Oh, the stench!

The sink and shower drains in our bedroom have been refusing to drain properly for some time now. We have to wash our hands fast in order to beat the rising pool of water in the sink, and our showers are likewise races against time. I figured today that I'd put a stop to that, so I got the bottle of something called "Rooto" out of the garage (I'm not sure where it came from - it may have been there when we moved in). "Rooto" is pretty serious stuff. The bottle is plastered with dire warnings about the effects it will have if you get in on your skin, let alone ingest it. I gingerly brought the bottle in and dribbled a bit of liquid down the problem drains, placing an upside down wastebasket over the sink in case of "acid explosions" (it's what the directions said to do). That's right, "Rooto" is basically sulfuric acid.

The one thing the directions and warnings didn't mention was the stench. In no time, the whole house was enveloped in the rotting egg smell of sulfur. Lexy maintained it smelled like egg salad. He must really hate egg salad. The boys dramatically pulled dish cloths over their noses and we all piled outside and sat on the porch for awhile. I flushed the drains with water. I lit incense. I lit sage leaves. I went back outside. One of the neighbors came over to ask if our house smelled like theirs suddenly did. I grinned sheepishly and we apologized. Apparently she had been worried that their toilet was backing up.

The "Rooto" is now back in the garage where it will no doubt remain to greet the next tenants.

cds I listened to while enjoying the fresh, night air: V/A "Discharged - from the home front to the war front" (a tribute to Discharge), Jaguar "Run Ragged", V/A "The Answering Machine Solution" (ever wonder what to leave on the answering machine? Look no further...), Tom Waits "Blue Valentine", V/A "Must be Musique", Ilgi "Kaza Kapa Debesis", and V/A "Presumed Guilty