fuzzbean.net

Electricity: Calls to two electricians proved fruitless, so I called the fireman across the street. He, of course, knew somebody. The somebody came out a few hours later and poked around in the circuit breaker box for a while, tightened some wires (something about something sparking on a neutral, which wasn't supposed to happen--I really need to learn about electricity). He left to get his voltmeter and came back a bit later. Tightened something else, put the plate back on the box, walked upstairs and now all the lights work. A wire had worked loose and sent 220V through the left side of the house, blowing out all of the lightbulbs and grammy's clock radio. Tomorrow will include a trip to get more lightbulbs, and then we're set.

He was a very large, very growly blue-collar type of person, with overalls and a bushy red beard. He had a black bandana with skulls on it tied around his head. I think he rather scared Grammy but he hit all my trustworthy-if-rough sensors, and I rather liked him. He didn't even charge us. I will make cookies and bring beer to the fireman.

Car tires: In the conversation with the fireman, he asked if Ihad a silver car. Why yes, I said, I did. And did I have a red car before that? Why yes, I did indeed, but it had four flats. Ah hah, he said. We thought it might have been your car.

Apparently someone down the street got into an altercation with his ex-wife and thought that my car was her car and very industriously let the air out of all my (her) tires. What a sweetheart. The fireman said that he came home and caught said individual in the act, but that all four tires were basically flat at that point. Said individual was, and I quote, "Dealt with severely." I did not ask what this means, but I assume that the individual in question is nursing a few bruises at the moment.

I do so love it when karma works in my favor.