Well, as some of you may be aware, because you are either extra stinky today, thirsty, or just plain out of the wet stuff, WSSC reported a water main failure this morning in Montgomery County. Now, as of the most recent update, it’s now two breaks, which occurred after initiating standard procedures to shut down valves to identify where the leaks are occurring and what is affected overall. There are a number of government closings listed here (aren’t you glad school’s out?!). Good news, and there supposedly is some of it, by 7:30pm tonight we’ll have our water back, but as with every upside, there is a down. The water purification recommendations will be in effect for the next three days (until Thursday).

For those of you who will need potable water, it is recommended that you boil your water (rolling boil) for over a minute before you use it (and for those who need cold water, don’t add ice cubes from your automatic ice maker, unless it’s got a filter on it, wait for it to reach room temperature or cool it in your fridge). Other methods for treating your water can also be achieved through typical backpackers methods such as a SteriPen or purification tablets (REI, HTO, or other outdoor store) for larger volumes.

Here they are.

That’s the inside of what our friends call our “Chester the child molester van,” but what we simply call “big red.” Receding into the distance is the Hyattsville Pepsi bottling plant, where these 4 food-grade barrels came from. Two are 55 gallons, two are 30 gallons. All are intended to go around the edge of my house to be used as rain barrels, though we may end up not making use of them all.

Pepsi charges a nominal $5 per barrel fee to sell them to you, which is a steal compared to what you’d pay a commercial outfit. In fairness, I’m going to have to put on the necessary attachments myself before they can be used, to say nothing about washing out some leftover syrup sludge. Unless you can tell me for sure that tomato plants and daffodils are fans of lemon-lime, that is.

If you’re not quite as cheap & handy as I am (in that order) you can pick up barrels from the Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center. $60 is more than the $5 plus parts and time I’ll spend, but you won’t have to show up in Hyattsville at 6:30am to be assured of getting one either.

If you like to walk the path less traveled sensible as I do, instructions for making a barrel are provided here by the Maryland Environmental Design Program or you can use the contact link and ask the Fairfax Country Conservation District program to contact you the next time they run a rain barrel construction workshop.

If you’re thinking this sounds a little too hippie-dippy for you, I had some initial qualms about that as well. However I pretty much made up my mind to do it because of two things. One of them is probably unique to me: the previous tenants in our house left behind a number of soaker hoses, so we’d like to make use of them. The other factor I am sure applies to you as well: water is expensive. Since Arlington - and many regions -  base our sewer bill on our water consumption, we don’t just pay the $3.34 for each 1,000 gallons we pour out onto our lawn and garden - we also pay an additional $5.86 to cover the cost of spiriting it away down the drain and off to the stinky water  treatment plant… even though there’s no drain in our vegetable garden.

So if I put all 4 of my barrels to use, that’ll be a combined 170 gallons of water on hand to use rather than the $1.56 worth that comes out of the tap. Not a money saver right out the door, but combined with the lazyness factor of letting the soaker hoses do the work without any accompanying worry about them rupturing and costing me money, I think it’ll be worth it.

Besides, it’s yet another do it yourself project I can add to my overstocked pile. What more could I ask for?

The City of Falls Church has posted a number of tips on how to avoid mosquitoes and West Nile Virus. I am discussing them in a six-part series.

I know my neighbor’s cat never forgets to spray, but that’s not we are talking about. That’s just stinky and unwelcome but will continue until the cat dies. You can’t break old habits when it comes to cats.

DEET is the common name of a chemical that is one of the most effective mosquito repellents ever invented. In fact, DEET has a much longer name but I have decided not to post it because it looked too highfalutin’ for me to include.

What to look for in a good repellent is something like 25% DEET. That will give you several hours of protection under normal circumstances. The lower the concentration, the less time it will be effective. That’s kind of common sense, I guess.

My only concern with DEET was the potential carcinogenic effects from slathering it on. A few years ago I was taking a trip to Thailand to become a Buddhist monk and was concerned about such things as dengue and malaria. Which of these would have the worst side effects, I wondered? I never did find out but I used my 100% DEET death liquid as necessary to keep the stings away.

Whatever product you use, be sure to use something and keep those suckers at bay.

Check in tomorrow to read about Tip #6: Useful at-Home Information.

Thirst quenched yet?

Walking through Capitol Hill, I spied this occupied front stoop. If you look closely, that’s 10 water jugs.

10 five-gallon water jugs or 50 gallons of water drunk.

50 gallons would be 100 days of water at an average of two quarts/liters of water per day. Or 50 if it were two, maybe 30 if it were three or more. Regardless, they would need to be a thirsty household.

Or is this the sign of a mystery “water club” I’ve heard government workers share?

What’s your theory?

Someone left a smelly box on a counter at the Postal Museum Post Office, prompting an evacuation while bomb and hazmat teams checked out the package. Turned out it was two cans of old spinach and a used diaper. So, this of course raises two questions: which of you jokers thought it would be a good idea to send that, and did the smell reach up to Capitol City Brewing Company?

Or was this someone trying out his own version of Postal Experiments? Didn’t work, dude.

Lonely bouquet

Originally uploaded by deridere.

Why oh why are you sitting outside of an office building all alone? Are you perhaps delighting in the afternoon sunshine? Maybe you are checking out the construction workers across the street? Are you thirsty? hungry? cold?

Clearly you should not have been left outside of the closed salon, so why would you be abandoned by your delivery man? Could it be that this bouquet of flowers, slatted for delivery today was a tad sub par for the firm whose front lobby table it was supposed to adorn? Have you been forsaken for a newer model, upgraded to a leafier bouquet and discarded like a second class citizen because your flowers were average?

IMG00468.jpg

Originally uploaded by deridere.

Whilst driving home from the office late last night, what should I spy along M Street but a parked limosine outside of the Rhino Bar.

If you’re like me, and chances are you’re not, you’d wonder which celebrity A-lister (or Georgetown trust-funder) would do something so crass as to rent a limosine to take them to the Rhino Bar.

At least they weren’t drinking and driving. I hope they didn’t have a hangover this morning.

For Capitals fans there is no rivalry that is as bitter as the one with Pittsburgh Penguins. Back when both teams were good, the Penguins regularly defeated the Caps in the playoffs. Monday night’s game was another heartbreaker as the Flightless Birds rallied back from a four goal deficit to defeat the Caps in a shootout. While that and the thuggery of some yinzers in section 417 was disapointing, there was a “golden” memory for Caps fans. Some enterprising Caps fan(s) has taken the rivalry to a new level by filling the urinals with photos of Sidney Crosby that said “I’m thirsty.” Crosby, the NHL’s “chosen one,” was soundly defeated by Alex Ovechkin for last year’s Calder Cup, awarded to the league’s top rookie.

I’m laughing at this one, even though I suppose I shouldn’t. Was it an excellent prank against a rival or was it offsides?

Photo by DC Metroblogger

As the last of the runners in the Marine Corps Marathon pass, these recruits spring into action.

Cleaning up the mess of too many thirsty and hungry runners, uncomplaining marines quickly return the city to its usual pristine state.

Thank you US Marine Corps. From the famous Iwo Jima Memorial to the middle of Independence Avenue, the 31st Marine Corps Marathon is a great success!

Oh it is so close I can taste it. I can smell the cig free air and the smoke free cloths, feel the phlegm free lungs.

In only 100 days, we will be Smoke Free DC. Only 14 more weekends of ashtrays indoors, of stinky clothes, of deadly air.

Then we can breathe deeply, we can sing loudly, we can be Smoke Free DC.

Join me in the 100 days countdown, in the 100 days celebration, in the 100 days till lung-cleansing freedom!

Smoke Free DC - not a day too soon.