The Pool from Hell

What a waste of nearly an entire day! (Insert gut-wrenching wail here)

I got an Intex pool at Target the other day (you know, the Pool-in-a-box) where you pump up the big rubber rim, and then as you fill the pool it rises and about 17 hours later, Voila! you have a family-sized pool complete with debris cover and filter pump.

WELL, that's what's supposed to happen, anyway. It's been 95 degrees here every day this week, and my kids have been whining for me to "set up the pool." (Little do they know that the one we had in Wisconsin got so nasty by the end of summer the best I could do was wad it up and put it out on the curb for the Garbage Man.)
So, I bought a new one at Target, and set it all up. Of course, pumping up an eight-foot diameter innertube with a manual pump (because you're not supposed to use an electric one) in 95-degree heat is no small chore. Thing One and I took turns pumping, and by the time we finally got the durn thing inflated it was 45 minutes later and we were FRIED, I tell you.
The sun is so much more damaging when you're 6000 feet in the air. :-P

Okay, so I stick the garden hose inside and we go about our business. Three hours later, the pool is looking pretty good. Then I realize that I forgot to hook up the water filter, before filling it. Luckily the pool wasn't all the way full so I hurriedly turned off the water, and spent the next 30 minutes frying some more in the sun while I tried to figure out all the hoses and the pump, and the plus/minus in/out ports, etc.

I got it working, and turned on the filter pump. Then the pool continued to fill, and I put in a dash of Chlorine granules, and we were getting excited.
Another hour went by, and the pool was full! But I told the kids that the water was too cold for them to swim, we needed to wait a little longer for the water to warm in the sun.

THEN, (and here's the kicker) two hours later I go outside to test the water, and notice that there's water on the concrete around the pool base. So I walk around the pool, checking for leaks, and lo and behold I find TWO.
I was LIVID. I mean IT's A BRAND NEW $%^&**!~! POOL FOR #%^&*@! SAKE! What the #$%^! are TWO @#$!! HOLES DOING IN A BRAND-NEW #$%^!! POOL??????!!!!!

SO, I had to run a hose all the way through the back and front yards and out into the street, and drain the pool, so I could patch it.
Well, that was yesterday. As of 8am this morning, the pool still isn't all the way drained. AND, after I patch it I have to wait TWELVE hours before I can fill it again, so we won't be swimming in it until FRIDAY, at this rate.

And yet, I'll go through it all again, because it's so dang hot. We need the pool.
One of my friends tells me that this isn't typical weather for Denver. It's usually about 10 degrees cooler. Hubby is in heaven. He's happy. So, we'll deal.

Time to go patch the pool...