OK – did you know you can actually do quite a bit of stuff with electricity and electrical ’stuff’ without turning off the electricity? Really – just a matter of not touching too much stuff at the same time. Easy right? Black is hot, white is neutral, green is ground.
For instance, the project I had been planing was to replace two outlets, switch from two prong to three. Easy. Remove the old one. Add a ground wire by screwing into the metal box. Replace black and white wires, one at a time, being careful to not grab both sides of the new outlet by the black and white wires. EASY!
Well, mostly easy. Old, solid copper wire can be kinda stiff. Trying to maneuver them to the places you want – the terminals on the sides of the new receptacle can be especially hard when you buy a low-cost (cheap ass piece of crap) receptacle. Then you have to hold the damn thing, twist a bit so as to apply pressure to hold the bare end of the wire where you want it while attempting to screw in the screw that is to hold it in place.
This sounds so freaking EASY! And most often is. Unless, just as you think you have the screw tight enough, the bare end pops out since the cheap ass part you have is not doing its job. You forget a bit about where your fingers are as you try to re-maneuver the loose wire into place again. One finger is touching the white wire on the other side. Then, anther finger touches a black wire – completing the circuit and – shocking the same fingers just mentioned.
I did this four times, lightly. That is, small, light short shocks that only served to remind me I was being foolish and to pay more attention. I am quite surprised it did not work well enough to keep me from the two really not too light shocks. The kind that make you say, holy crap, no wonder this crap kills some people! Electricity is freaking dangerous!
The other scary dangerous part came when I had to push that low-end piece of electrical equipment back in its hole. One of the old solid core wires decided to break. Barring its solid self enough to touch on the metal box it normally lives in. There was this sound, like something from a Frankenstein film. BIZZZEPT!! Along with large sparks and the smell of melted wire insulation. Nice addition to an already long and bothersome process.
Finally, some stupid amount of time later the damn thing was in and whatever I plugged into it worked. So – at least that part was good. I put the other low-end receptacle in a drawer. I went and got one for about three times the cost of the first one, still under five bucks. In less than fifteen minutes, with no shocks light or large, no sparks or smells, it was in and whatever I plugged into it worked.
So – did I learn to turn the power off to safely work on electrical items? No. I did learn that saving two-fiddy is just not worth the pain and aggravation sometimes. A damn good lesson yet still, I learned something not quite as obvious as you might think.
Shocking!
A V
The made plans and all that amazing literature that followed leave me with nothing more than a heavy sigh and some freakish fears and concern. Why? Oh my am I glad you asked!
You see, nothing about the tale has anything to do with this post or why I feel fear. It is however appropriate since my plan for the day failed on such a scale as to make me both laugh and nearly cry. How could something this easy be so freaking hard?
The this to which I refer is adding a wireless modem to an old, slow PC so I can achieve internet access at my new domicile. The room I am renting does not have cable. The entire place does not actually. Dish TV and DSL internet.
Easy right? Put in the disc and follow the instructions. Hmm. That’s funny. Not only does it not work, the process seems to have rat-fucked the would be host machine as well. Now, not only do I have two computers that cannot access the internet, my gracious host has two too that do the same not connecting. Already very happy at taking my unemployed broke ass in, I can tell.
Being much more savy than I, I abandon ship to allow quite work and unabashed cursing of me. And also to come continue packing and prepping to be out of this place in two days.
While I am doing this packing it occurs to me that all those jokes of be the homeless guy with a lap top, sitting at the Coffee Bean sipping on the same small cup for two hours just for the free internet, are all coming true!
Whole – Lee – Crap!
I have spent a lot of time thinking now about not being in touch via the internet. My cell phone does not do it. It may, I don’t know. Just know that I do not pay for it to do it. It makes and receives calls and (of course) has replaced my wrist watch.
I find my self somewhere between really angry that I could not figure the thing out and really freaking stressed out over not being on-line. Creepy. Have I become so used to the never present – never real – never soft touch of others, experiencing ‘friends and companionship’ only in electronic format that without it, I am feeling lonely and anxious – before it has even happened?
Whole – Lee – Crap!
I am making lists in my head of when I can be at the bean. What kind of auto reply I can use to let people know, I am on limited connection times. How weird and dependent will it look to do that? How much a looser do you look like with only 90 minutes of internet per day? What if someone wants my services but I take to long to reply? What if someone has the offer of a life time, OF MY LIFE TIME and I miss it while in line for a Large Extra Fat Whole Natural Mothers Milk Mocha?!?!?
Don’t you get it? Life, MY LIFE, could be occurring with unchecked acceleration and one handed steering while I dither and dally and read PRINTED WORDS! I will be, a non-connected person. I will not know the latest, the newest, the sickest, the fastest of everything that really has nothing to do with nor affects me yet; I have become dedicated to reading and knowing every day; three to four times per day!
I am going back twenty years! One giant step backwards after another! At this rate , my mother Betty will be in labor again for Thanksgiving oh-10!
No face book, no yahoo news, no fantasy racing, no random surveys on jock itch, toe jam, erectile dysfunction, lower mortgage rates, higher returns, young singles or old money! WTF will I do?!?!
The thing is, the only thing it does effect is work. I can walk to the bean in the morning and check email, reply and note in said reply, do not expect reply again for 24 hrs. In a few months, if all goes well, I will have some extra cash to get the router that works with the AT&T modem (since they refuse to offer support for the one I do own without charging to tell me the info I need)
Until that time I will live like did in the dark ages of the 80’s. Shame I got rid of my Members Only jacket just last week as I packed for this move. Good think I still have the books – the very same books I disparaged for their bulk only a few day past, wishing for a kindle or equivalent! HA! Lesson learned.
Look for the smoke signals my friends, a stray symbol upon a cloud, feather on the breeze, perhaps a message in a bottle. Please, just keep looking, as I will keep trying to put myself out there, somewhere, somehow, just as I am.
Peace,
A V
So, this is just one of those ‘one of those things’ things, ya know?
I live in the same town as the Western White House. Past president Richard M Nixon’s vacation home on the coast in Southern California. It is also known as La Casa Pacifica. I had the opportunity to work there for a few days as grunt labor for a painter I know. Offered and accepted a short peek around. Public viewing and tours do not happen here.
“This is where Nixon met with Brezhnev”, “This is where the Nixon’s slept” Sort of – The current owners have made many changes over the years.
This past weekend, I was up in Ojai California, again working but in a different capacity. Being a long drive I was in my casual travel clothes with my fancy Sunday best on a hanger enjoying the view from the back and side window.
Upon arrival I shown to the guest house where I could relax, clean up and dress up. This space is arranged as a work-out room with small bedroom and bathroom off to one side. I commented, “This a very nice house”. I meant it, it is a really nice place!
The home owner took that time to present me with some history. The house, and the house next door as well, were built by/for a famous actress of the 1940’s era. It is also the house that Richard M Nixon stayed in while remodel and new construction as being done at La Casa Pacifica. Go figure.
This time, I was in the very same room that Nixon, Kissinger and Salinger sat in. I was in that room in my boxer/briefs dressing up to work. Later I was in the very same room that the Nixon’s slept in. I was all dressed by then.
There is literally no point to any of this. Just a coincidence and curiosity. Made the 6+ driving to and from so much the better. Besides, the place is beautiful, the owners and family members that had me there were exceptional hosts! I felt and was treated more like a guest than a ‘vendor’.
So – some Nixon-ish stuff I have to call my own. In fact, today, while I am moving, I think I will take break to drive on by and wave.
Peace,
A V
Let me start by saying that moving, changing residence, is one activity that I truly despise. Really, I hate this process.
It is however the better option on occasion. Adapt, Migrate or Perish. These being the only three choices you have in any situation, I have opted to migrate.
Adapting would mean tolerating (learning to sleep through) the bullshit supplied by mentally unstable neighbor and the noise created by young drunks. Not interested. I will not allow it to make me sick and tired, to challenge me any further, to have my life shortened by it. Others perishing would be a lovely thing but unfortunately I do not see it happening with any convenience.
That leaves migration. Admittedly, the new local will not be a whole lot better. It is what it is and I just need to get away from here before something very unpleasant occurs. I do not believe anymore I will ever be able to afford the kind of place I would be happy at. Certainly not where I currently live, Southern California. Only the very very rich can afford personal space in So Cal.
I suppose a bit of peace and quite is just to fucking much to ask for. To lay down to sleep and not be woken up by loud music, drunk +10 volume talking, people screaming into their phones while wandering around the common area. People too drunk to know where they are breaking things, stealing from me.
Quite – that is all I want – some quite. One day of quite on this earth so I can (and will !!) die happy. Makes me sad to wish it would hurry up and happen already.
There is an odd freeing feeling that comes with ‘loosing the stuff’ – having to downsize and eliminate. Pick and choose what is important or at least replaceable. I wish more big stuff was less important and the little (light) stuff was. Not working out that way. About 50/50 if that is even possible to qualify that way.
Finding and appreciating the big picture, the effect this will have on ‘the plan’, that oh so mysterious bright side, is what I need to do. Hello bright side, come out come out where ever you are!
A V
No -not the TMI of sordid sexual escapades, details of bodily functions, fantasy or revenge scenarios but actual, holy crap my head is going to explode, too much information. That kind.
Since I have found more free time than work, I have put into use the student loan (that I am falling behind on paying by the way) and signed up for as many classes as I could. Stopped thinking, “What if I get a job and have to drop that class and then pay the drop fee too?” Worry about that if it happens, and it has not. Just plow in head first and finish this freaking 1000 hours already.
First off, let me say it is not the best idea to take two energy based classes at the same time. I don’t know what you know about energetic body work, chakras, meridians, auras and the like but, I can tell you this: it has a lot to do with emotions. My worst subject. And having to get in there and stir that crap up not just once but, twice a week was more than a bit difficult for me. I can say with confidence, as much as I have learned, will use, and will attempt to make use of, it sucked out loud. Really loud.
Along with this, just for balance, I am also taking the exact opposite, western style class, all science and mechanics. Two of them. Classes that is. Loving it. Learning a ton and know for CERTAIN the information, technique and knowledge, will be put to good use.
The thing is – I am missing out on what I am learning since I am spending so much time moving on to the next thing. No time to assimilate, practice, feel and experience the changes trying to occur. Eight hours in class and come home to shift gears and read, write about a completely different topic. I am missing some important stuff!
Yes, that is what school is like, and good students are the ones that can do it. I am not the student I once was. I try, but it is not like it was 30 years ago!
I bring this up as I just read a blog post by the most brilliant man I know (luckily my best friend as well) on how multi-tasking, rapid thought processing and change of topics is his strength. Read it here.
I played Myst for three weeks. I could get off the dock and walk around the next little bit of land and that was it. Never got anywhere else. Obviously gamer, high-speed thinker, strategist and tactician are not my gifts.
So what are they then? I started to think on this while looking at a stack of binders, books and notes all acquired in the last 30 days or so. Thinking that I have attended nine, eight-hour long classes in the last eleven days, driven over six hundred miles to do so, still have one more today, and I wonder if I know what I am doing.
How well have I learned this stuff? Am I just putting in the time or am I taking in the information as well? I know I am but on what level? Have I tried to get too much information? Will it sluff off when I start yet another class in a few weeks?
Being a productive high power multitasking CEO or anything else that requires those qualities is not likely for me. I wonder what is then? Where will my path lead? What will I do with the information I am gathering? Will I use it on me or others or just share it for them to decide on their own? Will I just forget it all when I find a worker-bee job in a cube?
It would be really nice to have just bit of that stragety-tactic stuff right about now. Not the excessive wonder thang.
Peace,
Ant-Knee
