“You can’t make anything idiot proof because idiots are so ingenious.”
Last night was one of those I can’t get to sleep nights. After the Tigers-Yankee thriller, I watched a few DVR’ed programs, played on my computer and still couldn’t get to sleep. Finally, about 3:00, we all crawled into bed. This morning Gracie woke me up by ringing her bells to go out around 9:30. The house was so cold I ran back upstairs and under the covers but not before I turned on the heat. Yup, I have heat.
I am an idiot. When the hall was painted last week, the painter turned off the emergency switch, and it only cost me $95.00 to turn it on again. While the service guy was here, I figured he might as well change the filter in the furnace, and when he did, he turned off some switch which caused the heat to stay off. I called the answering service and some woman questioned me about the switches. Not a tech person mind you, but an answering person. I finally got her to take the message and stop the inquisition. The service guy called and profusely apologized. He knew just what he had done and was on his way back here. I now have heat, just in time for the 70+° weather due this weekend.
My sister was born on Columbus Day, the real one, not the fake one enacted to give us all a long weekend. She loved having that day as her birthday because she was guaranteed a day off from school. I swear when she was young she thought we all had the day off in her honor.
As a kid, my favorite time of the year, besides summer and no school, was from October through the beginning of January. During those months we had Halloween, legal holidays off from school and holy days off like November 1st, All Saint’s Day, and December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception though we had to pay for those days off by attending mass. I guess it was a fair trade-off. We also had the school vacations of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
School was never painful those months. We knew a day off was never far away.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: columbus day, furnace, heat, idiot, school holidays, school vacations
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October 7, 2011 at 2:58 pm
I’m glad it was nothing worse 🙂
Here its getting colder and colder now. It feels like we’re getting frost tonight. But for the first time in long I can see the stars again 🙂
No holidays or day offs over here, all our holidays are during spring till midsummer then nothing. But I loved school so I didn’t mind goiung there every day.
But we did get a bit longer readingin the morning by the teacher during Saint Lucia but that’s all 🙂 🙂
Have a great day!
Christer.
October 7, 2011 at 7:28 pm
Christer,
I am glad too but writing the check was painful.
Some parts of the state had frost last night and there were freeze warnings in other parts of the state. We were not part of that. The ocean keeps the air warmer for a while.
Enjoy the weekend!
October 7, 2011 at 5:27 pm
I wonder what goes through workers minds when they do stuff like that. Same thing happened to me. New A/C and furnace and the guy forgot to set the on switch up to work on auto when we needed heat in the winter. He came back for free because it was a new unit but had to take half the furnace apart to re-route the computer element. We were glad we knew who to call.
October 7, 2011 at 7:30 pm
Z&Me,
The guy must have apologzed three times. When he first called back, he thought it was the switch I could see. It wasn’t so he had to open it up to turn on the other switch. When he left, he told me to have a good winter!
October 7, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Today, here in Toronto the weather was beautiful. Clear skies, a slight chill in the morning and warm this afternoon.
Workmen are just like everyone else, human. We humans make mistakes all the time. Regardless what anyone tells you people can’t multi-task. The effects of fatigue, bordem with repetative tasks and just plain carelessness leads to mistakes. It takes a lot of concentration along with the use of checklists, always following established standard operating procedures and paying attention to details to help prevent human errors. Error management is a problem in many professions including physicians and pilots. Professional pilots are required to attend class yearly on Threat and Error management.
As a kid I also liked the fall because of the good weather, the World Series, holidays and presents in December. January second is still a big letdown.
October 7, 2011 at 7:35 pm
Bob,
It was chilly most of the day today. I only went out to the deck to the feeders. My feet wouldn’t get warm so out came the lined winter slippers!
I figure I can handle the mistakes of my furnace man, but pilots! The thought scares the heck out of me. I am that hepless passenger in the back putting all my faith in the hands of that skilled pilot.
I’m with you about January 2nd!
October 7, 2011 at 7:46 pm
That’s why we have two pilots on the flight deck. Each pilot backs up the other and hopefully catches and traps any errors or mistakes.
October 7, 2011 at 6:21 pm
1. Idiots are idiot-proof.
2. http://cuteoverload.com/
Cheers
October 7, 2011 at 7:36 pm
Minicapt,
Those pictures were fantastic. Some of them gave me a good laugh. Thanks!
October 7, 2011 at 7:19 pm
The day was warm. I returned to Lifetime Fitness for the first time since February…a sense of normality ? watching the excellent Martin Scorcese documentary on George Harrison which is being shown on HBO.
Tiger time begins tomorrow night in Texas, but meanwhile we can enjoy the victory in the Bronx and Spike Lee looking like a prat in that stupid hat. The last time Lee was relevant, so were Men at Work
October 7, 2011 at 7:37 pm
My Dear Hedley,
I am also looking forward to that series. It should be a good one!
Tomorrow will be warm as will the rest of the weekend. I’m looking forward to them!
October 8, 2011 at 9:31 am
Oh here we are and here we are and here we go
All aboard and we’re hittin’ the road
Here we go
Rockin’ all over the world…..
THE TIGERS HEAD IN TO TEXAS…and the whole Bush family can ……(you pick it!!!!)
October 8, 2011 at 11:02 am
My Dear Hedley,
I cannot repeat in print what I would use as a fill-in!
I was surprised about the Phillies!
October 8, 2011 at 11:33 am
Kat, on my Facebook page I was very direct. I spared you that !
October 8, 2011 at 12:09 pm
My Dear Hedley,
I had a few good fill-ins of my own!