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2:09pm on Sunday, 24th September, 2006:

Brick Wall

Outburst

Oh no! The bathroom installer person came early!

On Friday, we ordered a new bath, sink and toilet for the batheroom. We've lived in this house for 11 years, and even when we were inspecting it prior to buying, my wife noted that the bathroom would "have to go". It's in dusty pink, so yes, I'm with her there.

The thing is, my wife takes ages to make decisions about houses. In our previous house, the bath was olive green and had a piece missing out of the side panel, yet it was still 5 years before she chose a replacement. I don't get any say in this, by the way, except to point out that we "really ought to get a new bath".

Although she takes an age to make a decision, though, once she's made it she wants an immediate response. So although we chose the new bathroom suite on Friday, she wants it installed RIGHT NOW. Of course, she can't have it installed RIGHT NOW because there are no bathroom installers of any repute who are able to slot us in at such short notice. Besides, she has to choose the new tiles for the walls first.

Today would have been a good day to go out an look for some tiles, but sadly (from her point of view) or happily (from mine), the bathroom installer was coming some time between 2pm and 4pm, leaving us no time. Thus, it was with some alarm that I answered the phone at 12:15 and found he was in the pub 100 yards up the road asking if he could come round there and then and do his estimate early. Augh! That means there's time this afternoon to go out and buy tiles!

My daughters have already decided on the colour: aqua. This is on the basis that there is toilet paper in the colour aqua. I just heard my younger daughter saying to her sister, "We'll both have to go because she has a lot of will and we'll need to gang up on her if she chooses anything crazy".

My role in this is brick wall. I stand around listening to my wife explaining what she wants, but make only non-commited responses because I've no idea if agreeing with her will later be held against me if she later changes her mind. However, in listening I perform a valuable fuction, as she had to put her thoughts into words. This is much the same as with programming, when you need a brick wall to talk to to explain how some piece of code works but don't want to use an actual brick wall because then people would think you were mad, so you use a handy nearby programmer instead. The nearby programmer has no idea what you're talking about but doesn't need to; so long as the explainer can believe there's a chance that their words are making sense, that's enough.

So it is with tile choices. I don't really mind what we get, so this lack of fussiness makes me an ideal brick wall.

We're about to head off. Wish me luck...

Referenced by Where am I?.

Referenced by Tesco Vignette.

Referenced by 2 by 4.


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Copyright © 2006 Richard Bartle (richard@mud.co.uk).