Okay, so this is a free plug for a local plumbing company: Herrell Plumbing. One of their guys spent over two hours working on the main drain under my house, then various other small finishing tasks inside. I was braced for a bill over $300 - that's about the minimum Roto-Rooter would have charged. The bill? $173. I am SO okay with that. This is not exciting to anybody who isn't in the Herrell Plumbing coverage area, but if you are, all I can say is I have dealt with many a plumber and this is the cheapest I've ever gotten off, and the service was excellent, the plumber was nice, hardworking and knew his stuff. They deserve a free plug, even if it's only on a blog read by knitters. Sorry I can't do better. And the paralegal at work who told me about them - her dad raved about them - gets a hug tomorrow. Whew.

I was bracing for bad news - I had just had a conversation with Boy about the master bath and how I want to remodel it next year. He who has his parents' instincts about all this stuff was all for a total redesign, close in an open doorway to the vanity area, move the toilet, cut the sink/countertop area to something more reasonable, put in a luxury tub - I'm all for it, but I said I didn't want to spend that kind of money unless I had to dig up the slab for a plumbing problem anyway. Then the main drain quit working, and I'm here thinking, "Damn! I don't want to rip out the bathroom THIS year!" Turns out I don't have to. I think I will stick to my original plan for the bathrooms - same general layout as now, just replace the tub with a walk-in shower, and put the whirlpool in the hall bath, and upgrade the formica by a very large factor. Imagine a whirlpool "kids bath" as a selling feature to the sports-crazed local families - your kid can come home and soak in a whirlpool after soccer, and you can use it later! They don't have to come into YOUR room to use it! I know a couple of soccer moms who would be thrilled.

The "dressing area" of the master bath is up for negotiation. Right now it is about 8 feet of countertop and mirror over cheap formica, with too many hot lights above it - my makeup melts off my face as I apply it. I definitely want to get rid of the landing strip lighting and formica, but I'm not sure what I want. I'm thinkng separate mirrors and lighting, and a central area of storage drawers. Who the HELL uses those "sit down vanity" put-a-chair-there kneehole things they put in bathrooms in the 80s? Designed by men, obviously, and men raised on movies with glamorous actresses brushing their hair seated in front of mirrors. That's your sexual fantasy, guys, it's not how it actually works. Every woman I know leans over the sink to put on her mascara closer to the mirror - I can't imagine doing it from 24 inches away under bad lighting. Tammy Faye might have been a victim of the Vanity Makeup Area in 80s construction. If only there had been more women architects to say "Dude, would you SHAVE from here? It's the same thing, visually..." Picture the Homer Simpson headslaps from male architects! But I digress....

I'm sure Home Improvement Guy will have many opinions, he's great for that, he reminds me of my husband in that respect - an eye for design and the ability to do it. I will do what I can without the actual involvement of jackhammers. Jackhammers are messy as hell.

Still working on the Laptop Sweater, and wondering if I should pull together materials for a charity baby hat for waiting in line to vote in the wee hours, or just bring a book. I'm walking to my polling place, thank God, I don't have to battle with parking. If I had known we'd have only one early voting site - sheesh.