Yesterday was another hot one, here in the "Valley of the Sun". I'm not sure what the temperature rose to, but I do know it was pretty hot around here. After floating around on my $3 raft for about 20 minutes, I felt my skin begin to burn and decided to end this wonderful form of relaxation. Yawning, I swam rigorously to the steps, about 4 feet away. Slowly and methodically climbing up the 3 steps, I was careful not to lose my make shift bathing suit, a pair of old boxers that I found from years gone by. I dried off and showered and looked for trouble to get into. Ah, my 61 inch TV could use a cleaning, so I proceeded to dismantle it, as I've done several times before. These are projection TV's and I read somewhere that for best results, you should take off the screen and clean the mirrors and the 3 lights inside at least once a year. Mine was way overdue. Pulling off the border that I knew was held on by clips, I exposed the 16 screws that held the plastic mesh screen in place. This was a job for my power driver! I keep it in the laundry room, because the last one was out in the garage and got stolen.
First, I had to charge the ever dead battery and clip it onto the drill/driver. I approached the TV and started removing the screws. Suddenly, the power pack fell off the drill and hit the tile floor. No apparent damage, however. I clipped it back on and from that point on I had to hold it in place, so as not to have it fall off again. The plastic clips that hold it in place had both broken off. Oh, well! I finished the job, cleaned the mirrors and the 3 bulbs and suddenly I had HD TV!
I put all of my tools away and began to get hungry. I plugged in the battery into it's charger and started to defrost a steak. Costco sells restaurant quality meats at grocery store prices. I cracked off a NY Strip and began the defrosting process. One minute on each side in the microwave at full blast usually does the job. I scrubbed up a potato and pretty soon I was ready to light the outside grill. With my potato cooking in the toaster over, I had about 15 minutes left on it when I fired up the gas grill. Cooking the steak to perfection, I noted that I always over cook it when I have company, probably from socializing. I took the sizzling steak off the grill, blood ran out indication of a rare New York Steak. Put my potato on my plate and buttered it up. I was ready for a feast and a feast it was for this Dating Guy. As I took the first bite, I sat back and literally savored that first wonderful bite with all of the aromas being sucked up through my waiting olfactory system. Strangely, I heard a popping noise and assumed it was one my dogs chewing something in the crate, another wonderful bite and more crackling or popping noise. Still thinking nothing of it, I continued to eat, wouldn't you? Then, when I realized that Bogie was about an inch from me waiting for me to drop the steak on the floor and Zoie was on the couch on the other side of me, that noise was coming from somewhere else. Getting up, I made the 2 dogs promise not to eat my steak and went looking for the noise. When I got closer to the laundry room, I realized the noise was coming from there and went in to see the battery charger and battery in flames. My first reaction was to unplug it and I did so, next I needed water. I have a small refrigerator on the shelf in there left over from an old business that I had. I opened it up, unscrewed a bottle of water and put out the fire, praying that it didn't ruin my counter and that the dogs didn't eat my steak. I lucked out. No other damage was done, just the loss of my Black and Decker battery charger and battery and the dogs took heed on my steak!
Then I started doing the "what if's" and "could have's" and decided to write an email to Black and Decker and ask for a free battery and charger. I haven't heard back yet, but be warned about leaving things plugged in and unattended. "What if" I were asleep? It "could have" burned the house down!
Mel
07/07/08
First, I had to charge the ever dead battery and clip it onto the drill/driver. I approached the TV and started removing the screws. Suddenly, the power pack fell off the drill and hit the tile floor. No apparent damage, however. I clipped it back on and from that point on I had to hold it in place, so as not to have it fall off again. The plastic clips that hold it in place had both broken off. Oh, well! I finished the job, cleaned the mirrors and the 3 bulbs and suddenly I had HD TV!
I put all of my tools away and began to get hungry. I plugged in the battery into it's charger and started to defrost a steak. Costco sells restaurant quality meats at grocery store prices. I cracked off a NY Strip and began the defrosting process. One minute on each side in the microwave at full blast usually does the job. I scrubbed up a potato and pretty soon I was ready to light the outside grill. With my potato cooking in the toaster over, I had about 15 minutes left on it when I fired up the gas grill. Cooking the steak to perfection, I noted that I always over cook it when I have company, probably from socializing. I took the sizzling steak off the grill, blood ran out indication of a rare New York Steak. Put my potato on my plate and buttered it up. I was ready for a feast and a feast it was for this Dating Guy. As I took the first bite, I sat back and literally savored that first wonderful bite with all of the aromas being sucked up through my waiting olfactory system. Strangely, I heard a popping noise and assumed it was one my dogs chewing something in the crate, another wonderful bite and more crackling or popping noise. Still thinking nothing of it, I continued to eat, wouldn't you? Then, when I realized that Bogie was about an inch from me waiting for me to drop the steak on the floor and Zoie was on the couch on the other side of me, that noise was coming from somewhere else. Getting up, I made the 2 dogs promise not to eat my steak and went looking for the noise. When I got closer to the laundry room, I realized the noise was coming from there and went in to see the battery charger and battery in flames. My first reaction was to unplug it and I did so, next I needed water. I have a small refrigerator on the shelf in there left over from an old business that I had. I opened it up, unscrewed a bottle of water and put out the fire, praying that it didn't ruin my counter and that the dogs didn't eat my steak. I lucked out. No other damage was done, just the loss of my Black and Decker battery charger and battery and the dogs took heed on my steak!
Then I started doing the "what if's" and "could have's" and decided to write an email to Black and Decker and ask for a free battery and charger. I haven't heard back yet, but be warned about leaving things plugged in and unattended. "What if" I were asleep? It "could have" burned the house down!
Mel
07/07/08
No comments:
Post a Comment