Yesterday I made two choices that seemed trivial, but turned out to be very important.
The situation: I had washed some clothes, and were sitting in the washer waiting to be dried. In the afternoon (it was a Sunday) I needed to go into the office and do some preparations for Monday morning. As I was getting into the car, it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to put the clothes in the dryer so they would be dry upon my return. But, I was lazy, and did not want to go back into the house, and so did not.
Later that evening, when I was home, I found myself with a sink full of dishes (I do not have a dishwasher) and should have put the clothes in the dryer so they could dry while I did the dishes. I did not. I got another attack of the "lazies" and decided to watch TV while the clothes were drying.
The TV is in a basement room next to the room with the washer and dryer. When the clothes had been drying for about 5 or 10 minutes, there was a very bright spark and a POP from the outlet where my dryer was plugged in. I went into the room, and did not see any immediate problems, but checked it again in a couple of minutes, and there was smoke coming out of the outlet. The wall behind the outlet was starting to turn brown. I unplugged the dryer and shut off the breaker at the box. Fire averted!
If I had started the dryer before I left for the afternoon, I would have come home to a pile of charcoal instead of a house. If I had been upstairs washing dishes while the dryer was going, it would have been somewhat better in that I would have probably been able to call the fire department, but there still would have been significant damage. Thank God for making me lazy yesterday.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Book Review - the Inheritance Cycle
A young man named Christopher Paolini has written a wonderful 4 book fantasy series called the Inheritance Cycle. I am just now wrapping up the 4th book. It's about a boy and his dragon, essentially, but a wonderfully complex narrative, especially the last 2 books. The first book, Eragon, was made into a movie that was only so-so, except for Jeremy Irons, who is always good.
The entire series is about various communities of humans, elves, dwarves, and other creatures fighting to overthrow an evil king. Much of it seems borrowed from the Lord of the Rings, such as the nature and appearance of the elves and dwarves. But, the way the evil king was defeated in the end seems quite original to me. At least, I have never encountered anything like it. Maybe someone out there has.
(Spoiler Alert) In essence, our hero sent the evil king on a guilt trip. This king had great ESP powers and could force his victims to hear, see, or feel anything. He could also inflict great mental pain. But, in this series, dragons also have ESP power, as well as the humans they are attached to. So, our hero, with dragon assistance, forced the king to hear the screams and feel the pain he had inflicted on his many victims over the years. It overwhelmed him, and he committed suicide. I've never heard of such a thing in a fantasy series.
I'm not quite finished with the book. There is a star-crossed love match between a human and an elf, and I am eager to find out how that pans out. But, it's a great series.
The entire series is about various communities of humans, elves, dwarves, and other creatures fighting to overthrow an evil king. Much of it seems borrowed from the Lord of the Rings, such as the nature and appearance of the elves and dwarves. But, the way the evil king was defeated in the end seems quite original to me. At least, I have never encountered anything like it. Maybe someone out there has.
(Spoiler Alert) In essence, our hero sent the evil king on a guilt trip. This king had great ESP powers and could force his victims to hear, see, or feel anything. He could also inflict great mental pain. But, in this series, dragons also have ESP power, as well as the humans they are attached to. So, our hero, with dragon assistance, forced the king to hear the screams and feel the pain he had inflicted on his many victims over the years. It overwhelmed him, and he committed suicide. I've never heard of such a thing in a fantasy series.
I'm not quite finished with the book. There is a star-crossed love match between a human and an elf, and I am eager to find out how that pans out. But, it's a great series.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Girl Programmer vs. Winter
Most of this fall and winter has been unusually mild for this area. A few times the temperature dipped to the single digits, but bounced back the next day. However, starting about a week ago, we have had a series of cold fronts, each more determined than the last to dip us into some serious bone chilling temps.
This saga begins with Tuesday night when Big Purple failed me. The zipper broke. Big Purple has no buttons or belt to fasten it closed--it's the zipper or nothing. It was already very cold, and the weather man said to expect temperatures to keep falling all day Wednesday.
When I left the office Wednesday evening at 4:00 it seemed especially nippy to me. In addition to the cold, there was a stiff wind from the north. I had to deliver a document to an office in another building. Normally, I would walk it over, but due to the coat problems and the cold, I decided to drive there.
My car had a little difficulty starting, which is unusual. And, I had just installed a brand new battery about 2 weeks ago. But, it did start, and I drove to the building (and found a parking place right in front!) and delivered the document.
I had on my best gloves, which are well padded and insulated. But when I returned to the car, the tips of my fingers were hurting. I thought, gee, it must be really cold.
I had some errands to run, but decided to postpone any of them that involved actually leaving the car. So, my next stop was the drive-by window at the bank. The time and temperature display at the bank said 14 below zero. Well, that's nippy. The bank errand did require me to have my car window rolled down for a period of time. Didn't like that. Next stop, the drive by mail box, then home. By the time I got home, my finger tips had stopped hurting, but not because they were warmer. Not good. They were red. I put them in warm water, then they started hurting again, but not for long, as they slowly warmed.
The weather man said last night that with the wind, our wind chill index was 30 below zero. No wonder my fingers hurt. I had church choir practice scheduled, but I was afraid that by the time I was finished at 9 pm, my car would not start. When it gets to about 15 or 20 below, car starting becomes an issue, unless your car is in an attached garage. Didn't want to risk it, so I didn't go.
So, it's Winter 1, GP 0.
This saga begins with Tuesday night when Big Purple failed me. The zipper broke. Big Purple has no buttons or belt to fasten it closed--it's the zipper or nothing. It was already very cold, and the weather man said to expect temperatures to keep falling all day Wednesday.
When I left the office Wednesday evening at 4:00 it seemed especially nippy to me. In addition to the cold, there was a stiff wind from the north. I had to deliver a document to an office in another building. Normally, I would walk it over, but due to the coat problems and the cold, I decided to drive there.
My car had a little difficulty starting, which is unusual. And, I had just installed a brand new battery about 2 weeks ago. But, it did start, and I drove to the building (and found a parking place right in front!) and delivered the document.
I had on my best gloves, which are well padded and insulated. But when I returned to the car, the tips of my fingers were hurting. I thought, gee, it must be really cold.
I had some errands to run, but decided to postpone any of them that involved actually leaving the car. So, my next stop was the drive-by window at the bank. The time and temperature display at the bank said 14 below zero. Well, that's nippy. The bank errand did require me to have my car window rolled down for a period of time. Didn't like that. Next stop, the drive by mail box, then home. By the time I got home, my finger tips had stopped hurting, but not because they were warmer. Not good. They were red. I put them in warm water, then they started hurting again, but not for long, as they slowly warmed.
The weather man said last night that with the wind, our wind chill index was 30 below zero. No wonder my fingers hurt. I had church choir practice scheduled, but I was afraid that by the time I was finished at 9 pm, my car would not start. When it gets to about 15 or 20 below, car starting becomes an issue, unless your car is in an attached garage. Didn't want to risk it, so I didn't go.
So, it's Winter 1, GP 0.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Movie Review - Kill Bill
I just saw Kill Bill parts I and II for the first time yesterday. How campy! How fun!
Uma Thurman plays a lady who is out for revenge for a number of reasons. She has a list of people that "need killin'", as Southern folk say, and Bill is the last on the list. And doggone, if she doesn't go through the whole list. I especially like the parts where the movie makes fun of those Ninja movies where people fly through the air just by moving their legs like they are running! Very violent, but a real hoot!! (Think Starship Troopers, only more so.) Made for a fun weekend.
Uma Thurman plays a lady who is out for revenge for a number of reasons. She has a list of people that "need killin'", as Southern folk say, and Bill is the last on the list. And doggone, if she doesn't go through the whole list. I especially like the parts where the movie makes fun of those Ninja movies where people fly through the air just by moving their legs like they are running! Very violent, but a real hoot!! (Think Starship Troopers, only more so.) Made for a fun weekend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)