Toilet repairs

The toilet in our guest bathroom has always leaked a little bit, but until recently the leakage was so slow that it didn't turn the dial on our water meter and we didn't worry about it. Recently it's gotten worse, however, and I fiddled with it and determined that fiddling wasn't going to fix it. So we told our landlady and she called the master.

The master's fee was supposed to be BYR 3,320, which Alla had ready when he arrived. He spent a while in the bathroom and finally announced that no amount of fiddling would fix this problem and we'd have to buy a new part, which he or I-don't-know-who would install subsequently. The fee for consultation was BYR 3,950.

"Wait a minute," Alla said. "You mean it costs more to fiddle and give up than to fiddle and fix?" Yep. It takes longer to fiddle and give up, and the new price includes a consultation.

To put this into context, the difference in price was about 20 cents, or the price of one trip to my favorite public restroom. And speaking of my favorite public restroom, I still need to write a story about the Piss Palace. I like that place so well I go there sometimes even when I don't need to urinate. At times 20 cents can provide a lot of entertainment here. (Assuming one is easily entertained.)