The (Next) Great N'awlins Flood

It's been raining steadily for the last 3 or 4 days, which can get a bit dreary. That is not the problem. The dogs are beginning to grow mold, and tracking so much mud into the house that I think I have a dirt floor. That is not the problem. The back porch (which is on the same slab as the rest of the house) is ankle deep in water.

THAT is the problem.

It's only a matter of time until that water seeps its way in and causes some serious damage, so that's a real issue. Around about 2 am I realized how bad it was getting, changed into some clothes that I didn't mind getting nasty, and got to work. I rigged a couple of siphons out of hoses to drain the deeper puddles out to the street, pulled up the garden irrigation system (that runs off a rain collection barrel) and ran it directly out to the street as well. Nothing in this yard is going to need any more water for a while.

Two hours later, the water level is down appreciably and I feel like I've actually gotten something done. We shall see.

Update: 5pm the next day, the sky is clear, and the yard is all mud (a distinct improvement over frank standing water). No significant damage seems to have been done to the house. I call it a win.

Vodka and Mythbusters

....do not mix.

Well, they mix. A little. See below for details.

Hypothesis:
Ted is a hardass.

Methods:
I was enjoying a day off work, honestly kind of bored, watching some Mythbusters and having a vodka/tonic or two. The Mythbusters episode was, interestingly enough, about pain. They took random folks, stuck their hands in ice water, and waited to see how long they could take it. Apparently, the average for men is about 90 seconds; for women, 100 seconds. There was a "safety limit" of 3 minutes, presumably to prevent frostbite.

Results:
Since I'm an idiot, I decided to see how I measured up. One bucket of ice water and a stopwatch later, my hand was cold. About 45 seconds in, I noticed significant discomfort (3/10 analog pain scale). At 90 seconds, I was in real pain, but not unbearably so (8/10 analog pain scale). Immediately thereafter, the dogs came in to the room and informed me that the ball needed throwing. Since I cleverly used my off-hand for the experiment, I was able to pet dogs and throw dog toys without interrupting the experiment. The next time I looked at the clock I was 25 seconds past the safety stop time. I stopped the experiment, but honestly by then my hand was numb and I felt like I could have gone indefinitely.

Conclusion:
At greater than 200% of average pain tolerance, Ted is, in fact, a hardass.

Discussion:
The results are unsurprising, but there are several confounding factors. One is the alcohol involved, which is a well-known anesthetic. The other is the dog issue: petting and playing with domestic pets has been postulated as an endorphin-releasing activity. Both of these may have increased my pain threshold. Also, my status as a dignitary of both the People's Republic of Insomnia and the Potbelly Republic may indicate firmer-than-average moral fiber. Further experiments recommended by these results include repeating the test without alcohol, without dogs, and with other members of the PBR.