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April 19, 2005
A "New" Stove Pt 1
I know I have a problem. I admit it. That's the first step, right?
Well, maybe I have a problem. I'm not sure if I do. I think I've been able to evade it so far. For the most part. I feel it coming on every once in a while, but it wanes. So far it hasn't stayed too strong for too long.
The problem is genetic. I'm sure of it. My mom gave it to me. Her parents gave it to her. We have a tendency to save stuff. My grandparents built a "barn" bigger than their house in order to save some of their stuff -- their dozens of rakes, three riding lawn mowers, extra mailboxes, extra sets of dinnerware. Need a microwave? My parents have a two car garage that won't fit a car. (That, however, isn't exactly a bad thing seeing as my mom has a tendency to back out of garages with the car door open. To inevitably disasterous results.)
We don't save everything, however. We're cheap, so it's a very special occassion when something new (as opposed to used) is introduced to the other indeispensible items patiently waiting for their turn to be used. We don't save new things, because we very rarely come across them. We spend our time finding bargains.
We can't pass up bargains and can't pass up stuff, so we end up taking every free thing offered to us because we "could use it some day."
It's rare that I'm offered free stuff, so I never really noticed I had a problem. Then I found the interweb. I found the free stuff section on craig's list. I found the free stuff message board at work. freecycle.org - - It's not that hard to find if you know what you're looking for. And I looked for it.
I realize I have a bit of a problem and I try to say no, but I seem to take each and every posting as a personal notification, "Brian. Please take me home. You could use a full deck of yu-gi-oh cards."
"I don't even know what Yu-gi-oh cards are."
"Don't you feel like you're missing something in your life?"
"No! I don't want them! Don't do this to me, interweb free stuff site!"
"But the neighbor kids might want them."
"Oh, yeah. I never thought of that. When can I pick them up?"
So instead of picking up everything for myself, which certainly would be problematic, I pick up stuff for other people.
I rent a house to my neighbors and between being their neighbor and being their landlord I feel a certain sort of responsibility to them. when I found their range was broken - the oven would not turn off. It was at about 250 degrees 24/7 - I felt it was my responsibility to get them a new one -- well, a free used one -- even though they own the appliances in the house.
I saw a free range ad on craig's list an replied. It sounded simple enough - "free gas range." I thought all I'd have to do was drive over and pick it up. And what luck? It's not that far away. The house was less than 3 miles from mine. It should only take about half an hour. Maybe 45 minutes.
I called up the woman offering the gas stove. "I'll be there in about 20-30 minutes."
"Ok. The stove isn't unhooked yet, though."
"No problem. I can help unhook it. You have a wrench, right?"
"Oh, yeah."
I drove down to her house and found that true to her word, the stove was not unhooked but I also found that there was no wrench. There was only a small pair of pliers barely big enough to fit the bolt on the back of the stove - a pair of pliers that if used for the job would lead to nothing but frustration. I a also found myself attacked by two small yapping dogs and two bigger older women.
The dogs were easily thrown outside but the women - single women nearing middle age nearing desperation in their search to find a mate - the type of women for whom "Bridget Jones's Diary" was written, where a little more frustrating.
"If you can find a wrench I should be able to unhook this one and put on your new stove for you."
"We don't have a new stove yet."
"You don't have a new stove?"
"No. Our friend with a truck backed out, so we couldn't move it from Home Depot."
"I can't take your stove if you don't have one to replace it."
"I don't really even cook that much. It's ok. Just take it. I mean, you came all the way down here already."
True, I did go the 4 miles pick up the stove already. I went the four miles with a stop halfway at Home Depot to pick up a dolly. "So you have a stove picked out? I could just go down there with you to pick it up. It's only about a mile and a half."
"Could you? We'll be in and out. It'll just take a second."
While she said that I inspected the back of the stove to make sure there were no problems. "Well, we have to go down there anyway because you don't have a gas shutoff except at the meter."
"A what?"
"A gas shutoff."
"What's that?"
"It's to keep the gas from coming into your house. You don't have one in your kitchen, so I'd have to turn it off at the meter and then you'd have no gas in your house until you get a new stove hooked up. So, yeah. Let's go to the store."
Posted by calculatoronfire at April 19, 2005 12:12 PM
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Comments
even better the second time
Posted by: mike wolf at April 19, 2005 02:24 PM
you are far too kind. you should have brought the wrench, snagged the stove and split. even without part 2 i have a feeling of where this one is going...i do wait for the continuation though.
Posted by: jdo at April 20, 2005 12:20 AM