For the first time in a long time, I have a woman asking me if I want to meet for a coffee.

I’d love to, but some fucking moron decided to dig without calling first and busted open a water main for the whole neighborhood and now I can’t even take a shower. I am about to go to the store to buy a bunch of jugs of water just so I can flush the toilet.

No timeline on when it’s going to be fixed, either.

Sometimes it really feels like the universe just likes to spit in my fucking face and then laugh at me.

  • Lag@lemmy.world
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    14 hours ago

    Explain this to her and reschedule. Best case she will invite you over to take a shower at her place before the coffee.

          • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
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            9 hours ago

            Honestly, it’s a huge unexpected step from “meet for coffee” to “come shower in my apartment.” Or depending how you worded it, you could sound like you’re just trying to bail on getting together. Just because you’re not lying it’s not necessarily believable, especially in a dating context. Maybe try again when you’re done dealing with this and clean again.

            • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOP
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              9 hours ago

              I mean, I definitely didn’t jump to “let me shower in your apartment” like some suggested, that’s absurd. The whole reason for starting with a coffee date is because it’s low-stakes and in public so either party can bail easily if it’s not a match. Women especially shouldn’t be giving out their home address to strangers and letting them in as a first-time-meeting. I am also a cancer patient with limited income so driving 20 minutes to the nearest truckstop or trying to buy a daypass at a local gym were both unrealistic as well.

              I just asked to reschedule and was ghosted, but yeah, I get that people usually think that’s someone trying to flake out. It just sucks when you have a legitimate reason and that gets assumed.

              Anyway, waters back on now.

              • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
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                9 hours ago

                Great! If you haven’t already, shower and text her you’re clean and available, although of course you understand if she’s busy right now.

      • rollmagma@lemmy.world
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        13 hours ago

        Hey, can’t go have coffee with you because the water’s been cut and I can’t shower after the big dump I took. No flushing either =D.

        (that’s how it went in my mind)

  • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
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    9 hours ago

    Always keep at least three days worth of drinking water in your home, a gallon per person per day. So many emergency situations, large or small, can make water unavailable or unsafe. Having filters is also helpful, but you need actual full bottles on hand. For less plastic, go with the big bottles, you can drink from cups. And OP could have washed pits and crotch at least using some of his drinking water, since it’s not citywide so he could buy more on the way home from coffee.

  • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
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    13 hours ago

    Power went out and PGE said it wouldn’t be restored for like five days. I built a habit of going to Starbucks every day and charging all my devices. Then I would read until the sun set. Then I’d pass the time watching tv episodes that I’d downloaded at Starbucks until I fell asleep.

    The universe is a fickle asshole. Hope your water is back soon.

  • ZeldaFreak@lemmy.world
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    13 hours ago

    When its about taking a shower, the gym (you may can take a free lesson or pay for a single session), the swimming pool/spa and even truck stops have showers. Also it can be a topic to talk about and maybe she invites you over.

  • slothrop@lemmy.ca
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    12 hours ago

    Very curious if a match for SnotFlickerman might be TissueBoogercatch.

  • abbadon420@sh.itjust.works
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    13 hours ago

    I wanted to plant a tree today. Dug a hole. Hit my Internet cable and cut it clean in half. Just my Internet cable though, not the whole neighbourhood. But still… no Internet until at least Tuesday.
    I don’t how calling could have saved me from this predicament though. But at least now you know the universe doesn’t hate you, it hates everyone equally.

    • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOP
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      12 hours ago

      http://www.callbeforeyoudig.org/washington/

      At least in Washingon there are free services to locate pipes and lines for this exact purpose.

      Also, it’s a legal requirement for anything deeper than 12 inches, and the 12 inch exemption is mostly for homeowners and road work.

      https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=19.122

      Finally, I’m pretty sure you’d have be using a backhoe or other industrial equipment to bust open a water main that affects a whole neighborhood.

      • Canonical_Warlock@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        4 hours ago

        Yeah, joe shmoe the average homeowner is never going to hit a water main. Those are going to be over 6ft down so there’s basically no way you hit one with a shovel.

      • justOnePersistentKbinPlease@fedia.io
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        12 hours ago

        I remember when a company doing road work did do due diligence, called, was told exactly where an oil pipeline was.

        Then they hit the pipeline.

        Turned out that the US oil company had lost the maps showing the precise pipeline location and had lied to everyone.

        Fuck big oil.

        • Tujio@lemmy.world
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          11 hours ago

          In my city we had a huge tunnel project a few years ago. The giant boring machine hit a pipe and broke, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in delays. Turns out it was one of the pipes that they had drilled into the ground to check soil conditions for the tunnel. Their own goddamn pipe, they just forgot it was still down there.

      • SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world
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        12 hours ago

        In Canada, click before you dig (same thing rebranded) they can only locate public utilities. So water, power, gas, maybe main data lines. But private lines aren’t, so if someone installed a shed and ran power, click before you dig can’t find it.

        Sometimes you need to pay a private locator, they will dig through permits and prints, and use tools to locate possible lines. But if a homeowner buried their own power or water lines…. Your SOL in all regards.

  • 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 🇮 @pawb.social
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    12 hours ago

    Ask to use hers. It might lead to a romcom moment.

    I have the same kinds problems. Met a dude a few weeks ago who already had a wild schedule while I am pretty much free all the time after 11am. Almost every time they are free, something comes up for me that leaves me without transportation. 😮‍💨

  • A_A@lemmy.world
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    12 hours ago

    (( Edit :
    Boil the water before using it. Consider it under boiling advisory.
    … - - see comments below ))

    cut the electric breaker to your hot water tank so you don’t burst and an eating heating element if there is lower water level inside the tank.

    Now you can use this tank as a water supply. You take water from the bottom tap of the water tank. Let the air come inside the tank by opening another top level hot water faucet anywhere inside the home. Be careful to (carefully) refill the water tank once municipal supply goes back on.

    • SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world
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      13 hours ago

      Please don’t drink or use water from a hot water tank, it has to be kept warm for safety reasons.

      Legionaries disease. Deadly, please delete this advice.

      • A_A@lemmy.world
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        12 hours ago

        Just boil the water before using it. Consider it under boiling advisory.

        • SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world
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          12 hours ago

          Boiling it can run the risk of aspirating it before it’s dead.

          It’s just plain shit advice dude.

          Even flushing a toilet with it, now you’ve maybe contaminated the rest of your lines and flushed it into the air to breath. Great job.

          • A_A@lemmy.world
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            12 hours ago

            in the context : this guy wants to go to a date and he needs water now. So, for a few hours the water the in the tank is safe // if this guy has some brain - - and he looks like a very smart guy - - he will know how to handle this water. Otherwise, for stupid people : yes, your advice is good.

            For myself, i know how to sterilize water - - i don’t know about you … if you are in an emergency … in an earthquake situation … in a desperate situation … you may choose to do something special in such situations … if you think you have some survival skills.

            • SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world
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              12 hours ago

              You can’t really sterilize legionnaires by boiling it, it’s not that simple. You’re better off at a low temp for a long period of time, it’s not like other things you boil for. This shows how little you know about this topic…

              You clearly are applying improper information to a deadly situation. You’re only making yourself look more like a fool by arguing that’s okays in one singular case. When it’s likely to be dangerous still.

              Getting “creative” while not comprehending the dangers is what kills people. And here you are trying to to say it’s okay.

              Not in ANY case should you EVER contemplate using a hot water tank for a water source. Full stop.

              • A_A@lemmy.world
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                12 hours ago

                i don’t believe your statement but I would if you gave some references. Can you link some documents that explain why boiling doesn’t kill those bacteria ? … or should not be used to sterilize such water ? …any document about survival or whatever I don’t know.

                • SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world
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                  11 hours ago

                  I already told you, it can aspirate/aerosolize it before it’s dead since it can take up to X minutes depending on the amount of bacteria present. So how long do you know to boil it for? A minute could be enough, 15 minutes might not be enough.

                  It works, but achieving it can already infect you…

                • thebestaquaman@lemmy.world
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                  11 hours ago

                  That’s because they’re full of shit. If you have the equipment to properly treat water, it will be drinkable pretty much no matter what it’s been through.

                  Obviously, you shouldn’t be drinking unsterilised water that’s full of shit.

    • stoy@lemmy.zip
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      12 hours ago

      No, do not under any circumstances use the hot water tank as a water source!

      This can be deadly!

      Legionnaires’ disease is bad shit.

      • A_A@lemmy.world
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        12 hours ago

        Just boil the water before using it. Consider it under boiling advisory.