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Dear <<First Name>>,
This time I really wanted to get it right and stop buying “plastic stuff made in China” (because to be honest, these modern brushes always have a catch and then I throw them out in a rage). I also don’t like the vacuum cleaner. It smells. It’s loud. It takes away space. Speaking of space. What would a Jedi do to keep their spaceship or humble house clean? Probably deal with it through energy. Not sure. I’ve never seen Yoda clean or even go to the bathroom.
So, I bought a broom and a brush of wood. Very old-school. I only needed one rubber ring, but you never just order one rubber ring online and my weekend seemed too precious to roam the hardware stores of Zurich for hours. I ordered a bit more. As you do while you are at it. A solid wooden broom is just what I need right now in times of energy savings.
I hope that now I can finally close my home project of unclogging the sink drain. It gives me a sense of accomplishment that I managed to do this alone without any mansplaining in the background. The mansplainer was absent for too long. It needed to be fixed, but then in the middle of sifting through smelly rubble the rubber ring broke and this is not something I stock. This is what I tried first.
I tried the unclogger. I thought that’s why we have that thing. But that did not work.
I also order the cleaner (hope that one is a bit more environmentally friendly).
And then I started to take the thing apart. Not only it took me weeks to get started. It also was a bit hard to open but I managed. I’m a strong woman after all. I used up all my energy to do this on a Saturday or even a weekday. And the smell was horrid.
Let me also explain to you that in Germany (my home country) I would know what product to buy and I would probably buy something less sustainable just to get on with it. However, here I am. 13 years in Switzerland, and still don’t know the equivalent product. And you probably think now: “But you speak the darn language:” Still, I did not grow up with “INTENSIF Ablaufreiniger flüssig extra stark” …so I did not exactly know what to look for online. Also, back in Germany I always had a cleaning person and would really let them deal with it. Here’s what I learned.
1 - Never order anything made in China again, ever.
2 - Start to work on home improvement projects right away. Don’t accept a clogged sink for weeks hoping that “they” will get to it.
3 - Make sure you have an idea how to repair a clogged sink, how to defrost the fridge or air the heaters (I still don’t know that).
4 - When you start a home project make sure that you understand all the parts that you need for completion so you can finish the project. Because right now I have a slightly dripping sink and my bathroom looks really messy. You probably already hear me talking about process porcelain and how I spend my days mending what is broken as if I was Kylo Ren.
5 - When you live in a high labor-cost country like Switzerland accept that you have to do more yourself.
6 - If you get mad or sad about “Aschenputteling” like I used to, there is probably a deeper psychological reason behind it. I often felt sad that I could not just call my dad and ask him to help me with this stuff. I often felt that it was unfair that I had to take care of every, single. thing in my life. Sometimes we just have to get started, even if we have to sift through the dirty, smelly hair that is clogged there in our subconscious.
So, if you are ready: Work with me in 2023. Let’s start to unclog and move forward. Reply to this email with “Unclogging 2023”.
With love
Angie
PS: Do you know how to “air the heaters” and would you do me a favor and help me out here?
PPS: I’m also intrigued that Finance seems to be catching up on the "Human Touch" and that we might go beyond “Spreadsheet Capitalism” in 2023.
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