Were the houses all built at the same time, Steph? Maybe the thermocouples are reaching the ends of their natural lifespans at the same time.
Our hot water heater is about 9 years old, and apparently it was a known problem with our model -- it happened in the first couple of years for a LOT of people (this is what the plumbing supply dude told Tim). We seem to have gotten lucky that it lasted this long. We ought to be able to get a couple-few more years out of the hot water heater, so we (and by "we," I mean "Tim") opted to replace the bad thermocouple for $60 rather than get a whole new hot water heater for $600.
Don't know about the neighbor. IIRC, the house was totally rehabbed about 6 or 7 years ago, so her hot water heater couldn't be any older than that. (Well, I suppose it could if the rehabbers put in a used hot water heater, but we saw the house while it was up for sale, and it sure looked like a new hot water heater, with tags and whatnot to indicate its average energy use.) Probably just a fluke-y coincidence that both of our hot water heaters went kaput at the same time.
Unrelatedly, I am REALLY tired of stinkbugs getting in the house. I can't kill them, because then they stink (hence the name), so I have to scoop them up in tupperware and release them outside. It's probably the same persistent stinkbug getting in the house over and over and over.
It's a messenger from the universe trying desperately to change your life.
Wow, today is definitely my day for NSFW language from higher-ups. I appreciate that. But we have all fucking had it, and yet nothing is going to get better in the foreseeable future, and for me it's going to get a lot worse over the next few weeks.
"Cake or death. Your death. Yeah, that's right, hand over the cake."
OMG Connie, I nearly did a spit take!
There's been a fancy birthday cupcake sitting in the break room all day. Just now I spotted a note asking if the cupcake was up for grabs. "It's too nice to 'steal' but too nice to go to waste." Another note has been attached to that note, declaring the author of the first note to be the rightful heir to the cupcake and that it is free for taking. The thing had three inches of frosting on the top of it, and it's probably nearly 4 inches across. People have been taking slices.
Mmmm, cupcake.
I actually willingly put cupcakes in the freezer the other night. We had bought cupcakes to celebrate our anniversary this past Sunday; the plan was to go out and have a nice dinner and then come home and eat cupcakes. But our sweetheart of a waiter, when we told him it was our anniversary, brought us a surprise dessert after our dinner. And we never turn down free dessert (especially white chocolate mousse [I said "Man, white chocolate gets a bad rap -- this is GREAT!"]).
So when we came home, there was no way we could eat cupcakes, so rather than snarf them down the next day before they went bad, we put them in the freezer. I don't even know what's become of me. ME. I willingly deferred sweets. WTF, man.
(Although I might need to thaw one out tonight. We'll see.)
I just cranked through a ton of work. I've decided to take a half day tomorrow and go to a movie after lunch, because WHY NOT.
Our hot water heater is about 9 years old
Huh. Mine is 17 years old. I guess it's a tired old-man water heater. I don't know what the average lifespan of water heaters is.
Good call, shrift.
Both rabbits have been confirmed noshing on the cilantro, which is almost all gone. Good to know.
Duck is in the oven.
I still need to go for a run and make some apple tarts.
