"The Greatest LIve Show They Have Ever Seen"

After yesterday's rain, "water" has become the theme for the week.

Tonight I saw my first Cirque du Soleil show, "O", at the Bellagio. Yes, the tickets were pricey at $181 apiece including the Ticketmaster surcharge, but there's nothing like it in the world. The mix of acrobatics, dancing, synchronized swimming, heart-stopping dives, live original music, and costumes all choreographed for a non-stop two hours, is, to use an over-used adjective, unique. Many people are willing to pay the price to see it: "As of early 2011, O has grossed over a billion dollars since the show opening in 1998."

Equally amazing was the wizardry behind the set, a vast pool that transforms into a wooden stage and back again (performers high-dive into the pool, so the machinery better be working). Physical and technical legerdemain aside, the two-hour production is beautiful. Chicago Tribune: "Many people consider it the greatest live show they have ever seen."

The set's elaborate machinery means that this show won't be going on the road. One must come to Las Vegas to see it. "O", the sacrifices we have to make....

Posing for this set piece is one of the few occasions the performers aren't whirling like dervishes.

Suddenly, A Storm

Rain-slick streets are an unusual sight this year

2013 is shaping up to be the driest year since 1850, so rain was a welcome sight this morning. The reservoirs and snow pack are still in reasonable shape though, and with above-average winter rainfall the Bay Area will avoid water rationing next summer.

I was happy just to turn off the sprinklers for a few days. The combined water-and-sewer bill is running about $120 per month, and one never likes to see money going down the drain. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

Why We Like Home Shows

More items in our old home need repair or replacement, so we've been frequenting home shows to get ideas. Sometimes the technology is so much more advanced--for example, tankless water heaters--over what we have that we place an order on the spot.

We spent the day at the San Mateo Fall Home, Landscape and Solar Show. This time we just did what we usually do--truck home an armload of brochures. Solar panels are hot now---the cost is coming down while the quality and performance are going up---so we'll probably be a buyer in the next 2-3 years. Bathroom remodels and driveway repaving are also on the list.

Obviously, we don't have to go to a home show to do research or to place an order. But they're a good place to dream. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

The Straight Poop

Writer Kate Kershner begins to answer the question on everyone's mind: Are courtesy flushes useful -- or healthy?

What is a courtesy flush? Per Yahoo! Answers: "more people need to learn this.... after you drop a #2 you flush the toilet as to not stink up the restroom, as a courtesy to the next person, then proceed to wipe and flush again."

Kate Kershner's conclusion: it might achieve the objective of reducing odor at the cost of using more water and, perhaps of greater concern, "you might be coating your hindquarters with a fine mist of bacteria."

You won't find such useful information in Emily Post.

From September, 2011: #1 has its own forms of etiquette.

For Want of a $10 Part

I didn't want our hot-waterless weekend to be extended any longer (see post below) and promptly called Noritz early this morning. It turned out that UPS was the culprit; despite the Saturday label the replacement part had sat in UPS' Anaheim distribution center over the weekend. Noritz refunded the surcharge for Saturday delivery, small compensation for the inconvenience of cold-water bathing.

I've heard other people complain about UPS and will use FedEx if there's a choice. Such anecdotal evidence is unscientific to be sure, but isn't word-of-mouth how many of us pick doctors, car repairmen, and other service providers?

The package arrived at 10 a.m., and Kevin was here by noon. It took him ten minutes to replace the igniter. He charged me only for the two hours that he spent diagnosing the problem on Friday. I told him I'll call him again if I need a plumber but I hoped I wouldn't have to. He laughed and was on his way.

City Boy

The igniter is the square black object in the middle

Indoor plumbing is one of modern life's necessities; right behind it in importance is HOT running water. Our four-year-old tankless water heater stopped heating on Friday. An emergency call to a local plumber diagnosed the problem as a faulty igniter. The manufacturer promised to send it overnight so we could be up and running on Saturday. Alas, the package didn't come.

We've made do with showers at the gym and boiling pots of water for lower-volume needs. The dishes and laundry are piling up. Overnight lows are in the 40's, and very cold water greets us in the morning. Monday, and the replacement igniter, can't come soon enough.