Porcelain Problem

Toilet tank lever.  That's the formal name for the little thing that you push down to flush the toilet.  Mine broke this morning.  Annoying.  Called Dad on the way to work.  He assured me I could handle this one.  I went with the new townhome for a reason.  I wasn't up to the challenge of the fixer-upper house.

Stopped at Home Depot on the way home.  Purchased my toilet tank lever and was on my way home.  Follwed Dad's instructions, but the plastic nut wouldn't budge.  Tried it with a pliers.  Then tried 2 pliers.  Said a quick prayer.  Tried again.  Nope.  Tried a few harsh words.  Nope.  As I shook my head in disbelief I wondered what the lesson in all of this was.  Sent a few picture texts to Dad so he could assess the situation.  More harsh words.  By this point the dog ran to hide under the bed.  Apparently he responds to harsh words only when they are directed at the toilet.  Charged with a new idea I borrowed a steak knife from the kitchen.  Steak knife turned saw was wasn't working either.  It was hardly a blade.

Not ready to give up.  Back to Home Depot.  At this point I mean business and I am looking for a hacksaw.  The three nice men standing at the end of the aisle quickly point me in the right direction.  They agree this saw will definitely do the trick.  Driving home I try to look in the bright side.  I am now the proud owner of a mini hacksaw.

Back at home I saw in all directions.  Perpendicular.  Parallel.  Diagonal.  The blade is scraping against the porcelain, yet I still can't get what is left of the plastic nut to budge.  That's when the waterworks start up.  Yep.  Tears.  This stupid toilet tank lever had wasted almost 2 hours of my night.  The harsh words and tears didn't work.  I removed the blade from the saw to get flush again the inside of the tank.  It slipped a few times, cutting my skin.  But I was finally making progress.  Done.  Mission accomplished.  It took 2 trips to Home Depot, many harsh words, tears and a little blood. 

I plan to use that toilet as much as possible tonigh to make my efforts worthwhile.  I may even set an alarm to get up in the middle of night - just to flush the toilet!

Oh and did I mention I bought a mini hacksaw tonight?