Meteorologist Turned Plumber

One of my favorite things to do is tinker around the house. My wife and I have owned two houses, and I've learned some things through the years.

First, when doing a project, come up with list of expenses. When you add up the total cost of what you plan to spend, double it. That way, you're not surprised when you go over budget.
Also, become really familiar with Murphy's Law.


Both of these were true recently when I decided to remodel our half bath. My plan was to put up a chair rail, paint, install new fixtures and some new lighting. I usually take great pride in painting. I'm a perfectionist. In this case, I tried to cheat and not paint behind the tank of the toilet. Bad idea. I had the top of the toilet tank laying in the floor while I was curled up trying to paint as much as I could. I moved my knee which slammed the porcelain top of the tank into the porcelain base of the throne. Porcelain vs. porcelain. That's never good. While I thought I had just chipped the toilet, but upon closer inspection, there was a crack all the way up to the seat.


$250 later, there's a new "chair" against the new chair rail in our bathroom. While I enjoy home improvement, I think I'll take a break for awhile. Consumer note: I highly recommend the 5-Star flushers; if you're in the market!