ARGH!

So it turns out home warranties are completely meaningless documents. After notifying the home warranty company on Wednesday night that our water heater had started leaking, flooding the closet and part of the media room, they waited until midday Thursday to call a plumber to come take a look at it.

The plumber was scheduled to come between 9-1 this morning and came at the tail end of that time block. After he inspected the water heater he proceeded to reveal to Kim that the water heater had a hole in it. REALLY?1? A HOLE?!? HOW SHOCKING!!!

But, of course, he couldn't fix the hole, and he couldn't schedule an appointment to replace the water heater because they don't do same-day installation. The earliest he could schedule it would be Monday. His only solution was to go outside and turn off the water for the ENTIRE house, which according to his plan, would leave us without water all weekend.

I received a follow-up call from the warranty company almost immediately. The representative was not very helpful. It turns out that if you do the installation yourself (or have another company do it) they only pay out $300. She seemed that we would be without water all weekend and continue to have water leak all weekend. (How long does it take for a 50-gallon tank to drain?)

After I talked to her, I immediately got on the horn with Lowe's, which is just around the corner. They were extremely helpful. They will be able to come out tomorrow morning between 8-11 to install a brand new 12-year water heater. The total cost will be just under $900. So, thanks to the generosity of the home warranty company, we will only be responsible for 2/3 of that. All because their plumber wouldn't do same day install.

Of course, we also have the movers coming to the townhouse between 8-11 to get our furniture, and we have Rooms to Go coming between 9-1 to deliver our sofas and cabinet, so Kim and I will each be manning our respective properties. Our hope is to have the water back on by midday, and we can end this ridiculous week on a note of calm.

On a personal note, thanks to Jones Day for finally finding an assignment that would keep Kim occupied 18 hours each day this week. It only took you 8 months to do that, and you guys have impeccable timing. I bet they'll try to call her while she's giving birth to see if she can draft a quick lease in between pushes.

/end sarcasm