Remember that faucet?

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Me either!  First I asked, and received, a new ceramic disc valve.  That didn't fix the problem.  Between tinkering, setting up a "faucet" lab, some other things taking priority, and falling down... I lost track of that task until recently.  I emailed the manufacturer.  A pleasantly all business sort asked for a few particulars in a response.  I responded to the response with what was requested.  I was told what the problem was, and that the part was on the way.  That was that.  I had already forgotten.  It showed up at my door today.

It's a screw in part that inside the main body of the faucet.  I was, and remain, sure I have a screwdriver that would span the piece, but I could not find it (them most likely).  So... I went looking, while continuing to look for the screwdrivers, for anything else that might work.  As luck would have it, on a fisherman's tool and "nail" clipper rig, was a flat closed wrench, thin enough, and looked to be a candidate.  It seemed to fit the needed span, but it was attached to the clippers by a... hollow rivet sort of thing.  So it didn't have the strength, from the clippers, to twist.  Ah, pliers!  And, yes, it worked.  I changed out the piece, test fired the faucet, and... voila!  I now just have to disassemble the faucet lab, attache the faucet where it should be, and that should be that.  Finally.  Bleh.

As well, while I was drifting, I looked up a vacation to Venice.  Oh, no, not now, not this year, probably not for several years.  And, not necessarily Venice.  The package, including hotel (and a decent one) plus airfare was right at $1,700.  Oh, well, that wouldn't be the total price.  Meals, if I would be eating light... transportation which costs what it costs but would need to be considered, and some other things... even parking or some other way to the airport and back.... I figure about double that.  Still, the possibility is quite open.  The costs surprised me.  Perhaps it is that it is winter.  But winter is when I am more able to do things.  Which might well work to my advantage... in time.  If I go to Europe, my goal would be to find inexpensive places to stay, going more as a student visitor than as a dignitary... eating local be planned out restaurant tours along the lines of other visitations, and go to several nations.

It has been decades since I have been overseas.  And while there were times I was able to visit some areas, quite often my time was either just barely enough time to say I saw something, or less, or a rushed nearly business vacation thing.  I had less money then than I do now.  Even when travel stipends were allotted, they were rather meager.  Plus, I was a kid.  Didn't know a thing, mostly.  Though I did avoid tourist traps.  No time to stand in line to see what everyone sees.  I did see parts of countries that I prefer to see though... That won't change.  There was no internet, so word of mouth was it, or pamphlets for tourists.  I have the internet, but can no longer speak French or German.  Trade-offs.  Italy and Germany would be my preferred destinations, though Austria is on the list.  It might be worth attempting to bone up on French and German, to the extent possible.  Hopefully, before it all falls down.  Just... well... I was curious.  I think with good planning, I could probably stay and eat, if not travel, much less expensively that it seems at first glance.  But that will taking planning, compromise, and negotiations.  Just... something. 

Oh, right, I best get to lunch-fast.  Almost dinner-fast?  Later.