UGH.

I'm about to get all ranty up in this beeyotch. Why? Because this is my blog and I can.

So I've talked briefly before how the sewers in our neighborhood are really, really old. Like, they've been there way before my house was there. They are a combined sewer system, so rainwater and sewage go through the same sewer. This is not legal by federal standards, so the US of A came in and said, "Hey, you guys fix that now." So the city of Omaha had to come up with a few BILLION dollars (not kidding with that number) to replace the entire sewer system in east Omaha (the older part of the city). We have been dealing with this since last October. Replacing the sewers include the following things: ripping all the concrete up, digging a lot of holes, dropping a lot of stuff that makes my entire house shake, putting in giant concrete sewer pipes, putting a ton of dirt on top, and repaving. According to my observations, all of this is done by one person while 14 other dudes stand around with shovels in their neon orange vests.

 I have made a pretty diagram to show you what's going on.

A: Le Bungalow

Blue: Finished last month

Red: Just "finished" project

Green: Current project

Project = ripped the eff up

So, we've been living on a dead end street for about 9 months now, with only one way in and out of our neighborhood. The poor people with their driveways facing the streets in progress had no choice but to park on the open streets, and not in their garages. Lucky for us, the project starts just at the end of our property line, so we still have use of our driveway/garage. I have watched countless mothers with small children lug groceries up the dirt covered sidewalks, forced to park two blocks away from home. It's just plain sad. Just when I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel, as the streets in red were just repaved, I find out something HORRIBLE. And I mean horrible.

Last night I was chatting with my neighbor Andrew. He said, "Did you hear about the sewer project?" My heart stopped. "No, I haven't", I said. "They paved it at the wrong grade (incline), so all of the driveways are a few inches higher than the street. They have to rip everything out and redo it."

What. The. Eff.

Who doesn't measure the grade before they pour?!

So now I have to endure them completely redoing the street. And who knows how long that's going to take.

When I go home tonight, I will have to take all my pictures off the walls AGAIN, because the constant shaking of my house from the jackhammers and construction trucks cause them all to fall off the walls.

And I might just cry while I do it.

End rant.