I must be jinxed. There's no other explanation.
In the last few months I've had to deal with numerous household items either failing to work completely or needing repairing.
To give you an idea:
The seals on the back windscreen of the car needed replacing. Everytime it rained I had a puddle in the boot of the car, and not just a drop of water, a real, jump-in-it-and-you'd-get-soaked affair. Water is still entering, somehow, thought the front and filtering down to form a deep puddle in the driver's footwell. Oh, and the passenger window, also at the front, will go down at the touch of the button but needs to be hauled up manually afterwards, though it sometimes refuses to budge. Now it's starting to warm up, I'm going to have to get it fixed. The driver's window is on it'sway out too. Ahh, and the other day, after shopping in Lidl (yes, happily, Lidl does exist in Spain as well), I went to start the car but the key refused to fit into the ignition. Strange, I thought, and checked my key ring just to make sure I hadn't picked up someone else's keys by mistake, but no, they were mine alright. After a bit of persuasion, swearing and coaxing I managed to get the key in, but then it wouldn't turn, and it wasn't just because the wheel had locked. Eventually, and feeling rather foolish, I had to call the insurance company for their roadside rescue. Then, just as the mechanic arrived, and despite 20-odd minutes of fiddling with it before I'd even resorted to calling, the key magically turned and the engine started. Apparently the anti-theft system needs looking at. Although I've since gotten used to the quirks of this and can manage to get the car started on most occasion with no hassle.
The other biggie is my computer. Specifically the graphics card, which I hope to replace shortly, though the rest of it can't be far behind. It currently takes me three or four goes to start up the pc - up from one or two attempts a few weeks ago - and then it freezes at the slightlest hint of any animation or video, and also sometimes without, and requires rebooting again. *Sigh*
On top of that, the washing machine and fridge are on their last legs, as well as the toaster, though I'm hoping they'll last out a little longer. *Crosses fingers* Oh, and I sat on my glasses a few months ago (don't ask) so could really do with some new ones, they're about 10 years old now anyway and I know my prescription's changed.
What else? Well, the bread machine conked out a few months ago, but Lidl had some in (which is where the car not starting incident occurred - I returned, triumphant to the car park with my new purchase, before realising I couldn't take it home) for a bargain €45 so that issue was solved. I had a few problems with the hairdryer, but managed to rewire the plug and that's helped some, though it's still complains at every use. The iron stopped working completely but that was fairly easily replaced.
This last week, the strimmer decided to play up - I hadn't used it for months and when I finally decided to get it out on Monday and pulled the starter cable, the damn thing gave a wimpish sputter before dying on me and leaving the cable extended. Ugh. Then there was a gas leak: my gas bottles were running out after only two weeks, which was weird, since they normally last at least three weeks. After an embarasisng incident when I had friends round for lunch and my last bottle unexpectedly ran out on me half way through cooking the food, I decided I had a real problem. This week the nice man from the gas company managed to find the leak for me and will sort it out completely some time next week. It's good to know the house won't be exploding any time on the near future. And finally, also this week, the toilet cistern decided not to seal once it had been flushed and emptied out my water tank. It took me a while, and some copious swearing, to figure out what was happening. I went to get a new part on Friday, but was given the wrong one so I'm still currently making do with the mop bucket to flush the loo.
Hmm, I think that's it. I'm not sure I have anything else that can go wrong on me now, but I'll be sure to let you if it does.
In the last few months I've had to deal with numerous household items either failing to work completely or needing repairing.
To give you an idea:
The seals on the back windscreen of the car needed replacing. Everytime it rained I had a puddle in the boot of the car, and not just a drop of water, a real, jump-in-it-and-you'd-get-soaked affair. Water is still entering, somehow, thought the front and filtering down to form a deep puddle in the driver's footwell. Oh, and the passenger window, also at the front, will go down at the touch of the button but needs to be hauled up manually afterwards, though it sometimes refuses to budge. Now it's starting to warm up, I'm going to have to get it fixed. The driver's window is on it'sway out too. Ahh, and the other day, after shopping in Lidl (yes, happily, Lidl does exist in Spain as well), I went to start the car but the key refused to fit into the ignition. Strange, I thought, and checked my key ring just to make sure I hadn't picked up someone else's keys by mistake, but no, they were mine alright. After a bit of persuasion, swearing and coaxing I managed to get the key in, but then it wouldn't turn, and it wasn't just because the wheel had locked. Eventually, and feeling rather foolish, I had to call the insurance company for their roadside rescue. Then, just as the mechanic arrived, and despite 20-odd minutes of fiddling with it before I'd even resorted to calling, the key magically turned and the engine started. Apparently the anti-theft system needs looking at. Although I've since gotten used to the quirks of this and can manage to get the car started on most occasion with no hassle.
The other biggie is my computer. Specifically the graphics card, which I hope to replace shortly, though the rest of it can't be far behind. It currently takes me three or four goes to start up the pc - up from one or two attempts a few weeks ago - and then it freezes at the slightlest hint of any animation or video, and also sometimes without, and requires rebooting again. *Sigh*
On top of that, the washing machine and fridge are on their last legs, as well as the toaster, though I'm hoping they'll last out a little longer. *Crosses fingers* Oh, and I sat on my glasses a few months ago (don't ask) so could really do with some new ones, they're about 10 years old now anyway and I know my prescription's changed.
What else? Well, the bread machine conked out a few months ago, but Lidl had some in (which is where the car not starting incident occurred - I returned, triumphant to the car park with my new purchase, before realising I couldn't take it home) for a bargain €45 so that issue was solved. I had a few problems with the hairdryer, but managed to rewire the plug and that's helped some, though it's still complains at every use. The iron stopped working completely but that was fairly easily replaced.
This last week, the strimmer decided to play up - I hadn't used it for months and when I finally decided to get it out on Monday and pulled the starter cable, the damn thing gave a wimpish sputter before dying on me and leaving the cable extended. Ugh. Then there was a gas leak: my gas bottles were running out after only two weeks, which was weird, since they normally last at least three weeks. After an embarasisng incident when I had friends round for lunch and my last bottle unexpectedly ran out on me half way through cooking the food, I decided I had a real problem. This week the nice man from the gas company managed to find the leak for me and will sort it out completely some time next week. It's good to know the house won't be exploding any time on the near future. And finally, also this week, the toilet cistern decided not to seal once it had been flushed and emptied out my water tank. It took me a while, and some copious swearing, to figure out what was happening. I went to get a new part on Friday, but was given the wrong one so I'm still currently making do with the mop bucket to flush the loo.
Hmm, I think that's it. I'm not sure I have anything else that can go wrong on me now, but I'll be sure to let you if it does.
4 comments:
Sorry to hear everything's going to crap on you. Think of it this way: At least you have a car that runs and €45 for a breadmaker (not to imply that you're rolling in money).
My car stopped working completely after so many problems that it had become a complete money pit, and finally I had to have it hauled off and now I have no car and thus no freedom.
Because they tend to space everything out in this sodding country as though assuming you DO have a car, and so walking is most definitely not an option, and even the buses and other public transportation, where it exists, is measley compared to Europe or anywhere else for that matter, and it still costs a *little* money - money which I don't have.
I'm at the point where I'm looking for change under the sofa cushions and the sofa cushions are looking back at me sardonically as if to say "yeah right, you ain't found nothing under us the last two months of trying, give it up buddy." So no coffee or public phone calls or anything else which requires even less than a dollar.
I have no bank account, my computer is also on the fritz, though software-wise at least and not physically like yours, except I have had a couple very large and loaded hard drives fail on me which a)crushed a large part of my music and documentary collection including all my precious David Attenborough series and many, many albums, and b)has made what should be a slam-dunk legal case against my friend (and me under ridiculous suspicion of abetting him) much more prolonged because the very files I need that would instantly get me off the hook before the judge were all on one of those crashed disks.
And I live with depression every day, sometimes quite manageable, sometimes like a Zero spiralling out of control on its way into the Pacific at the Battle of Midway. And I have exactly three friends, one of whom is about to go to prison, one of whom I rarely see anymore at all, and one whom I've never actually met. Plus I only talk to two people in my entire family structure, and spend as much time fighting with them as getting along.
So, if you think YOU have... wait, they still have cisterns in Spain? Holy shit, is this the Middle Ages? Or maybe they just call the septic system that? The country sounds like it's about 100 years in the past, at least in the rural areas. I'm sure Madrid and Barcelona are much more modern, though probably a lot of retrofitting has had to be done even there.
The very thing which gives European cities their charm - their great age - also makes them a nightmare at times. There's something to be said for Western American cities, cities in the developing world like Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, and cities rebuilt after being blown to hell in the war, like Berlin. They may not have the grandeur of Toledo or Rome or Prague, but they have all new infrastructures and nice wide roads to handle cars rather than horses, modern sewers and public utilities to every point that don't ever quit working except during the very worst storms, and then usually just for a second till the backups kick on, fiber optic telecommunications cables laid crisscrosing their underbellies, and they just work well.
I guess there's two sides to every coin.
About your graphics card. First thing to do is make sure that it's pushed firmly into the motherboard, and hasn't been knocked loose.
Then check to see if the fan is working correctly, it may be the card is overheating over time. Try cleaning/blowing any dust that's accumulated around the fan away. Switch on the computer with the case open and see if the fan is spinning. If not the fan and be replaced on its own, although it'll be easier to replace the whole card.
When my washing machine broke I just phoned up the landlord and asked for a new one. I say "my washing machine" as I had formed an emotional connection, obviously. The one and possibly only advantage of renting.
Thanks you two (again :)) for helping in different ways.
Meta, yes, I should be more positive and appreciate what I dohave, which is a lot more than many people.
Oh and by cistern I meant the tank about the toilet bowl, though I do have a sort of septic tank system here too - the house isn't connected to the mains - and that's caused problems before too, very smelly ones.
And Stewart, I did check it, then replaced it. It improved things for about half an hour - ie, the computer started up at the first go and didn't crash, but since then it's been back to it's old tricks. Still, I have a nice shiny graphics card in there now.
I think I'll take the pc to the doctor's tomorrow and see what the prognosis is.
You're still renting then? When are you going to buy your house and fill it with cats?
When it stops being a really, really bad time to buy a house I might think about it (just think though).
Hope the part for the cistern has arrived - you can do without the strimmer but not a loo. The only thing playing up for me is my back - I've pulled a muscle or something. Can you see if they sell new backs in Lidl the next time you're in?
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