K is for Karma?

I think I may have done something bad along the way and karmic payback is leading to several runs of bad luck.

The toilet failed and leaked copious amounts of water all over the bathroom. Had to replace it. So I went to the store and bought the one I wanted and arranged for someone to come install it. Unfortunately, I did not notice that the toilet that was loaded into my car was NOT the one I had pointed out to the sales associate. I realized a very short time before the installer was due to arrive on Saturday and raced to the store to get the right one. Of course, the toilet I brought home the first time is still sitting in our bathroom because it was too heavy for me to load back in the car by myself! Must remember to take that back... The bright side was that the kids thought it was incredibly interesting to watch the plumber install the new toilet. Haley was especially fascinated, given her ambitions to become a plumber herself someday.

As an amusing side-note, the plumber had an accent. At one point he brought in a shop vac and the kids asked what it was. Her told them it was a "vaw-cuum" - in his charming accent. Now Brekken cannot be convinced that it was actually just a vaccuum. He insists that it is a special plumbing tool known as a vaw-cuum. :)

Speaking of leaking water... the dishwasher has also been leaking water every time I wash a load of dishes. Even worse, it's not getting the dishes clean. For some reason, though, I kept trying. Even though eventually - after running a load through 2-3 times - I generally pulled most items out and washed them by hand. It does help keep the floor around the dishwasher cleaner, though, since I have to mop it every time I try to wash dishes. Having finally had enough - and also convinced Aaron that it was enough - I scoped out new dishwashers at Home Depot. I was simultaneously glad and slightly upset to learn that Home Depot was running a Black Friday sale the next day. Glad - for obvious reasons. Sad - because I had to postpone buying the dishwasher for a couple of days and I had been all psyched up to deal with the traumatic blow to the bank account! It was, in fact, worth going back later in the week. The dishwasher I had looked at earlier was now $75 cheaper - and even better, installation fees had dropped from $129 to only $39. $165 in savings is good in my book! I am ridiculously excited to do some dishes after it is installed tomorrow. It has powered silverware jets! A dedicated jet for the upper rack! A disposal! It works with the crappy new dishwashing detergents! Tomorrow's going to be a good day. And for tonight... we'll continue eating off paper plates.

I have a tooth that is giving me fits. It aches and sometimes throbs. It makes my whole face and head hurt. But if I brush it with enough Sensodyne, it goes away for a while. And yes, I know that's not a good solution. I know I should see a dentist. But I'm one of those people with an irrational fear of the dentist. And it's really not so much a fear of pain - I have that already. Frankly, it's a fear of criticism if the dentist thinks I have bad dental habits. Not to mention the fear of the bill that comes along with the dental visit. We have some very worthless dental insurance...

So there's the latest run of bad luck. In addition to the rest that we've had this year, I'm starting to think I should make an Earl-style list. (Anyone else remember that show?) On the other hand, plenty of good things happen around here, too. Sometimes it just feels a little harder to remember those things!

We did manage to pay off the van this month, though. Hallelujah! I've discovered a new affection for the car since paying it off. When it acted up before, it was always "I can't believe I'm still paying on this piece of junk!" Now it's more like "It may be crappy, but at least it's paid for!"