.......................................in the words of my grandfather..........................

                                                  " Time and Tide waits for no man..........."

The Value of Value

I spent most of the day thinking about value. Its a complex subject because when you start to analyse valuable, one realises that value comes in more than one form. It all started months ago when my ex fiance` and I broke up and I said that I wanted the microwave. You see, back in my single days....I had only one domestic item to my name and that was a microwave that had been given to me as a birthday present. In my life at that time, this microwave symbolised two main things:

• That I was grown up and had started building a house for myself
• The most valuable appliance in my house.

So when I moved in with Prince Charming and brought the symbol of my single life into our kitchen, he questioned the necessity of bringing my (quite broken by then) microwave into our new life. I realised that at that point...the value of my broken, noisy appliance was not tangible asset it had once been but was rather an abstract one. The value had changed. It was no longer valuable in monetary terms but it was the last shred of my independence and the product of my cold feet.... Anyway....eventually after we were engaged and he had promised to love me and look after me.....did I eventually relent to give up the microwave.

 Ironically....we broke up two or three months later...
And needless to say..... I took the new microwave.

 He put up quite a bit of a fuss, but relented to give it to me in the end after one of my award winning arguments. I was adamant! I left that relationship victorious with a brand spanking new Microwave (much nicer than the one I had) and..... a purple sex carpet! It was a symbol of my strength. Of my ability to carry on in the face of adversity and was very valuable to me. 

But months later, after it had been standing in the kitchen collecting dust because I have not cooked anything since we broke up, I suddenly looked at it one day and decided that I did not want it anymore and that I did not want to look at it. But .......what I did want...was hair extensions....

I loaded the microwave into the car, sold it for peanuts at non other than Cash Converters and bought hair extensions...and you know what?  As I was doing it I had to laugh at the absurdity of it all.  What is valuable today is worthless tomorrow not because value is unreliable but because are.

Do you want to be a vampire?

I'm not really the Vampire Diaries kinda girl but when you are broke and bored....one will stoop to all kinds of entertainment levels. And this is how I ended up watching the full season of Vampire Diaries (1)  twice! Yes...it was pretty bad... But it was during this marathon that the strangest thing occurred to me. And I must warn you in advance...its a stretch...but humour me for a moment.
Vampires are controlled by the lust for blood. they need it to survive but at the same time have an almost love/hate relationship to it. It borders on primal sexual bonds that can not be explained.

 I often get asked if I would want to be a vampire and my standard answer is no. I could not imagine the agony of living this life over and over again. Realistically, we would experience an existential crisis for centuries! Its torture! Having to watch everyone you know die, being completely alone for the rest of time. Why would I sign up for that!? I mean, Come on! Not to mention that you will never breath again, never taste anything other than blood again.... Everything you value and love will die or disappear through the ages and eventually all beauty will be gone. Its really not anything to envy...and yet when I answer no to the dreaded Vampire question I always get the most astonished looks!

So knowing my stance on Vampirism, you will understand how desperate I was when I watched this particular series but...... mid-series...like any good philosopher should...I started to question. And it went something like this:

• I am a waitress on weekends and it occurred to me that most people eat steaks rare or medium rare. Ideally this is how one should eat a fillet steak. We have conditioned ourselves to eat bloodly meat.
• The human species is carnivorous and sometimes cannibalistic.
• Due to the power shift in patriarchy, meat has become a symbol of power. The man must bring home the bacon!
• Ironically....the female body craves iron once a month. Iron which is easily found in a nice juicy steak!

And.... we are only half way through my argument! It gets better! If you agree with me, that the above is correct....and if not correct...at least plausible.... Then the following could also be plausible...

• There is no substitute to blood, its valuable because we cant recreate it. Blood is becoming more and more valuable as we progress further into "civilization". Predictably, in the future, blood will become a commodity. Link this idea to the taste humans have for meat and if taken away will create a blood lust hunger for blood.
•  The human mind is capable of the most perverse ideologies..
• And if this is even plausible the after effects could be the very point of insanity. A love/hate relationship for everything that lives.

Can you imagine living with that kind of jealously and guilt for centuries?! Its the very heart of darkness...the blackest soul.. Looking at yourself and realising.... YOU are the monster....

So do I want to be a vampire? No. I could not think of anything worse. But.... I have a suspicion that Vampirism is not such a far away concept.. And that we might.....just....get the chance to choose....

Plausible?