Once in a blue moon on my desktop computer windows will hiccup and something will glitch out, so I power down and do a cold start and inevitably, when the os boots, all of my avatars and folders on my desktop are aligned left. That just happened so I am still flustered because arranging them back to where they were will take a while, so here is a picture of Maxwell from earlier in the day:
Maxwell Edison Cole, Second of His Name, Destroyer of litterboxes, Chief Shit Stirrer, surveying all that is his.
This infuriates me to no end:
The Food and Drug Administration will permit use of Covid vaccines by adults over 65 and those with certain medical conditions in the fall, but will require additional studies before approving the shots for healthy Americans younger than 65, agency officials said on Tuesday.
At this point, the additional doses offer “uncertain” benefits to many young and middle-aged people who have already been vaccinated or have had Covid, Dr. Vinay Prasad, the F.D.A.’s vaccine division chief, and Dr. Martin Makary, the agency’s commissioner, wrote in The New England Journal of Medicine.
“The F.D.A. will approve vaccines for high-risk persons and, at the same time, demand robust, gold-standard data on persons at low risk,” the officials wrote.
People will die because of this and it’s really just a matter of how many or if they don’t also shut down how covid deaths are reported. It’s another stake in the heart of the immuno-compromised communities, too, because lots of vaccinated people is very good for them.
And for what? To please two groups of cranks- the conspiracy riddled rubes and imbeciles who are fed an all day diet of bullshit from youtube and other social media algorithms and a bunch of antivax alternative medicine and supplement quacks.
Just maddening.
I am so over adulting. I think I have really hit my breaking point being an adult the last couple of years. I have been really good and I am proud of myself. There have been no public eruptions, I have not gone viral on social media or the nightly news, I have been keeping my zen, and doing my breathing and keeping it cool. But I am just fucking done with it. I am tired of figuring out how to pay for shit. I am tired of all the fucking decisions. Constantly. Everything is another decision and then if you are with a group of people no one can agree and then you finally do and some in the group still harbor resentments and I AM JUST FUCKING OVER IT. And no this is not about Joelle or anyone at Balloon Juice, so don’t you motherfuckers start in with your bullshit in the comments.
That was one of the most beautiful fucking things about being a lower enlisted in the army. No fucking decisions at the fuck all. If you found yourself having to make decisions as a private through specialist, it was your own god damned fault because at some point you must have let your guard down and demonstrated competence in front of an NCO. They tell you what to wear and when to wear it and then give you a bunch of them free and part of your actual job is to take care of it. They tell you where to live and give you furniture and everything works. They tell you where to eat. They tell you when work starts and they tell you when you can quit. You can, to a great extent, live a life completely free or worries and decisions.
So yeah, I am ready to retire somewhere fabulously wealthy on a beach. So since that ain’t happening, the decisions remain. One of those decisions is finally coming true this week when the plumber comes to put a new line in to fix my water pressure. I think we are going from a half inch to a three quarter but I have no idea because I am not a plumber and I DO NOT CARE I just want more water pressure and I want to take a shower where it doesn’t feel like I am being slowly urinated on and where I lose interest in cleaning because it took 11 minutes to fill the bucket. And yes I know in the old days you had to walk to the well but I didn’t live in those old days and I don’t want to now and if I want to experience that bullshit I will watch something on Masterpiece Theater or one of those period pieces on Netflix everyone raves about.
At any rate, while writing this post, two things have happened that you will appreciate. I went to brush my teeth, and when done gargled with some Listerine. As I was tilting my head back to get the proper gargle, I apparently gargled too vigorously and shot some of the listerine into my nose and the sting nearly took me out. Thank goodness it was the zero alcohol because the real deal would have been the end. I’d have either stroked out from pain or stumbled around until I fell and broke my neck or something.
The second is that Maxwell Edison begged for food for five minutes and I repeatedly said no until I finally yelled “I said no!” At which point he walked into the next room and took, no lie, one of the smelliest vengeance shits I have ever smelled and DELIBERATELY did not bury it so I had to go deal with it while he smugly glared at me.
At any rate, back to the plumbing- that is finally getting done. It’s something that just got worse and worse over time and I’ve known for years I had to do it, it’s just that I had just bought the house and spent all that money and kept thinking I don’t want to put any more big money into this “new” house and I will just wait until it gets bad enough and well that time is here. Apparently the line is the original one from the 40’s or 50’s and completely small or whatever I don’t know the particulars because my eyes glaze over when he tells me about this shit, But he is putting in a new line and doing all the things and he is a guy I trust with anything and he is even dad approved (dad raves about him, actually), so I am just very excited about the potential to turn on my shower and not have a sad drizzle come from the head and then wait seven minutes wasting who knows how much water until luke warm enough to get in. I’m really looking forward to a proper hot shower with some pressure and a good lather and that “I’m feeling clean” feel after a good shower.
So that is pretty fucking awesome, I guess. Wow. Such a character arc/mood shift in these last rambling paragraphs.
I got a lot of mowing in the next few days and I need some music recommendations. Remember, I will listen to anything. Rap and Hip Hop are the best for mowing, though. Especially thematic albums like Kendrick or Tyler the Creator or Childish Gambino. But whatever you think is worth a listen, especially if it is new, would be great.
Before I leave, did I ever mention how fucking awesome John Cougar’s 2023 Orpheus Descending was? If you are into him you will love it. My good friend Matt turned me on to this.
stinger
What a lush and lovely back yard! The white fence sets off the green so well, and the blue porch brings a bit of the sky down to earth.
ETA: You do make me laugh.
zhena gogolia
I really enjoyed this essay.
So good.
zhena gogolia
I can’t give you anything new, but Bobby Darin singing “Once Upon a Time” is pretty devastating. The composer, Charles Strouse, died the other day, and I stumbled upon this. Best. Version. Ever.
Jackie
@stinger: A bit of serenity in an otherwise insane
worldcountry.Suzanne
I am also incredibly pissed about not getting a Covid shot this year. I get flu shots every year, and have absolutely kept up with the Covid shots, too. And I set a half-marathon PR two weeks ago, so everyone who spreads lies about vaccines making you ill can eat my dust.
I just got home. It is Election Day today here, so I had to make sure to vote, and I had back-to-back meetings today, and then all the normal life tasks. I am exhausted and equally sick of adulting.
Baud
Tis a noble cat.
Phylllis
My sentiments exactly. We had a co-worker who loved to explain how all the things worked. I avoided him like the plague. Also, really tired of deciding what to fix for supper every night. Going out doesn’t solve the problem, it adds to it, since you also have to decide where to go.
Omnes Omnibus
Being an LT wasn’t a bad gig either. If you had good NCOs, your job was pretty easy. You just had to keep shit off of their heads and not act like a tool around the troops.
Jay
Masks to prevent the spread of disease?
“I can’t breathe!”
Masks to anonymously kidnap people off the street?
“Sure thing!”
hells littlest angel
If you right click on the desktop and select “View,” you can uncheck the icon arrangement options and they should stay wherever you put them.
On older Windows versions, right click and select (I think) “Arrange Icons.”
Geo
After many years of lurking I am making my first comment on Balloon Juice to say that this is poetry:
I’m guessing we’re about the same age because I recently started feeling this way all the time.
VFX Lurker
I followed the instructions on this page to leave a comment with the FDA, who is taking comments on this matter until May 23, 2025. I encourage others to do the same, because the comment I left may not have been entirely well thought out.
TheOtherHank
I recommend listening to Dave Alvin. He got his start in life in the Blasters (also worth a listen) and was/is the guitarist of X/The Knitters
geg6
@Phylllis:
Girl, I feel you. So sick of making dining decisions every.damn.night.
A quick story about Mellencamp. Years ago (most likely some time in the 90s), my ex and I were in the city for some reason and we stopped at the Original Oyster House in Market Square for lunch. As we strolled through the square, we noticed a busker playing and he sounded really good, so we strolled his way. As we got closer, we looked at each other and said with a look can that possibly be who we think that is???? AND IT WAS! We saw on the local news that evening that it was indeed John Mellencamp and he was traveling with his family and stopping places and singing in corners and parks, just him and his guitar. It was very cool.
Suzanne
@Phylllis:
I make one big amount of one thing and eat it for days. Steel-cut oatmeal, or lentils, or pasta salad, etc. in the warm months. Soup or chili or something slow-cooked in the cooler months. I can’t be bothered.
NotMax
Facts? We don’t need no es-stinkin’ facts.
dnfree
I can’t speak for mowing music, but for ironing I always found Bob Dylan helpful. Highway 61 Revisited is good.
Oh, God said to Abraham, “Kill me a son”
Abe said, “Man, you must be puttin’ me on”
God say, “No.”
Abe say, “What?”
God say, “You can do what you want, Abe, but
The next time you see me comin’ you better run”
Well, Abe said, “Where you want this killin’ done?”
God said, “Out on Highway 61”
Jackie
@Suzanne:
I do, too! But, because I LOVE leftovers! Each day they taste better :-)
Chacal Charles Calthrop
Thank you for both the glorious rant and the lovely picture of imperial Maxwell surveying his domains.
A lot of the appeal of authoritarian systems is that “no decision needs to be made by me,” and the sense of group solidarity and freedoms from responsibility that it engenders. Being responsible for your own life choices is unpleasant.
Just had an infuriating phone call with an old friend who has myositis and when she mentioned a support group phone call, I asked if the group was doing anything about all the decimation of basic science research that is currently underway. She demurred, saying they weren’t “political.” And I was like, you guys are actually sick, though, right? And interested in sharing information about treatments etc? So why not information about how there’s never going to be any more research or any other treatments again? And I swear to god she acted as if she wanted to hang up on me.
I guess I will just never understand the ego-defense that goes into being “apolitical.”
dnfree
@zhena gogolia: I loved that song when I was young and I love it even more now.
toine
Hip Hop? Go old school… Cypress Hill. The albums Cypress Hill, Black Sunday, Temples of Boom and IV are all a fun listen, especially when they beef on Ice Cube.
Chacal Charles Calthrop
@geg6: And not making the world’s stupidest fuss over it like Joshua Bell did when he played in the Washington Metro and no-one recognized him
Suzanne
@Jackie: I’m cheap, I’m lazy. (Insert “like yo momma” joke here.)
mrmoshpotato
@NotMax: Good on ya, Sun Times! Ya slapdicks!
The Trib probably ain’t that better given the a-holes who own both papers these days.
OCD
I’m sure you’ve probably done it already but you could knock out a lot of grass with Paul’s Boutique.
Baud
@NotMax:
Why not just ask chatgpt to create a fake newspaper to read every day?
mrmoshpotato
@Baud: Hm. Probably wouldn’t be stupider than reality.
zhena gogolia
@dnfree: Yeah, it is very deep the older you get!
Jay
@NotMax:
@mrmoshpotato:
Word is, that it was an “insert”, that’s the word the cool kids in journalmentalism call paid advertising masquerading as content, and will probably be showing up in other papers soon.
eclare
Someone (I can’t remember who or where) said that Walgreens just asks on the form if you have a pre-existing condition, yes or no, so I will go that route. I talked to a friend today who has had covid twice, and while it was annoying it wasn’t a big deal. Her mother’s caretaker said covid was the sickest she’s ever been. So there is a lot of variability in how sick you get.
I am not taking any chances. I haven’t had covid yet, and I intend to put it off as long as possible.
I am beyond pissed about this.
oldster
@VFX Lurker:
thanks for the nudge! I just went and commented on the page, telling the FDA not to reduce the easy availability of vaccines for all ages and conditions.
Gretchen
Here’s how you submit a comment to the FDA on this subject. Supposedly they have to take public comments into consideration when rule-making.
https://www.regulations.gov/document/FDA-2025-N-1146-0001
eclare
@VFX Lurker:
I commented too.
Gretchen
The most worrying part of this for me is dropping the recommendation for pregnant women to get vaccinated. Pregnant women are naturally cautious and protective of their babies and want to do the right thing. Many of them don’t realize how deathly dangerous it is to get covid while pregnant. OB nurses have spoken a great deal of the clotting and calcifications they find in the placentas of women who have had covid during pregnancy, and how sometimes the umbilical cord is so malformed they have trouble finding a place to clamp it. Yet these bozos convince women they’ll protect their babies by avoiding vaccination. Despicable.
eclare
@toine:
Ice Cube, Bootlegs and B Sides. He beefs back.
Scuffletuffle
geg6
@Chacal Charles Calthrop:
Exactly. We knew who he was but I don’t think many of the downtown workers who were gathered round did. Obviously, somebody did tell the local media but I’m sure it wasn’t him but someone who also spotted him and contacted them. He never let on who he was while we were there (a good half hour or so) and neither did we.
CaseyL
@VFX Lurker:
Thanks for the reminder; I just submitted a comment.
I was polite. I brought up Galen, asking if Galenic theories of disease were now what US epidemiological policy was based on, rather than germ theory (which RFKJr is on record as discounting). I also helpfully attached articles about Galen and about Pasteur to my comment.
Suzanne
@eclare: This makes me incredibly pissed. I have young kids and I get them all of their shots every year. This puts them in danger, as well as their grandparents.
Results coming back….. looks like anti-incumbent feeling stretches to the mayoral race. I guess we’re getting a new mayor. I voted to keep Gainey. Sigh.
Sure Lurkalot
@Suzanne:
My friend Wendy does this. She’s an artist, lives alone and gets deeply immersed in her projects so that eating is just a necessity and a bother.
I’m lazy enough in my dotage, sincerely sick of cooking and more so thinking about what to make AND STILL do not think I could eat the same thing for meals on end.
Off to throw together tonight’s salad!
Chacal Charles Calthrop
@CaseyL: now there’s an idea!
NotMax
If interested in going old school, try The Monkees for tunes to mow by.
;)
Chief Oshkosh
Cole, you made me laugh hard three times in one post. Now I have to go pee, so fuck you. ;)
Keep on keepin’ on and enjoy that shower when the half gets three-quartered.
lowtechcyclist
The Lonesome Jubilee is one of my all-time favorite albums, but I haven’t heard any of Mellencamp’s new stuff from the past few decades. Wasn’t even sure he was doing any new stuff, actually. So I’ll be checking this out.
My favorite song lately is Chappell Roan’s “Red Wine Supernova.” I am just so in love with that song. But you already know about Chappell, IIRC. Still, gotta say this: my errands frequently take me past Cardinal Hickey Academy here in Calvert County, and now every time I pass it I hear Chappell singing, “with her canine teeth in the side of my neck” and on from there, and it’s just ambrosia to me.
Old Dan and Little Ann
The town where I grew up and where my parents still live is having a big School Board and budget election tonight. It’s basically the book burning maga Freak Show who don’t like the current black people on the board versus the normal people. I’ll be extremely distressed if the bad guys win.
rekoob
Alex Ross, the Music Critic at The New Yorker, had some nice words to say about a new recording of Bach’s Mass in B Minor:
https://www.therestisnoise.com/2025/04/a-bach-moment.html
It’s lovely, although tempi in places are slower than some other recordings/performances.
Splitting Image
@NotMax:
I saw my first confirmed AI-generated web page a few weeks back. I was searching for old-school country singers and chanced on this page:
Iconic Female Country Singers of the 60s
Along with the expected singers such as Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, the site includes the singer Norma Jean, whom it describes thusly:
The singer the website is attempting to describe is Norma Jean Beasler, who preceded Dolly Parton as Porter Wagoner’s partner on his TV show. Norma Jeane Baker, who obviously did not transition from Hollywood to country music in the early ’60s, in fact died rather famously around that time.
Ryan
“No fucking decisions at the fuck all. If you found yourself having to make decisions as a private through specialist, it was your own god damned fault because at some point you must have let your guard down and demonstrated competence in front of an NCO.”
Best line ever. No wiser words have ever been spoken.
NotMax
@Sure Lurkalot
Have no qualms whatsoever eating the same thing over multiple meals — provided it’s something I prepared in the Lilliputian kitchen in the cottage. All the moreso since getting an Instant Pot.
;)
Math Guy
The three criteria for being a civilized society are the ability to provide:
1. Beer.
2. Pizza.
3. Modern plumbing (with adequate pressure).
Suzanne
@NotMax: Love the Instant Pot. Except….. I did something wrong last time, don’t know what. But I ended up with oatmeal on my ceiling.
CatFacts
For music, have you tried Janelle Monae’s The Archandroid?
Redshift
@Suzanne:
I don’t have it handy, but someone posted a link to the CDC list of conditions that qualify you as being at elevated risk from COVID, and should therefore qualify you to get the vaccine even under these bozos’ rules. My favorite was “lack of physical activity” (guilty!) And remember, most pharmacies aren’t going to ask for any proof (and probably won’t ask at all.)
Jackie
JC, give The Boss some love – along with Neil Young :-)
Jeffro
me too, but if they’re saying that ‘high-risk’ is a category that can still get the shot, I’m 99% sure I can get my doc to call me ‘high-risk’ just for reasons.
(heck I probably qualify just b/c of my weight)
btw I’m still waiting for karma to kick in for RFKWTF’s swim in Rock Creek…I still believe in her, but her delivery time is sloooow
Bard the Grim
That was awesome, John. :D My daughter complains a lot about how adulting is hard, and I tell her it gets easier. Little white lies don’t hurt anybody, right?
eclare
Gorgeous photo today WaterGirl.
Citizen Dave
@geg6: What city is this? (Assuming your “Market Square” doesn’t mean the late arena in Indianapolis (site of Elvis’ last show in 1977).
This was probably his Good Samaritan Tour in 2000. He’d pop up and play in city public places. There is a CD and documentary. (I think I have a bootleg cd of the Chicago show). https://www.mellencamp.com/description?albumId=8
and from wikipedia: Mellencamp released a CD and documentary of his 2000 Good Samaritan Tour, which consisted of free lunchtime concerts in city parks, on August 27, 2021. The documentary is narrated by Academy Award winning actor Matthew McConaughey, who is an avowed Mellencamp fan.[45
Doc link (YouTube/TCM): https://youtu.be/ySD3qr1vYXc?si=qIm2yKfam76jQSRV
Jay
@Jackie:
According to DJTdiot’s Temu Nazi Barbie Doll, you can’t call him
“The Boss” because he’s not the President.
Steve LaBonne
@rekoob: I really love that recording. Also not long ago was lucky enough to hear a magnificent performance by Apollo’s Fire at Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland. One can never hear too many fine performances of this astonishing masterwork.
eclare
@Citizen Dave:
That sounds really good, thanks for the link!
Suzanne
@Redshift: @Jeffro: Oh, I will engage in shadiness if need be.
But this should be easy, something I don’t have to think about, just a thing I do while I’m out running the rest of my life.
Salty Sam
Sounds like you just need to have the dosage of your “Fuckitall” adjusted .
Steve LaBonne
@Salty Sam: These days there just isn’t enough Fuckitall in the world.
Citizen Dave
Skipping around in the Mellencamp video, at minute 25:00 it is Market Square–Pittsburgh.
Trivia Man
Broadway show: The Band’s Visit
Rap: Public Enemy, Apocalypse 91 – The Enemy Strikes Back
Classic rock – Chicago Transit Authority, with the special track from the 1968 convention. No cap, the whole world was indeed watching. Fat lot of good it did, fuck daley and his pigs.
Jeffro
@Redshift: (apologies – you gave the same ‘OMG I’M HIGH RISK GIVE ME THE SHOT!’ advice I gave just a few comments later)
I don’t know, folks. I might have to loudly announce, moments after I get the shot at CVS or Wegmans or wherever, “thank GOD I am vaxxed, now all I have to worry about is my allergy to MAGA”
DarbysMom
@zhena gogolia: Beautiful! Thanks. Hadn’t heard this version.
Trivia Man
Source Tags and Codes (by Trail of Dead)
MobiusKlein
I hate adulting too. Taxes, toothbrushing, toenail clipping, taking trash out,
Sometimes I long for the simplicity of Acadian life.
Trivia Man
@NotMax: why should i read an article by a ‘writer’ who didnt even read it himself?
Citizen Dave
As far as mowing lawn albums–and I do love me some concept rock albums. You can’t go wrong with Quadroprenia; Husker Du’s Zen Arcade; Minutemen Double Nickels on the Dime. The Flaming Lips’ The Soft Bulletin, or the more recent American Head.
NotMax
@Trivia Man
We’re going Broadway?
The Drowsy Chaperone.
Sheer fun.
Jackie
@Jay: Bruce is The Boss; Donny is the wannabe boss.
MCat
Maxwell Edison Cole is indeed a mighty cat. And gorgeous too.
Trivia Man
@Math Guy: My guidelines for a viable civilization – you must address the 4 P’s.
Predators
Parasites.
Plumbing.
Posterity.
Applies to everything from your household to a commune to a country to a civilization.
HopefullyNotcassandra
@Jackie: lovely leftovers have marvelous parties in our refrigerators in which all of the ingredients get to know each other so very well.
NotMax
A nice army story.
Jean Shepherd, Troop Train and the 4 A.M. Jug Band.
;)
gratuitous
Maybe save Cole a decision: We’re watching “The Residence” on Netflix, a whodunit at the White House perpetrated during a state dinner. It blends historical facts about the White House with a slowly unfolding reveal of the evidence. Only 8 50-minute episodes so you don’t have to invest the month of June to watching. Some snappy patter and witty dialog. If I was Joe Bob Briggs, I’d say, “Check it out.”
Or at least watch the trailer and see if it’s something you might like.
Math Guy
@Trivia Man: 👍
Ohio Mom
Put me down on the list of people tired of adulting.
I am often heard remarking that I thought that when I got to be as old as I am, I thought life would get easier. Instead it is getting scarier.
I also frequently remark that almost everything I’ve learned in the last twenty years or so is because something has gone wrong. Mostly things going wrong with the house — I now know all about basement repair for one thing — and things going wrong with Ohio Family’s bodies.
A friend started complaining about her back, I said, I don’t know anything about backs, ask me about heart valves, breast cancer, sleep apnea, autism, diabetes, the list goes on. I hope never to know anything about backs because that means someone in my family has developed back problems.
Tim
Good luck with the plumbing. When we did my parents house, sediment had coated the pipe until the actual passage was thinner than a pencil. The feed had to be replaced all the way back to the well. Same size tubing (1/2) but excellent pressure now the water was actually flowing.
Jackie
Judge Chutkan is still a thorn in FFOTUS’s butt 😁
😂 😂 😂
bluefoot
I am also tired of adulting. It’s harder I think when you’re alone because there’s no one to pick up the slack when you need a break , even if it’s just one day.
music for mowing: If you don’t mind hip hop in languages besides English, I recommend Nekfeu. He’s French. I’m not sure it’s mowing music but give it a listen.
Sandia Blanca
@gratuitous: “The Residence” is fantastic! Each episode a jewel, with clever writing, wild plotting, realistic-looking sets, and an amazing cast, led by Uzo Aduba. Also very fun to watch Al Franken as the Senator in charge of the hearings.
different-church-lady
Microsoft don’t give a shit. Microsoft just takes what it wants.
Miss Bianca
@Chacal Charles Calthrop: Crazy.
“Oh, well, I guess I’ll just have to die like the government wants me to then, because that’s just the proper apolitical response.”
Trivia Man
@Sandia Blanca: Another happy viewer here – loved the sets.
CaseyL
John, I just want to say: You and Maxwell have a strange and wonderful relationship. A model for others to emulate.
Melancholy Jaques
@Sandia Blanca:
I also really liked The Residence. Further evidence in support of my claim that Giancarlo Esposito has never given a bad performance.
It wasn’t similar in plot, but the feel of the show reminded me of Amazon’s The Patriot.
Kristine
Laughed out loud at your post, JC.
Also sick of adulting and having to make exciting purchases like garage doors and crossing my fingers during the A/C PM that the damned thing will last a few more years.
That said, the new door looks great and the PM verdict was that the unit should last those few more years.
Old School
NotMax
@Old School
NYC mayoral primary is slightly over a month away. Guess who the front runner is?
So much for the long time DOJ standard of not opening and conducting an investigation close to an election.
Craig
Cole, for mowing music I’d recommend the, at this point ancient, The Streets ‘A Grand Don’t Come For Free’. Mike Skinner walks you through his not so great, but sometimes uplifted day. Heavy Birmingham accent. Clever storytelling, great beats and production.
Chacal Charles Calthrop
@Miss Bianca: I do wish they would connect those dots, but like so many of the people being screwed over by the current administration they never seem to
Jackie
@Old School: To add:
My emphasis.
Shane in SLC
Recent hip-hop worth checking out: Doechii, Alligator Bites Never Heal. It just won a Grammy, but don’t hold that against it…
patrick II
I believe it is only the Novavax vaccine that is facing the new restrictions. It is the older style protein based vaccine and not as effective as the newer MRNA vaccines most of us get anyway.
Matt McIrvin
@patrick II: Nope, they’re ending recommendations for all Covid vaccines for healthy people under 65. This is new, the Novavax thing was earlier.
Platonicspoof
IANAP, and it sounds like your real plumber has a good reputation. As old as your mainline (from street to house) is, you might have your plumber show you the inside of a piece of the old pipe. This would show you what will happen to the new pipe over time.
A quick google shows the West Virginia plumbing code requires a 3/4″ minimum for the mainline. Sounds like this will be a huge improvement over the old line, especially if it was 1/2″ (amazing if it was that small).
Personally, even if my water source had low mineral content, I would ask about the cost of using 1″ instead of 3/4″. You probably don’t want to antagonize an expensive professional, but at Lowes (western Oregon) for example, ten feet of galvanized 3/4″ pipe is $40 and ten feet of 1″ pipe is $43.
The price differential for fittings might be greater.
Since the old pipes inside your house have had to only deal with low pressure, I’d ask the plumber if you should watch for leaks. And if your faucets have screens, it should be much easier to remove them than to clean them before the water is turned back on, regardless of flushing by the plumber.
Anyway, hope your plumber takes care of the details so you don’t have to.
Manyakitty
@Ohio Mom: adulting is overrated.
Decision fatigue is real.
Try music by Gorillaz and Gnarls Barkley.
No One of Consequence
John, if you have not listened to Goodie Mob’s Soul Food, then you have missed out on one of the greatest Rap/Hip-Hop albums I have ever heard. I cannot recommend highly enough.
And then, there is the classic: DJ Hurricane – The Hurrah. Harder to find, for sure, but the Beastie Boys first DJ was legend. This album of his is fuggin’ great. Every damn track.
YMPWV
-NOoC
Your Mileage Probably Won’t Vary
lou
@Chacal Charles Calthrop:
I’m going to defend Joshua Bell here because I vividly remember the original 2007 Washington Post magazine piece written by Gene Weingarten, who asked Bell to perform to see if anyone would recognize him. Bell did not make a fuss about it. It was all on the Post and Weingarten, who wanted to illustrate the hustle and bustle of rush hour commuting causing us to ignore the sublime when it’s right in front of us. I’m gifting the original story.
invisibot
Music Rec for ya in the rap vein
Backxwash – Only Dust Remains
I think you’ll dig it. Here’s her spotify bio:
Other good sounds from this orbital voyage
Darkside – Nothing
They describe their music as techno psychedelic. I think it’s just good psych music
Finally the best pop album, at least my version of pop
Deep Sea Diver – Billboard Heart
robtrim
I like the part about how the military takes the decision making out of life.
The do tell you how to dress, how long to grow your hair, where to live, who is above you and below you in the rank hierarchy, what you’re going to do for the next 20 + years, and now that DEI has been abolished, your sexual orientation and the fact that white people and men are back in charge.
Paul in KY
@geg6: That is cool. I like John.
Paul in KY
@Chacal Charles Calthrop: Well…who the fuck is Joshua Bell?!?
Paul in KY
I always liked early AC/DC for mowing/driving.
BellyCat
My big regret is missing this Righteous Cole Rant in real-time!
You had me ROTFLMAO with Maxwell’s Revenge Shit ™
Good luck with the shower. Make sure you go to an Olde Timey Plumbing Shoppe to get a new (old stock) clunky military style showerhead (this means no fucking wand on a hose shit) because those are the only ones that do not have flow restrictors on them these days (looking at YOU California!)