How can someone who by most reports is intelligent be such a doggone dingbat?
I really want to know the answer to that question. I mean, really? One would think that if you are smart enough to take something apart and put it back together without any extra parts laying around that you're at least batting out of the box some. Seriously. Sure there are times when curiosity gets the best of you, but really?
I have a new hobby....going to a local auction. The house is owned by my former boss' mom and her husband. My old boss is the manager of the house. I decided that it would be fun to go a couple of times to see what they did. I hadn't been to an auction since I was a kid when I had gone to a police auction with my dad. It was there that I bid on and won a jacket, faux fur, that fit me like it was made for me. I've liked auctions since, just had never gone to a live one. The closest that I ever got to one was on EBay. So, now I go every Saturday, and I've set myself a spending limit so that I can control what I bid on. Since I take a gander throughout the week at the photos that are posted and check out the items once I'm there, I keep my bidding under control that way even though pretty much every week I've come home with something.
This last weekend was no exception to the bringing home something rule. I was let in on the fact that a treadmill had made its way to the auction house. Now, I've been looking at them new for quite a while in sports stores, department stores and on EBay for some time. They have all been pretty pricey so I figured that once I get some money saved up that I would get one new. This is mostly because Andrea's doctor had advised us that she needs to step up her activity some and the medication that I'm on for the fibromyalgia is shown to cause weight gain. As if I don't have enough help in that area as it is. Anyway, I got the line on the treadmill and kept my eyes and ears open for when it came up for bid. Most of the folks there just kind of looked at it and gave heavy sighs...not what they were looking for at the moment which was to my advantage. I waited until the bid went down to twenty bucks and tossed up my bid card...I went unopposed and won the treadmill for my opening bid. The whoop that came out of my mouth amused quite a few people around me and put a big grin on the house worker that had given me the initial heads up.
Got it home yesterday, unfolded it and went to turn it on. Nothing. Nada. Looked under the control panel and I saw two double A batteries hanging out of the open battery door, so I quickly located two fresh ones and put them in. Success! The panel lit up like a Christmas tree! Oh, and I plugged in the cord, too, which I thought would help. I went to turn on the speed and nothing. Not a bloody thing. So I unplugged the cord and checked it all the way to the base. No cracks, no cuts. Out comes the phillips head...and out come the three screws that hold the base on. Since the base didn't come all the way off because of wires that were connected to it, I grabbed the flashlight and peered in...Hmmmm....quite a few cobwebs, some dust and viola'! A circuit board. As I was looking at the circuit board, I noticed that one circuit had come loose, so I grabbed my soldering iron (thank you, Grandma and Mom for teaching me how to solder), and I secured that puppy right back where it belonged. Put the base back in place, replaced the screws, plugged it back in...nothing. At this point I figure, whatever, at least I have a treadmill. It may not go up or down, but at least it goes and keeps track of how fast you're going, how far and how many calories burnt.
Today comes along and my butt cheeks are on fire. I only did a tenth of a mile yesterday, OK maybe two tenths of a mile on that thing (I did a tenth twice for those paying attention), so I shouldn't be that sore. So, I go into the auction house to help my old boss with his toy auction set up and I'm telling him that the power doesn't work on the treadmill. Then he asks me if I plugged it in. Well, duh! Of course I plugged it in. No, not the power cord, the orange and black tab thing that was hanging on the side. Uh, where does that plug in? Well, now I feel pretty stupid. Come to find out that there's a slot that one side plugs into and the other side clips onto your belt. Oh.
So, after I've gotten home, eaten dinner and have gotten to the point that I'm ready to think about maybe going to bed before two a.m., I remember what I was told about the orange tab thingy. So, I unfold the treadmill, plug it in to the wall outlet, plug in the orange thingy and slide the speed lever....I almost fell on my butt. I didn't expect it to take off so fast, of course the fact that I slid it all the way to aerobic didn't help much. Once I gained my composure I slid the lever down to warm up, then to fat burner and walked a quarter of a mile in no time flat. Soooo much easier than yesterday or even this morning! So I'm walking along, playing with the incline and watching that little dot make its way around the "track" and I'm like...whooo hoooo!!! I'm walking on the treadmill! Just about that time, Chris walks in, sees me with a big grin on my face as I tell him that I figured it out! Finally! He shakes his head and leaves.
After I finished the quarter mile, I turn it off, fold it up and pop into the computer room where Chris is reading an article. He's still shaking his head at me. After I recounted this afternoon's conversation with my old boss, now he's laughing at the fact that I almost landed on my butt. Nice. That's OK, I'm well on my way to doing the walking that I've been wanting to do but this humid and hot weather have prohibited me from getting it done. I'm hoping with this piece of equipment in the house that Andrea and I will be able to lose some weight, of course, but that it will also enable me to have a bit more stamina and less muscle and nerve problems than I've been having this last year.
Well, wish me luck that I don't find myself on the other side of the room one day because I don't pay attention to the speed setting! =o)
Have an awesome week, everyone!
I have a new hobby....going to a local auction. The house is owned by my former boss' mom and her husband. My old boss is the manager of the house. I decided that it would be fun to go a couple of times to see what they did. I hadn't been to an auction since I was a kid when I had gone to a police auction with my dad. It was there that I bid on and won a jacket, faux fur, that fit me like it was made for me. I've liked auctions since, just had never gone to a live one. The closest that I ever got to one was on EBay. So, now I go every Saturday, and I've set myself a spending limit so that I can control what I bid on. Since I take a gander throughout the week at the photos that are posted and check out the items once I'm there, I keep my bidding under control that way even though pretty much every week I've come home with something.
This last weekend was no exception to the bringing home something rule. I was let in on the fact that a treadmill had made its way to the auction house. Now, I've been looking at them new for quite a while in sports stores, department stores and on EBay for some time. They have all been pretty pricey so I figured that once I get some money saved up that I would get one new. This is mostly because Andrea's doctor had advised us that she needs to step up her activity some and the medication that I'm on for the fibromyalgia is shown to cause weight gain. As if I don't have enough help in that area as it is. Anyway, I got the line on the treadmill and kept my eyes and ears open for when it came up for bid. Most of the folks there just kind of looked at it and gave heavy sighs...not what they were looking for at the moment which was to my advantage. I waited until the bid went down to twenty bucks and tossed up my bid card...I went unopposed and won the treadmill for my opening bid. The whoop that came out of my mouth amused quite a few people around me and put a big grin on the house worker that had given me the initial heads up.
Got it home yesterday, unfolded it and went to turn it on. Nothing. Nada. Looked under the control panel and I saw two double A batteries hanging out of the open battery door, so I quickly located two fresh ones and put them in. Success! The panel lit up like a Christmas tree! Oh, and I plugged in the cord, too, which I thought would help. I went to turn on the speed and nothing. Not a bloody thing. So I unplugged the cord and checked it all the way to the base. No cracks, no cuts. Out comes the phillips head...and out come the three screws that hold the base on. Since the base didn't come all the way off because of wires that were connected to it, I grabbed the flashlight and peered in...Hmmmm....quite a few cobwebs, some dust and viola'! A circuit board. As I was looking at the circuit board, I noticed that one circuit had come loose, so I grabbed my soldering iron (thank you, Grandma and Mom for teaching me how to solder), and I secured that puppy right back where it belonged. Put the base back in place, replaced the screws, plugged it back in...nothing. At this point I figure, whatever, at least I have a treadmill. It may not go up or down, but at least it goes and keeps track of how fast you're going, how far and how many calories burnt.
Today comes along and my butt cheeks are on fire. I only did a tenth of a mile yesterday, OK maybe two tenths of a mile on that thing (I did a tenth twice for those paying attention), so I shouldn't be that sore. So, I go into the auction house to help my old boss with his toy auction set up and I'm telling him that the power doesn't work on the treadmill. Then he asks me if I plugged it in. Well, duh! Of course I plugged it in. No, not the power cord, the orange and black tab thing that was hanging on the side. Uh, where does that plug in? Well, now I feel pretty stupid. Come to find out that there's a slot that one side plugs into and the other side clips onto your belt. Oh.
So, after I've gotten home, eaten dinner and have gotten to the point that I'm ready to think about maybe going to bed before two a.m., I remember what I was told about the orange tab thingy. So, I unfold the treadmill, plug it in to the wall outlet, plug in the orange thingy and slide the speed lever....I almost fell on my butt. I didn't expect it to take off so fast, of course the fact that I slid it all the way to aerobic didn't help much. Once I gained my composure I slid the lever down to warm up, then to fat burner and walked a quarter of a mile in no time flat. Soooo much easier than yesterday or even this morning! So I'm walking along, playing with the incline and watching that little dot make its way around the "track" and I'm like...whooo hoooo!!! I'm walking on the treadmill! Just about that time, Chris walks in, sees me with a big grin on my face as I tell him that I figured it out! Finally! He shakes his head and leaves.
After I finished the quarter mile, I turn it off, fold it up and pop into the computer room where Chris is reading an article. He's still shaking his head at me. After I recounted this afternoon's conversation with my old boss, now he's laughing at the fact that I almost landed on my butt. Nice. That's OK, I'm well on my way to doing the walking that I've been wanting to do but this humid and hot weather have prohibited me from getting it done. I'm hoping with this piece of equipment in the house that Andrea and I will be able to lose some weight, of course, but that it will also enable me to have a bit more stamina and less muscle and nerve problems than I've been having this last year.
Well, wish me luck that I don't find myself on the other side of the room one day because I don't pay attention to the speed setting! =o)
Have an awesome week, everyone!
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