A Body of Knowledge

It should have taken twenty minutes, but an hour and five soaked towels later, pal and colleague, Greg, had the new parts correctly attached to the toilet tank. Maybe it was the wine from dinner, the trace of caffeine in our decaf coffees, or the fact that we work with 7th graders, but I'm sure the job took longer because of the giggle fits every time we read "ballcock," "lock nut," or "nipple" in the written directions for the job. We also enjoyed shouting out these words to Greg's wife, Paula, in the other room each time she asked what we were laughing about. I thought that I needed help with these home project because of my general lack of skill and ability in all things home-related, but now I realize it just wouldn't be as fun giggling in the bathroom alone.