Midway through the day, we had applied the 2nd coat of finish on the mezzanine floors. Eric was sanding some boards with the shop vac attached to catch the dust. We heard an ominous sound (gnnnrrrgggg fwp fwp fwp) accompanied by a terrible smell.
Our shop vac had died.
Resuscitation was futile (and only elicited more horrible sounds and smells).
It's amazing all of the things you cannot do with a broken shop vac. Apply the last coat of finish? Nope! You need to vacuum the floors first. Sand shelves or doors? Nope! Need a vacuum to keep the dust off the newly finished floors. Clean the workspace? Nope!
So we were stuck.
Eric went all around town to buy one, but either they were out or the stores were closed during the lunch break. He waited in town until 2 pm and brought one home from Feu Vert, an auto repair chain. We opened it up and it wasn't truly a shop vac--it had a measly sack that was supposedly the filter, but with holes big enough to see through.
That wouldn't do. Eric was frustrated. So we changed plans and decided that I would go to the big home improvement store in the evening during Ivy's soccer practices. The trams and buses were all shut down today (another strike!) so they needed a ride anyway. I had some other big items to pick up (two toilets) and a few other little things. So it worked out well in the end. We now have a very nice, new, shiny shop vac.
The funeral will be held tomorrow. Please send power tools, blue masking tape, or Philips screwdrivers in lieu of flowers.
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