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Timesuckers

1. New Laptop.

Toshiba Tecra M6(Its not "mine", its from the good folks that actually pay me to work). Theres few things more fun than a squeaky clean new laptop. Add "New Car Smell" and you've got the same rush as getting a new car. Getting a new laptop is like moving into a new apartment, no matter how well you pack, theres always something you forgot to move.

2. Broken Dishwasher.

We seem to grind up dishwashers here at Casa Varifrank. This is the third one in 6 years. Whirpool, Maytag, and now Bosch. Yes, I'm very unhappy about it. You just can't have nice things these days. In the rest of my 45 years I dont think I ever had a dishwasher fail, in the last 6 years - boom - three of them. Why? well of course, I blame Bush...

3. The Big Sleep. 1946 Humphrey Bogart. The Unedited Version( on TCM this evening)

I've been trying to watch it for the past 5 hours. Its a two hour movie. Everytime I get started, I go 15 minutes and someone or something interrupts. Yes, its the one with the incredible and yet most uncomfortable almost like catching your parents talking dirty to each other "Horse Race" dialog that occurs between Bogart and Bacall. You just have to see it to believe it. Elisha Cook from the "Maltese Falcon" makes an appearance.

I get a kick out of watching people walk around in what is supposed to be post-war LA in heavy east coast overcoats and hats. They must've roasted when they made this film. All of the women who appear in this movie are spectacular. Now if I could just get people to stop pestering me about things for the next two hours, I might be able to finish it.

4. Sick Kid. The young one finally got the flu that ripped through these parts last month. I hate it when kids get sick, it has a way of invading your every thought even when everything is fine. To parents, a kids fever, no matter how small, is the boogeyman made real.


Delays occur but the work continues. We will soon return to the further adventures of Mr. Hastings as soon as the deck is clear.

Posted @ March 06, 2007 10:20 PM | Current Affairs

Comments

Hi -

Miele. Had one since we acquired the kids and I decided that I didn't want to spend more time doing things that didn't have to do with them, indestructible.

Well, not entirely: under warranty they put in a new pump.

Other than that, zilch, nada problems in 16 years. It's been through 3 moves and is maybe a little bit louder than it used to be.

They ain't cheap, though, and refuse to sell to discounters, preferring the old-fashioned supply chain control fetish that Hoover and Electrolux used to have, i.e. the manufacturer owns the entire chain from raw materials to retailer and after-sales support. Great if you're near the retailer, sucks big time when you're not, since you'll have a hard time with service calls.

And tell me about new machines. Whenever I get one at work - rare enough - it takes me about 2 weeks to actually get everything back up and running.

Great blog, looking forward to more of the novel!

Posted by: John F. Opie at March 7, 2007 01:36 AM

Trenchcoats and hats - L.A. was a colder place back then.

Haven't you heard about this global warming thing??

;-)

And, yes, I *have* seen it snow in L.A. Twice.

Posted by: leelu at March 9, 2007 02:25 PM