The third-world country that I live in, called Arlington, VA

1. A water main broke in Arlington yesterday afternoon, leaving us without water for about two hours. (This did not affect me, as I was at work.) However, when the water was restored, it was dirty and brown and therefore not potable, though I had several things I needed to do last night that involved the use of water, such as washing the dishes, doing laundry, and cleaning the bathroom. None of those things happened, since the water ran dirty and brown all evening.

2. Upon complaining to our after-hours maintenance number, we were told simply to let the water run for a bit before using, which did nothing but cake the bathtub with dirt.

3. Upon waking up this morning, I was cheered to find that the water, though not entirely clear, was at least clear enough that I felt comfortable washing my face and brushing my teeth with it (though of course it was still too dirty to drink).

4. However, about an hour later the power went out. As I was heading off to the gym, I made a snide joke to my BF about lighting some candles in order to take a shower (no window in the bathroom, you see) and left.

5. ...and returned about 40 minutes later, having arrived at the gym to find a sign on the door reading, "Dear Members: We are experiencing some problems. There is no hot water." Well, that was jim-fucking-dandy, since I'd just spent 20 minutes humping around a heavy backpack and shlepping up and down metro escalators to get there. I wouldn't have had enough time to work out and then come back home to take a shower before work, so I simply turned around and went back home (another 20 minutes).

6. I then spent ten minutes waiting for the one working elevator to take me up to my apartment, and proceeded to take a shower in the dark. When I was almost finished, the power finally came back on, but I was too steamed to really care by this point.

7. As a direct result of all this madness, I just consumed a king-size bag of Lay's Potato Chips and a Reese's Peanut Butter cup in the shape of a Christmas tree (both expired items gleaned from the bookstore where I work.)