Last evening I drove nearly 50 miles to attend a bonfire party held by a friend and former coworker of mine. He has 10 acres near a lake and one of the things we talked about was utilizing parts of a dead white oak tree for table in the house he is planning to build. Now that I know where he is we can git 'er done, which reminds me of another comedy routine - if the directions to your house include the words "Turn off the paved road...", and you know the rest.
So I stood around talking to folks I hadn't seen in years, including one guy I was hoping to avoid - he was my boss from 1998-2000 and my first urge was not one of collegiality. Funny thing, though, once I saw him and talked to him all my anger subsided - he had nothing to do with me leaving that company - that was all on me. We talked of times, new and old, for close to a half an hour. It was nice to put aside that burden.
There were plenty of dogs running around, so that was good. There was even a large cat that holds his own out there in the wilds:
Sunset over the lake was nice:
But as always, that's not what I am here to talk about. The heat pump that provides warmth to my house has failed. I called a couple of local companies but they charge close to $150 just to show up on a Sunday, so I dragged out the electric heaters and I will be able to survive until get the thing repaired tomorrow. One guy was kind enough to remotely diagnose the problem based on the symptoms I provided him over the phone - it seems the blower motor in the heat exchanger has frozen up and needs replaced. I left out the "to be" in that sentence as the host of last night's part is from Erie PA and that's how he speaks.
Which leads me to the actual point - machines don't break if you don't use them. That is a theory I have developed over a life time of using machinery. Sure, they might rust or corrode, but if you don't try to use them then you would never notice their state of disrepair. Stated another way, machines only break if you use them. Or maybe that is a corollary.
So whether it is airbags that shoot shrapnel into one's thorax or a heat pump blower, you will never know that they are defective until you need them.
That's my theory and I am sticking to it.
7 comments:
A mower bloater replacement is a DYI job.
...the heat exchanger has frozen up and needs replaced. I left out the "to be" in that sentence as the host of last night's part is from Erie PA and that's how he speaks.
That phrase jumped out at me when I read it, because that's how people here in the western NC mountains speak. That's not a Piedmont thing, too?
Nothing lasts forever.
Succinctly put, AllenS.
Windbag, I first heard that idiom (construction, grammar, who knows?) used by folks from western Pennsylvania. Later I heard it used by people from western Maryland. It makes sense that one would hear that in western NC, as well.
West Virginia is an altogether different story - to hear how they speak watch "The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia" - methah feckah they do talk funny up there.
As for me replacing the mown bloater, I suppose I could, save for two things - I have no idea where it is located and two, I don't have a source for a replacement motor. I will pay attention to what the guy does and learn what the deal is. It won't be an inexpensive education, but such is my path in life.
Stay tuned for more in this ongoing saga...
Move further south.
My BMW was part of the recall to replace my airbag as well, but the whole situation is such a giant fuck up that Takata cannot or is incapable of providing a replacement, so BMW sends me a mailer saying that I can settle.
Settle for a chest full of shrapnel? Easy to calculate - assuming you don't bleed out after the sumbitch goes off, just add up the expense of surgery, a week in the ICU, rehab, and while you are at it, throw in what a replacement car would cost. An additional 50% for pain and suffering and there you go - have them make out the check to "Cash".
But the funny thing to me is that somehow I am supposed to trust that Takata built the replacement bags correctly. Hell, they were supposed to do that the first time.
I have read that Takata has declared bankruptcy, but since they are the largest airbag manufacturer in the world they really can't go bankrupt. They will be kept afloat by the interlocking government/industry web that is Japan, Inc.
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