If if ain't broke....but if it IS...help.

Now for today's RANDOM post...

We have been in our new apt. close to 6 months. That must be the magic number because things have started falling apart.

*One of the legs on the couch BROKE off. Not sure if it can be fixed, yet.

*The faucet in the kitchen...the handle BROKE off.

*The thingy in the toilet that fills the tank and stops the water when it's full (pump? I'm not an idiot...I'm just trying to speak two languages..which makes me inept in BOTH.) BROKE. Water runs everywhere, if you don't turn it off. Sometimes the kids forget.

*The hose to the washing machine that pumps the water down a PVC pipe and away from the balcony BROKE in TWO places. (Water covers the balcony more with every load. We're a family of four and one of those is a teen aged son...we HAVE laundry!)

Anyway. I didn't have the foggiest notion about how to handle these things. In the states, I'd just take my personal handyman (aka The King) down to the local Home Depot or Lowe's and buy a replacement. If he couldn't do it, we usually knew someone who could. If not, there's always the Yellow Pages for help. And that doesn't include the fact that we're renting...which usually makes it the landlord's issue.(One other thing...in the states the King had every kind of tool imaginable...not so over here. We have the bare necessities.)

However, things don't work that way over here. I called my national friend who speaks English and she called the building office for me. They showed up, tools in hand to inspect the damage and told us what to purchase (We could figure that much out.) and then left...or at least that's what we think they said. The King's nat'l. language is far superior to mine...so I default to him when necessary. Later, my friend shows up to inspect the damage as well, but she's full of help. She tells us she'll meet us later and take us to a store to buy these things. Okay....

We meet up and she drives us (no taxi or bus for us!) to this HUGE store, that I've passed on the bus route a time or two, that I've always wondered what it was. Folks! It's a nat'l. brand of HOME DEPOT!!!! I got the silliest grin on my face as we walked in. When we built our house in the states, I spent much time at Home Depot and Lowe's picking things out, comparing prices, looking for ideas, etc. By the time the house was built...I didn't WANT to spend time there, but now...having been DEPRIVED of the opportunity, well, it was great! We got everything we needed and then some. We've been needing a few things that we didn't know where to purchase...now we do. The King even joked that we should go there on a date! OK...I know that's not funny to you, but we rarely get a moment alone and we both like looking at that stuff. Weird, I know. That's one reason why we make a good team! That was yesterday.

So...today...the doorbell rings early. We aren't expecting anyone. It's the building office repair man. Apparently our friend called on our behalf and told them we have the stuff and were ready for them to come. Great. Let's get this show on the road. But then he lit up a cigarette! What?! Uh...no. Not in my house. No offense to those of you who struggle with the habit...but I have some kind of allergy and I CANNOT breathe in the midst of it. I start coughing and my eyes get all bloodshot, etc. It's not pretty. The funny thing is...everywhere you go....everyone is smoking. It feels like the 50's in America, but even then I think most people were courteous enough to ask if you minded. (Maybe that's my imagination since I wasn't really around during those days.) He didn't think twice about it until we asked him NOT to smoke.

Toto...I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

He's still here trying to fix those things. Apparently is isn't as cut and dried as one might think... we'll see.