I think Murphy's Law should really be called Billerbeck's Law because if it can go wrong at my house, it WILL go wrong.
I came home yesterday from the grocery store. I HATE to go to the grocery store, so I was feeling all proud of myself for doing something housewifey, that my kids would eat, etc. When I get home the garage door won't open. Okay, I think, the power must be out. I walk into the house and I hear something pop downstairs. So I freeze. I think someone's down there.
Then I notice the fish tank filter is going on and off. More popping sounds like Champagne corks and now I notice that my red couch is smoking. Then, I see more smoke by the computer. I call my husband. There's smoke!! I can't find the source! I've been downstairs, more smoke, but no fire. He tells me to calm down. "I am calm! I'm just narrating!" Downstairs, the house smells worse. The electricity is coming on and off. I call PG&E and they tell me to shut off the main line. I do so. Then, call the fire department!
So I relay the popping sounds, the smoke, no source. Blah blah blah. Soon, I hear the entire Cupertino Fire Department coming up the hill. And when they get here, it IS the entire Cupertino Fire Department, and I feel like a total idiot standing on the porch.
When the fireman gets out, and of course, he has to look like a Hollywood Fireman. I really want to live a bad jr. high dance at this moment. I tell him, "I'm a writer. Was I too dramatic?" But he explained they have to do this when they don't know the source. So they try the electricity. Same problem. More smoking.
Here's a word of advice. You know how your mom told you to wear clean underwear in case of an accident? Clean your house for the same reason. Or when you have the entire Cupertino Fire Department in your house, you will regret it. They keep the power off and tell me to call my electrician.
I do. He looks at everything, but we're getting too much power from the line. Here's another Billerbeck moment. We have a transformer that's bad that's serving...US. No neighbors. Just us and our private bad transformer and line.
It blew out our heater. So I'm here with a space heater. But the computers are okay for now. Haven't checked the appliances yet. We got power back at 3 a.m. thanks to some hard working PG&E folks. Would someone please take that kick me sign off my back?
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15 Comments:
Wow! What a crazy story...I'm glad your house didn't burn down. What would have happened if you got home any later??
It did make a great blog post, though! =)
Thanks Sally. I always say we're God's sitcom. : )
Ahahaha! Sorry, had to laugh. That is something that would happen to me. I told my brother today that the other day I was driving down the road in bad traffic towards the Galleria. I see an on-ramp to the interstate and remember that you can get off the interstate right next to the Galleria. Thinking that would be faster, I take the on ramp, feeling pretty proud of myself. Then I pass the Galleria exit! "Oh no!" I said but then started laughing really hard. And of course that Galleria exit was the last one for a long time - I had to go all the way to the next town to turn around. It was very funny, but also very much my life. That happens to me all the time. Oh and later I realized that my original "short cut" would have wasted more time anyway. Looks like should have been patient in the traffic. ;)
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These are my friends. They laugh at my pain!!! Maybe I need to start over. I want a do-over.
LOL - I've had days like that. My husband used to travel all the time for business. As soon as his plane took off, something happened. Water would drip from the light over the kitchen sink, or the drain in the subterranean patio would get blocked with roots and flood the family room. Why do these things have to happen when the men are gone? Why can't they happen when we're gone?
Ane--
Because if they happened while WE were gone, no one would notice until we got back, and everything would be totally ruined!
Right?!
Oh my. at first i thought you would say it was the christmas lights had blown out. but thats scary. We have a saftey cutout in our fuse box which is good cos earlier this year i blew up the monitor, then i blew up the computer and the smell was bad. my room stung for days. if not the the cut off we would have had a fire. I now have a surge protector box thingy for my computer, monitor and printer.
But I understand the fire brigade saga. when we had a chimney fire we had the brigade come someone had rung. (we were ok we knew it would burn out.) but they came and yep the house was not tidy.
Maybe if the house is tidy nothing happens? but as much as i try i am not tidy by nature.
Im glad you are all ok and now with power.
I had most everything on surge protectors, so praise God for them!!! I only lost phones, the alarm clock, a GameCube (not mine, the kids) and a heater fan. So not bad all things considered.
Ane, that is the thing. You have days like that. Di and I have LIVES like that? We can relay incidents by the thousands...sadly.
I feel your pain, Kristin. I'm so glad things turned out fairly well, all things considered!
Kristin im glad you didn't lose to much. thankfully we dont get that sort of excitement.
the biggest thing i find is why is it when you have a bad knee you always fall, hit, jam, jar, slip on or with it!
i have a bad right knee, on my first overseas trip i fell on a bus in Vancouver onto that knee. its been giving me trouble ever since. this week after cleaning a spa i got out and yep my foot took off and jar the knee badly. but on the good side riding the bike isn't as painful, but everything else is!
Maybe its being an author that brings on the mishaps?
Oh Kristin. you make me laugh! WOW! If that was me, i would be screaming totally panicked. I loved the, "I'm not panicking, I'm narrating!! LOL You crack me up, but I love you! LOL :-)
You checked your computers.... before your appliances... yep sounds about like what I would do :o)
I thought power surges and electric problems like that only happened overseas where we live! In the last year alone, our school computer lab has burned out five computer starter-thingys due to power surges.
OOooo! Sorry you had to have that type of problem, too! Glad you didn't lose more stuff.
Still...it IS a good story...and one to save for a book! I'd love to see how Ashley would handle that situation!
Maybe the Lord was just trying to inspire you for an upcoming book... :-)
Hey, I wanted to let you know that I can't access your website. It keeps telling me that I'm not authorized to access the page. I tried to explain to the IE that I am a big fan, blah, blah, blah, but to no avail. I know that when I'm a big, popular author I'd sure want people to be able to access my site.
Hope there's nothing horribly wrong (although I also secretly hope it's not something wrong on my end). Thanks!
Tara you're just having Kristin luck. LOL Just kidding, thanks for letting me know. They had deleted my domain and had no idea why!! Sheesh, it's up now. : ( Kristin
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