$85 per hour



That's what plumbers earn, and now I know why. I spent the last three days replacing the innards of the toilet and installing a new set of faucets in Safa's bathroom. Despite setbacks along the way, I ultimately prevailed and learned a lot (like, why I became a professor instead of a plumber, although now I wonder why I didn't, given plumbers' better pay and wizard-like mastery of all things fluid). Water is so central to our bodies and to the houses into which we put those bodies that I have a newfound appreciation for all those ancient myths about so-and-so god taming the such-and-such river and channeling it (i.e., creating plumbing) for civilization. I mean, really--controlling the stuff is what's key. Too much, not enough, in the wrong/right place at the wrong/right time. Etc. Plumbers rule, along with those mythical plumber gods.
Since I've been under a sink for 3 days, things Okinawan have washed into the background. I'll return to them (and my research on the place) soon.

Posted: Wed - July 21, 2004 at 09:47 PM           |

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