Sewage hell (non) update

The plumber who said, "Send me an email about it, we'll see about some kind of plan" to Wax several weeks ago has not replied at all to her email. She decided he probably won't and we have to start trying to find a different plumber who will again.

Remember when I found the contact for the city pipe people and sent an email asking whether the pipes under our street belong to us or to the city? Which I thought was a pretty basic question? No answer from them either in several weeks. Out of office without an answerer? Lost in the chaos? Rejected as spam? Who knows. I have to try to call one of their phone numbers today, but they don't have like "Enquiries", so I guess I just start with the department boss and go down the list! Awesome...

It's been warm all weekend and our sump pump has been working as intended, but it will have to be removed tomorrow because it can't freeze and it's supposed to get down to freezing again tomorrow night. Also tomorrow I have an appointment with the employment bureau people and I'm afraid I have no prospect of getting prepared or putting thoughts in order in advance of that.

ETA: I found a form to leave a contact request for the city government's general information secretary. I have chatted with them before and found them very helpful in my work hat, so hopefully they will be able to give me the correct contact information to whomever I really SHOULD reach out to, but I will have to wait for an answer until they come back to work tomorrow morning, because their hours are reduced to three per weekday now. At least I think that in THIS instance I can expect a response tomorrow, from my previous experience of them, even if it's only a notification that they have to look some more. That means not calling the next plumber on the list until tomorrow too.

Train improvement: add the jazz band car halfway between the restaurant car and the dog car

Modern trains are sadly disappointing in appearance when you're used to watching old movies at all - even worse if you're a fan of Agatha Christie adaptations.

But I've never been so disappointed in my life of train travel as when I started this movie - Do You Love Me? (1946), dir. Gregory Ratloff - a romantic comedy starring Maureen O'Hara.

She was reading a book standing in the corridor of a train when a guy popped out and said "We have plenty of room in our carriage, come on in!" and ushered her into a plush seat where she sat down and opened her book, only for all other 20-something dudes in the train to break out instruments and start playing a well-rehearsed big band style jazz number. (If I had to pick I wouldn't pick big band style, but at least it's jazz.)

Imagine the days when a big jazz band would just take an entire carriage and spend the trip playing! Imagine being invited in!!!

The joke is that it's 1946 and she's a classical snob, which you can tell because she's got glasses and a bun - totally She's All That pre-transformation - and is obviously going to become a glamorpuss while learning about jazz music. But who cares. Amazing!!! (As long as you brought your own earplugs.)