Bathtub, Faucet, Dyson, Light, HVAC

It was just too much in one day. The bath tub drain wasn’t draining - even with a few helpings of Drano; one of the lights above the bathroom sink quit - after just replacing it with a new lightbulb; the kitchen faucet stopped running - even though the batteries were changed just recently for the tap on feature; the Dyson humidifier cleaning cycle notification light came on; and the routine HVAC spring maintenance was due. None of these things are really a problem and are routine issues that you just need to deal with. But when they happen all at one time, it can feel overwhelming - but probably even more annoying. On top of that the water filter in the refrigerator was changed and for whatever reason it now makes a loud grinding sound every time the ice turns. And of course the upstairs neighbor is having some sort of work done that requires non stop banging for the last week. So yesterday after our morning walk we drove over to the hardware store in search of a snake and more drano. That actually seemed to do the job but we will find out when we take the next shower. The HVAC guy showed up two hours early - which worked out fine because we happened to be home. We changed out the six AA batteries for the kitchen sink and the water was restored. I climbed up the ladder to check the light bulb - again - and THREE of the bulbs were not working. Luckily we had a fourth that did the trick. It had to be the bulbs because the other light of the two on the fixture worked just fine. I guess that’s a good reason to buy bulbs only when you need them. Then in the afternoon I ran the cleaning cycle using citric acid in the Dyson humidifier. Now I’m waiting to see what is the next thing that goes. Can we please just wait a few days? 

52Frames Hold A Light Weekly Photo Challenge

The subject for the 52Frames photo challenge this week was “hold a light.” It took a while for me to come up with an option, and I would need my husband’s help. We have a Holtkotter dining room lamp that sits on the sideboard. It is perfectly round, and when taking a photo from above it could pass for the moon. Then another image was taken - this time with my husband “holding” the lamp. I still didn’t know how it would look until I started to make the composite photo. Both the lamp and the hand were isolated and layered together - it took a bit of patience to get it just right. Then a black backdrop was added to give it a dynamic contrast. It looked good but still needed something. So I started to play around with some additional elements and the snow flake effect looked really good - and I liked it more than the black and white version. Overall it looked almost real compared to some of the more artificial choices. A water effect was also tried, with and without snowflakes, but in the end the original idea stuck. It just looked cleaner and neater. Usually for each challenge several photos are taken and my husband and I try to agree on the best option. I think he preferred the water element, but the snowflakes just looked so much better. 

Monuments Seem So Much Bigger

We always like to go in to town at least once a week for a morning walk, but also to try and get photos for the weekly challenge. So last week we parked by the Tidal Basin - a favorite place because no one else seems to know about it - and we walked to Constitution Gardens. The gardens are also our favorite because no one seems to know about that either. After strolling around a while we walked back to the car, but first wanted to head to the Washington Monument. For whatever reason, all of the monuments in the distance looked so much larger than usual. Perhaps it was the season, the bright cloudless sky, the overall lighting, or who knows what. But when we were standing by the Washington Monument the Capitol Building on the other side of the National Mall was so much more in focus, and just seemed larger than usual. Then walking along independence Avenue the Jefferson Memorial appeared to look even larger. The most surprising landmark that seemed like it is always hiding was the White House, which could easily be seen as we were walking back to the car from the Tidal Basin. I simply didn’t recall it being so visible from that vantage point. Anyway, it was a beautiful bright day - perfect for a morning walk. It’s funny how the same old places look different every time we visit. 

Dyson Morph Light Moved

For whatever reason we like Dyson products. I’m sure it’s because of the advertising. We have a vacuum cleaner, an air purifier/humidifier, and a morph light. When we got the light over a year ago, I put it next to the chair on the left side of the TV, and used it primarily for a spotlight effect in the ceiling. The light itself has many functions and is controlled either manually or via an app. It can be set to turn on and off at specific times, or whenever someone is in the room. It can be used as a spotlight to the ceiling or to focus on a particular item on a wall; as a light overhead to help read, or as a lovely “pole of light” - which is the prettiest option. My husband has been wanting to move the light from the left side of the room to the right side - where his recliner chair is. After suggesting it several times over the last year I finally gave in and moved it. He’s never been happier. The light actually gets more use and he loves it sitting next to him. My only issue was that the area on the left side of the room needed to have some kind of light in the evening - otherwise it was a very dark corner.  So we swapped the two lights and all is well. The smaller spotlight light is now good enough to provide at least some light in the corner. I would have preferred moving the recliner to the other side of the room because it is such a bulky chair, but the sunlight on the west side of the house was annoying to him. Since we moved to our condo over two years ago I’m still not happy with the overall look of the living room. It’s just not cozy. I’m not sure if or when that will ever change. At least the light has a home now. 

Weird Light

The bathroom sconce light went out. That in and of itself isn’t anything of significance. But since we moved to northern Virginia, all of the light bulbs in this condo are not easily replaced. None of them are the old fashioned typical styles we are used to. In other words, none of them are twist out and twist back in. In fact the ceiling light and casing over the bathtub needed to be completely removed. There are user manuals and videos to show residents how to work these things. So when the bulb burned out yesterday I knew we wouldn’t have a replacement. I read on the instructions that it needed to be twisted half way and pulled out - and it had two prongs on the bottom - something I have never seen before. Apparently all of these lights are supposed to last many years. It’s only been two years and two went out. So we went to the hardware store to find a replacement. They didn’t have the exact item, but did have another one with the same specifications. I got a receipt in case we needed to return it. Because the top of the bulb is round rather than flat and twisted, it was a very tight fit getting it in, but at least it worked. I suppose I should order some replacements to have on hand. I just don’t feel like it. 

Street Light Repair Request

We have black out shades on the windows in our studio apartment because of a street light that sits right in front of the building. The other night I noticed it was very dark outside - unusually so. When I looked again through the window I noticed that the street light was out. I've sent in requests to the department of transportation to repair signal lights that aren't working, and the DC website to report overgrown weed and grass situations on city property. So I checked the website to see if street light outages could also be reported. The DOT has a section specific for street lights. So I started to fill it in until it asked for a photo of the light along with a number. I waited for the next day to see if the situation was a one time occurrence or if the light was really out. It was still out. I took a photo of the light and went outside to see if it had a number - which it did. But it was not the number the form was requesting. I sent in the request with all the information and received an acknowledgement. The item would be checked and hopefully repaired within 7-10 business days. They also state they will let me know when the issue has been closed. I sent the receipt of the issue to the listserve in the building. The idea was to let everyone know the issue was reported, but also hint that it's nice if everyone takes action when they notice something is out of whack. If everything always went according to plan I would feel hopeful. But having lived here eleven years one becomes a bit jaded. Thank goodness it's just not that important in the scheme of things.