hot water and Hot Fuzz

today, the water in my apartment building was shut off for six hours in order to allow for "plumbing repairs." unfortunately, those repairs did not include the removal of a decades-old water filter that has been attached to the cold-water faucet in my kitchen since, oh, the late 1980s at least. according to the super, a previous tenant had it installed (my unit is the only one in the entire building with this added "perk") and then left it. the filter inside the water tank (about 1L in size) has never been changed, and the water that comes out of the tap when i turn the cold-water faucet tastes like the basement of an old house. mineral-y and mouldy. needless to say, i don't drink that water, and have been filling my Brita jugs with water from the bathroom tap since i moved in. that water tastes perfectly fine, which only serves to emphasize the distinct ickiness of the kitchen water. nevermind the fact that it's kind of a pain in the ass to have to haul water from the bathroom sink for drinking and cooking.

anyway...

i spent the day out of the apartment and came home to see the filter still there. dammit. then i noticed the distinct smell of floor varnish...which seems to be magically wafting into my apartment from lord knows where. the apartment four floors under mine had its floors refinished, so i'm guessing that's the source of the chemical-y odor, but i'll be damned if i can figure out how it's making its way up four floors through concrete. i suspect the gaps around piping are to blame.

oh, and i have no hot water. i suspect neither does anyone else in the building, but it's a bit of a drag when you want to do things like take a shower. i'm hoping it's back on by morning.


in other news...Hot Fuzz ROCKS! i went to a screening this morning, and it was beyond delightful -- i want simon pegg and nick frost to be my new best friends. my review will be posted at the 'Pie on opening day, but let me just say that first 10 minutes alone are worth the price of admission.

and now i must watch ANTM.