For a while now, the building where I live has been suffering from a lack of hot water and, sometimes, even heating. But ice-cold water affects us all, making everything we once took pride in shrink. And by pride, I mean the pride of living in the very heart of Bucharest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From spending dozens of minutes with the water running, waiting for it to get at least lukewarm, to heating water in a pot just to wash \u2013 this has been our life lately. (Man, I\u2019m having childhood flashbacks!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Discussions, disputes, investigations, and requests started in hopes of figuring out where the hell this hot water problem was coming from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, we wanted the hot water so badly that we got more than enough! Except\u2026 it came in the basement of the building!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I woke up on Saturday, happy that Women’s Day came with sunshine, the water in the basement was knee-deep! No rubber boots could handle it. Maybe those fishing waders would, but it turns out we don\u2019t have any fishermen in our building…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two hours later, thanks to a pump, the water receded below knee level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I go down to the basement and start mentally taking inventory of the things I have in one corner, placed on pallets: boxes with old documents, suitcases \u2013 lots of suitcases \u2013 which, although covered with bags to protect them from basement dust, are clearly soaked now. Christmas decorations, tools, planters, paint cans, and bags of drywall, unused blinds\u2026 and I keep wondering what else I\u2019ve stored there, piled up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A sort of emergency command center has already formed in the basement, and people are actually trying to do something. But what can you do in a sea of floating belongings inside a flooded basement???<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s so warm in here that I feel like calling all the neighbors to come down and take a dip in the warm water. Filthy as hell, but warm!!! We could inaugurate our Basement Pool. We grab the wet folding chairs from one neighbor\u2019s storage unit, the floating portable cooler from another, buy some beer, I\u2019ll throw in my suitcases as inflatable mattresses, and we\u2019ll spend the weekend in thermal waters\u2026 oops, I mean thermoenergetic<\/em> waters \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am known as someone who buys all the useless stuff in the world \ud83d\ude42 (I admit, I enjoy doing it.) Some of them sit for years in my drawers or in my car\u2019s trunk, waiting for the day they finally become useful. And guess what? That day has come for two of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I go to my car and rummage through it. First, I pull out some elastic cords to secure some part of the pump that\u2019s draining the water. Great, I\u2019ve solved at least one problem…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then I start thinking about how to save some of my things. And suddenly, a light bulb goes off!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Years ago, in Venice, I bought these long \u201csocks\u201d made of thick plastic, which the locals sell to tourists to wear when the city floods. I rush upstairs, dig through my drawer full of junk, find the sealed package, and head back down to our very own Venice in the basement. Even though the package says size 43-46 and I wear a 39, I can\u2019t fit my shoes inside them, so I take them off and put the plastic socks directly on my bare feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s really hard to get to my little storage spot, wading through all sorts of floating objects: pieces of wood, empty bags, buckets, sticks, even a beer bottle\u2026 and a few giant cockroaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I feel like I\u2019m in a Bucharest Titanic. I wonder\u2026 is the Heart of the Ocean<\/em> necklace floating around here too?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first things I try to grab are my fabric suitcases \u2013 my \u201clight\u201d suitcases. But I get a shock: I can barely lift them! I realize they have partially filled with water, which is why they feel unbearably heavy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With great effort, I hoist them up and wade back through the water to the exit, like a true Nicu Vlad<\/strong> of flooded suitcases. A kind neighbor helps me carry them up to the building\u2019s lobby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I make this trip several times, which prompts my inner voice to say: \u201cMladin, what the hell were you thinking buying so many suitcases on your travels?!?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s incredibly hot in here, thanks to the flooded basement. I\u2019m sweating like a pig.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few crates containing Christmas decorations and tools are floating. So is a bucket. The empty planters are drifting wildly through the water\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only things that haven\u2019t budged are two stacks of boxes. The ones at the bottom, made of cardboard (!) are soaking in water. They contain old documents. Fantastic. Just fantastic…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Above them, more boxes with various items and some smaller suitcases, all stacked up. Here, everything looks fine! So I don\u2019t touch them. I just hope the base doesn\u2019t get so soggy that everything collapses like a game of Jenga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My Venetian \u201csocks\u201d are holding up well, but as I shuffle through the warm, filthy water, the \u201cwaves\u201d start soaking my shorts. Water drips from the pipes above as I pass under them. Ugh, forget the Venetian socks \u2013 I need a gondola and a gondolier\u2019s hat!<\/p>\n\n\n\n It doesn\u2019t even cross my mind for a second that wading through this water might be dangerous if something electric is submerged. God, I\u2019m such an idiot!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I carry the first batch of six suitcases into my apartment. By the time I reach my door, the entire hallway is filled with the water draining from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I cram them onto my tiny balcony, wide open, hoping they\u2019ll dry in the sun. The ones that drew the short straw stay inside \u2013 they won\u2019t see sunlight until tomorrow\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n I grab a mop and clean up the mess I made in the hallway. What Women\u2019s Day? Today feels like May 1st, Labor Day!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I go back for the next batch. I\u2019m drenched in sweat. And the worst part? The water is shut off in the entire building!!! Both hot and cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s everything in my fridge \u2013 except water. Think I can shower with Pepsi??<\/p>\n\n\n\n For now, I wash my hands with rubbing alcohol. At least I\u2019ll have peace of mind that I didn\u2019t pick up some nasty germs from all that basement filth. As for the rest\u2026 I just spray on some perfume to cover up any questionable odors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then, something serious happens: I feel it coming!<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you mean, what<\/em>?!? Number 2. The big job. The call of nature. The inevitable. Call it whatever you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, crap. What the hell do I do?!?<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you know there\u2019s no running water until the next day, trust me, you don\u2019t even want<\/em> to go. But, well\u2026 there\u2019s no escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So I quickly jump in my car, wearing clean clothes over my sweat-soaked body from the basement labor, and drive straight to the mall nearby \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n Among all the elegant women out celebrating March 8th, spoiled by their husbands or boyfriends, here I am \u2013 Slavemaster Isaura, fresh off the sinking Titanic, on a desperate hunt for the nearest bathroom \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n Happy Women’s Day to me!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Happy Women’s Day! No hot water, no heating, and a flooded building! This is how my March 8th started. Sunshine outside? Water in the basement! Beautiful flower bouquets outside? A “bouquet” of things underwater in the basement\u2026 MY BUILDING For a while now, the building where I live has been suffering from a lack of hot water and, sometimes, even heating. But ice-cold water affects us all, making everything we once took pride in shrink. And by pride, I mean the pride of living in the very heart of Bucharest. From spending dozens of minutes with the water running, waiting for it to get at least lukewarm, to heating water in a pot just to wash \u2013 this has been our life lately. (Man, I\u2019m having childhood flashbacks!) Discussions, disputes, investigations, and requests started in hopes of figuring out where the hell this hot water problem was coming from. Well, we wanted the hot water so badly that we got more than enough! Except\u2026 it came in the basement of the building! When I woke up on Saturday, happy that Women’s Day came with sunshine, the water in the basement was knee-deep! No rubber boots could handle it. Maybe those fishing waders would, but it turns out we don\u2019t have any fishermen in our building… Two hours later, thanks to a pump, the water receded below knee level. I go down to the basement and start mentally taking inventory of the things I have in one corner, placed on pallets: boxes with old documents, suitcases \u2013 lots of suitcases \u2013 which, although covered with bags to protect them from basement dust, are clearly soaked now. Christmas decorations, tools, planters, paint cans, and bags of drywall, unused blinds\u2026 and I keep wondering what else I\u2019ve stored there, piled up. A sort of emergency command center has already formed in the basement, and people are actually trying to do something. But what can you do in a sea of floating belongings inside a flooded basement??? It’s so warm in here that I feel like calling all the neighbors to come down and take a dip in the warm water. Filthy as hell, but warm!!! We could inaugurate our Basement Pool. We grab the wet folding chairs from one neighbor\u2019s storage unit, the floating portable cooler from another, buy some beer, I\u2019ll throw in my suitcases as inflatable mattresses, and we\u2019ll spend the weekend in thermal waters\u2026 oops, I mean thermoenergetic waters \ud83d\ude42 GIRL POWER I am known as someone who buys all the useless stuff in the world \ud83d\ude42 (I admit, I enjoy doing it.) Some of them sit for years in my drawers or in my car\u2019s trunk, waiting for the day they finally become useful. And guess what? That day has come for two of them. I go to my car and rummage through it. First, I pull out some elastic cords to secure some part of the pump that\u2019s draining the water. Great, I\u2019ve solved at least one problem… Then I start thinking about how to save some of my things. And suddenly, a light bulb goes off! Years ago, in Venice, I bought these long \u201csocks\u201d made of thick plastic, which the locals sell to tourists to wear when the city floods. I rush upstairs, dig through my drawer full of junk, find the sealed package, and head back down to our very own Venice in the basement. Even though the package says size 43-46 and I wear a 39, I can\u2019t fit my shoes inside them, so I take them off and put the plastic socks directly on my bare feet. It\u2019s really hard to get to my little storage spot, wading through all sorts of floating objects: pieces of wood, empty bags, buckets, sticks, even a beer bottle\u2026 and a few giant cockroaches. I feel like I\u2019m in a Bucharest Titanic. I wonder\u2026 is the Heart of the Ocean necklace floating around here too? The first things I try to grab are my fabric suitcases \u2013 my \u201clight\u201d suitcases. But I get a shock: I can barely lift them! I realize they have partially filled with water, which is why they feel unbearably heavy. With great effort, I hoist them up and wade back through the water to the exit, like a true Nicu Vlad of flooded suitcases. A kind neighbor helps me carry them up to the building\u2019s lobby. I make this trip several times, which prompts my inner voice to say: \u201cMladin, what the hell were you thinking buying so many suitcases on your travels?!?\u201d It\u2019s incredibly hot in here, thanks to the flooded basement. I\u2019m sweating like a pig. A few crates containing Christmas decorations and tools are floating. So is a bucket. The empty planters are drifting wildly through the water\u2026 The only things that haven\u2019t budged are two stacks of boxes. The ones at the bottom, made of cardboard (!) are soaking in water. They contain old documents. Fantastic. Just fantastic… Above them, more boxes with various items and some smaller suitcases, all stacked up. Here, everything looks fine! So I don\u2019t touch them. I just hope the base doesn\u2019t get so soggy that everything collapses like a game of Jenga. My Venetian \u201csocks\u201d are holding up well, but as I shuffle through the warm, filthy water, the \u201cwaves\u201d start soaking my shorts. Water drips from the pipes above as I pass under them. Ugh, forget the Venetian socks \u2013 I need a gondola and a gondolier\u2019s hat! It doesn\u2019t even cross my mind for a second that wading through this water might be dangerous if something electric is submerged. God, I\u2019m such an idiot!!! I carry the first batch of six suitcases into my apartment. By the time I reach my door, the entire hallway is filled with the water draining from them. I cram them onto my tiny balcony, wide open, hoping they\u2019ll dry in the sun. The ones that drew the short straw stay inside \u2013 they won\u2019t see sunlight until tomorrow\u2026 I grab a mop and clean up the mess I made in the hallway. What Women\u2019s Day? Today feels like May 1st, Labor Day!!! I go back for the next batch. I\u2019m drenched in sweat. And the worst part? The water is shut off in the entire building!!! Both hot and cold. There\u2019s everything in my fridge \u2013 except water. Think I can shower with Pepsi?? For now, I wash my hands with rubbing alcohol. At least I\u2019ll have peace of mind that I didn\u2019t pick up some nasty germs from all that basement filth. As for the rest\u2026 I just spray on some perfume to cover up any questionable odors. And then, something serious happens: I feel it coming! What do you mean, what?!? Number 2. The big job. The call of nature. The inevitable. Call it whatever you want. Oh, crap. What the hell do I do?!? When you know there\u2019s no running water until the next day, trust me, you don\u2019t even want to go. But, well\u2026 there\u2019s no escape. So I quickly jump in my car, wearing clean clothes over my sweat-soaked body from the basement labor, and drive straight to the mall nearby \ud83d\ude42 Among all the elegant women out celebrating March 8th, spoiled by their husbands or boyfriends, here I am \u2013 Slavemaster Isaura, fresh off the sinking Titanic, on a desperate hunt for the nearest bathroom \ud83d\ude42 Happy Women’s Day to me!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9869,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[1896,1893,1894,1895],"class_list":["post-9868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-viata-asa-cum-e","tag-8-martie","tag-inundatie","tag-la-bloc","tag-valize","main-post"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"2.12.2","language":"en","enabled_languages":["ro","en"],"languages":{"ro":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9868"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9868"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9868\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9882,"href":"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9868\/revisions\/9882"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}GIRL POWER<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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