There is nothing more frustrating than a series of small, unfortunate events.
They are the stupid minor things of life which happen on an ordinary basis. This week it was the plug on the vacuum cleaner failing and arcing (it was replaced) and the headlights on Nighean Dhonn's car giving up the ghost operationally, then at least getting to the point where they are on when the engine is on (but go off as soon as the engine stops). Two weeks ago it was the low air pressure alarm on my car which was on for weeks after being checked by the shop (no leakage; turns out not one but two of my sensors had died).
None of this are crushing blows of course: cars can be repaired, a plug can be fixed (by someone who is not me however; my attempt did nothing new) or a new vacuum purchased. What is aggravating about it is the dripping nature of these things.
Any job is like this, if I think about it. Mine at least certainly is. The high victories and low defeats are few and far between. Far more common are the minor things that constantly seem to go wrong: we did not ship enough of this; we need more of this; this document is wrong; etc., etc.
I find it far more discouraging that the big failures.
Big failures tend to be one time events. The small things that come up much more frequently often feel like different verses of the same song, giving truth to the phrase "if it is not one thing, it is another". There seems to be no seasonality, no periodicity, no predictable patterns of behavior. Things just break, usually at the most inconvenient time.
My bigger thought - and there should always be a bigger thought - is what is an inconvenience now has the capability to become a huge issue the thing to repair the problem - a different part for the vacuum, a new headlight switch - are no longer available at all.
That steady drip, drip, drip can escalate from annoyance to a hair-pulling full out stop.That unease on whether a part can be available seems to be more prevalent ever since, oh say, the beginning of 2020. Geeeez, I wonder why?
ReplyDeleteIt is a mystery, Nylon12. If only there was some event - say recklessly shutting down the economy while just saying "it will come back" - that had triggered all this. If only we knew what it was...
DeleteSmall things bother me more too but I think it is tied to my life's schedule. Back when I was regularly dealing with large problems on a near daily basis, small things were just that, small and dealt with little thought. But these days I don't deal with large problems daily, weekly, or even monthly. All that my mind has to dwell on are the little things and so I think I'm mentally making mountains out of molehills. I try to remind myself this and the fact that when I pass them, they always look like molehills in my review mirror despite their mountainous look on approach.
ReplyDeleteEd, part of my issue is (I think) the fact that when I have not paid attention to small things, they have mushroomed on me in unpredictable and expensive ways. Easier to manage things when they are small.
DeleteYES. 100 thumbs up, TB. The hell of that though - is this:
ReplyDelete"Oh, they're just small details! We have neither the time or the money to trifle with them, so for now, you can just work around it..."
And that in turn causes more stress on the other moving parts (most of them small)... until eventually you are on fire all the time with crisis after crisis after crisis.
Smile and do your maintenance. Be thankful that you are smart and conscientious enough to see to them. Far too many of us are not...
That is exactly it from my point of view Glen. Given the complexity of most of modern life, there are no little parts that "do not" impact other things. To use the example of the tire sensors, they have been useful in identifying an issue quickly in the past.
DeleteI have not always been as good at this as I should have been, but am trying to do better.
I am ever so grateful for being mechanically inclined, with a half century or more of troubleshooting and repair experience. After procrastinating for weeks, I finally got in yesterday and replaced the old, leaky innards in a toilet (I HATE plumbing). It went well enough, and now today I am going to finish the job with the other one in the house.
ReplyDeleteFor those dreading the ugly times ahead, the key will be networking and barter. If you aren't up to tackling a repair chore, find someone who is, and figure out what you can offer them in return.
Greg, I am grateful people have that gift. I do not have it at all, or very poorly - for example, my "adventures in plumbing" were enough to convince me that I needed to just pay someone to resolve the issue.
DeleteTrade, barter, and network: yet another old idea made new.
Insight into another's life is curious. I can't help but compare my experiences. The tire sensor would be ignored in my case. I carry a gauge for that purpose. When I was driving fleet vehicles, I did the same. But the others are quick fixes and have the parts on hand, usually. What I have noticed in the last few years is the near constant "resistance" when I work.
ReplyDeleteEverything appears to fight back. The parts I had right there in the little box are now missing. I saw them yesterday. The screwdriver I just laid down, isn't there anymore. And it's on every project I attempt. Paperwork I put in the folder isn't there now. I had a part that kept getting in my way the other day. Now that I need it, it's not where I kept finding it. Maddening!!
That is friction, and it's insidious. It increases the energy required to do life and makes the end of the day an exhausted slog to the finish line. Back in the old train days, they had bearing boxes. Their bearings were poured babbit, and they had to keep them oiled. If they were overloaded or too worn, they got hot. They'd smoke, no doubt where the trouble / friction was. When they installed Timken roller bearings in the wheel hubs, the trains were easier to roll. Less fuel needed, longer trains, more weight due to less friction.
Shhhhh... (I'm working on roller bearings for life. And I plan to patent the idea when I get it worked out. Don't let anyone else know about it.)
STxAR, there is a tire gauge in every one of cars. That said, the sensors have been darn useful - not so much for me, but for everyone else, especially my newer drivers. "When you see the light go on, pull over" is easier than "How long did you drive on the tire when it was low?"
DeleteFunny about the friction. Here as well. Things just keep moving around. That is one of the reasons I am trying to organize things and downsize; less places to lose things.
Your roller bearing secret is safe with me...
Don't sweat the small stuff...it's all small stuff. Ignore the tire sensor alarm as the new one will go out, too. Ask me how I know this.
ReplyDeleteIt is always something, Tewshooz - but you are right, all small. I except the other sensors to fail very soon, given that I have now written about it...
DeleteI'm finding the little things get bigger with age. There was a time when I would do things 1, 2, and 3 before lunch. Now thing 1 takes up my entire day. That's how it goes, and I'm learning to live with it. I'm also learning to live with "imperfection." Used to be, if something broke I'd fix it immediately. Not so now. Now it's "Do I really need this?" or "How long will my wife put up with this or that not working?" If the headlights work when the engine's running, that's good enough. If the plug on the vacuum shorts, I replace it immediately. That's a simple one, by the way; get the replacement plug, strip back the wires, and connect the wires to the new plug. White goes to the silver screw. Black goes to the brass one. If there's a green wire, it goes to the green screw. Easy-peasy. No voodoo there. I'm with other commenters here; tire sensors are "handy." They're not "necessary." We did without them for most of the history of pneumatic tires! I also agree with the "I HATE plumbing" remark!
ReplyDeleteAll in all, I see now why many older folks "downsize..."
Pete, I have been coming to the same conclusion about many things. (I did try the plug repair just as you wrote it; for some reason it did not work - but I will reverify).
DeleteThe sensor probably is not "necessary", but leaving any car light just sitting on feeds my inner panic button.
And I am with you on the downsizing comment. Between my parents' house and this, I am already starting.
When a piece of something modern fails, throw it away. Does it still work? Leave the piece in the trash. Continue this process until the thing does not work anymore , then fix the failed part. It is amazing how much extraneous crap is attached. This is only half joking.
ReplyDeleteMy radiant heat system is down one zone valve, one thermostat, one automated mixing valve, and for the parts that fail the most I have spares. (repaired the old ones.)
Raven - The complexity of what used to be simple devices boggles my mind anymore - and to your point, how much of it is "not required" versus functional.
DeleteStupid but enlightening story: I had a circular rip saw many years ago. During the (then) last use, I cut through the board - and then the cord right after. Since then, I have used a series of hand saws (or a skill saw) for all of my cuts. Funny thing: The hand saws work just fine.