Shades of September '08

Today, I'm waiting, still somewhat patiently, for a crew to come re-route the drain line for my air conditioning unit. Very sad, this tale of air conditioning woes.
Last year, I had to replace the outside unit to the tune of a scary sum of money, all because of an errant lightning strike coming out of the blue and frying it. Mind you, this was the same unit that had been replaced to the tune of another scary sum of money not two years before. (Yes, my homeowner's insurance did pay for last year's disaster, minus the deductible, which has now become another scary sum of money because of the appreciation of the house.) Do I dare note all of the scary sums of money involved here?
Suffice it to say that when I came back home Thursday, after running some very short errands, and found the house to be stuffy and humid, I thought evil thoughts about air conditioners and those who replace them and repair them, and felt very sorry for those of us who have to pay for it all. But, at 8:30 in the evening, I called, and bless them, someone answered and said they would come out Friday.
If you don't live in Houston, you may not totally understand the need, the dependence, the oh-no-I-will-not-do-without-it-and-will-find-a-way-to-pay-the-bill mentality that comes with properly chilled and de-humidified air in the summer climate here. Add to that the recent memory of post-Hurricane Ike survival for two weeks with no electricity, and you fall into a state of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is just so easy to expect the absolute worst, and such a relief when you discover that the repair may only involve a fraction of the scary sums of money that have been required in previous years...
So, yes, here I sit, trying to make the most of the time, having just received a reassuring call saying that they are indeed on the way to work in my hideously hot attic, and in the equally tropical outdoors, to repair the lifeline that drains the remains of the 100% humidity sucked out of the air in my house. Bless them! Bless them! Bless them! (And will You please help them finish their work in time for me to go in to work? A small favor? Thank You?)