forgot where i left it. oh yeah. the next day he came by relatively early, just after one. i had thought to text him telling him my neighbors decision to confer with the landlord before preceding careful not to mention the likelihood he would be replaced as a plumber because i still may be forced to have him repair my ceiling when all was said and done, but i didnt want to dissuade him from coming over and removing the toilet he left by my door and whatever other refuse was there. so when he did come i did some damage control while explaining the situation. he quickly connected the dots and was perfectly fine about being replaced if it came to that. he doesnt really like doing the work, as if anybody would, but cant turn down the money. that is part of the problem though. in his mind he is doing my landlord "a favor." i said if you are being paid and he is not your friend then it is not a favor, its a job. but he persists in imagining it is otherwise.

so this conversation is taking place through the doorway. when all is said and done i leave him to putzing around in the hallway somewhat relieved that the conversation went as well as it did and also that i wouldnt have to deal with him again for a few days at least. but before he could leave my neighbor returned from brunch. i could hear them through the door but i didnt linger to listen to what was being said. i just hoped my half truths wouldnt be undone. while it sounded like fences were being mended, i was surprised to learn once my neighbor knocked that he had decided to let the plumber continue on that day. after all that drunk-inspired vitriol, the light of day and some googling had convinced him to allow him to proceed. at that point i just wanted the work to continue, so i shrugged and just hoped he would get started as soon as possible. that "as soon as possible" turned out to be three hours later and then proceeded in fits and starts for the next ten hours. but by the end of the night he had removed and replaced the broken pipe (relatively painlessly), built and replaced the plate the toilet and flange sit on (the most time consuming element), buttressed that all from below somewhat dubiously with 2x4s, and replaced their toilet. turns out in his three hour afternoon hiatus he had returned the toilet and purchased one with a smaller tank which fit easily in the space above. so had he taken note of the space or worked at a reasonable hour all the enmity could easily been avoided the previous day. also, i managed to cut out about 2/3 of the cleanup time on my end by putting down a plastic drop cloth, actually my shower curtain liner that already had a replacement waiting in the wings. might have been something a competent contractor would do without thinking.

im sure im forgetting some minor annoyances but generally speaking he worked hard and everything seemed to be in working order by the end of the long day. and while i was anxious to have my ceiling fixed and to remove the awkwardness of being able to hear my neighbors bathroom habits a little to distinctly, we decided it was best to let the beams dry out before we closed it up. that has taken longer than suspected and the amount of dry rot does not fill me with confidence that the brand new toilet might not one day land on my head, but we are supposed to proceed tomorrow in any event. im still less confident in his hack job plans for my ceiling than i was in his plumbing talents, but at this point i dont care how awful its bound to look. hopefully it will be a two day project with painting included though i havent even broached that subject yet. one annoying day at a time.