imagine the most annoying thing that can happen to you. raise that up a notch. that's exactly what happened to me last tuesday. yes, water (filthy) came pouring in from our bathroom (tiny) ceiling; yes, a water pipe in the third floor burst; yes, no one had any idea how to close off the valve so, yes, the kind lady next door had to call the fire department, and yes, they sent about five or six firemen to close off our main water valve down in the basement. terribly embarrassing, and inconvenient, as we (sis, mom, i) had to enforce water rations. luckily, we had saved some water. not being one to forego my daily shower, i had to use an improvised dipper (a coffee mug). my, my. aren't we link-crazy today?