This year, for Christmas, I won’t be getting a Wii (too hard to find), Peace on Earth/Good Will Towards Men (too many wars around the world), or even joyous time with my family (too much fighting over how to spend the happy holiday). I did, however, receive the greatest gift of them all today. I’m talking about the gift of a shower so hot that it filled the bathroom with mist and left my skin a pleasing shade of pink.
Let me give you a bit of a back story…
For a long time now, our hot water heater has been a bit like one of the red-shirted ensigns on Star Trek… pretty much useless and we knew that its death was just a matter of when (I have just revealed my complete and utter geekiness with a Star Trek joke). The thermostat was busted, which meant that it would heat any new water that was introduced to the system, but it wouldn’t keep it hot. It was fine this Summer when it wasn’t that cold in the basement (and when slightly cooler showers were kindof nice), but it was not so fine when it started getting cold. Kristian could get a shower that was warm enough to melt a few ice cubes by doing a load of laundry or running the dishwasher before bed. I heaped the benefits of Kristian’s misery and got a slightly warmer shower after him in the morning. But, we were kidding ourselves if we said that it was an enjoyable situation.
I am a girl that loves her showers so hot they make grown men (i.e. Kristian) shriek if they attempt to jump in the shower when I am done and haven’t turned the temperature down a bit. Lukewarm showers make Hope smash!
Our quest for a new hot water heater was long, boring and culminated in the sight (this past Saturday) of “our” new hot water heater sitting in the plumber’s van, backing out of our driveway and back to the store where it could be of no help in my quest to scald my skin with hot water. I resigned myself to a long winter of lukewarm showers.
But then today! Joy of joys! I came home for lunch with several coworkers for a little holiday celebration! And what was in our driveway? Our landlord, a plumber, and our brand new hot water heater. Several hours and a lot of banging around in the basement later… I took the aforementioned shower. And it was good. I might have melted a little bit of my face off. I loved every moment of it.
So, there you have it. I’m going to have to wait for my Wii (Kristian and I plan to buy one when they’re easier to find), I might not get my happy holiday with the family (although I will try my darndest to get everyone to chill the fuck out) and I certainly won’t be getting Peace on Earth/Goodwill Towards Men (too bad, because isn’t that the present that nobody would need a gift receipt for?). I will, however, be glad to get in the shower every morning this winter.
Happy Holidays.
