There are some weeks that have some frustrations, and then there are some months that have many, many issues. January 2024 has been one of the "many issues" months, and it keeps on surfacing more along the way. And after the last few weeks, the minor things are starting to wear me thin. For instance, last Tuesday, we had a new washing machine delivered, but not installed because,
I can install a freaking washing machine.
Or, so I thought.
You see, while I have done these things before, with so many other draws on my attention, I was rushing. And, not really being the greatest of problem solvers these days, when I had issues, I jumped into action without investigating it properly.
The issue?
The washer is in our basement and the floor is concrete, but not very flat. I can balance a machine though (using those little screw legs and a spirit level), so all is good. However, once it started to spin, it was very loud, and walked away so far, it could have picked up milk from the shops, had the power cord been longer. The only reason it stopped, was because it pulled the cord from the wall.
So, I went to the hardware store, bought a washing machine vibration mat, reset it, balanced it again and put it on the spin cycle - but only at 800 RPM, rather than the 1400 max.
Same fucking thing.
Just a little quieter.
Needing some clean clothes, my wife took stuff to her parent's to wash. While I threw wrenches, and kicked the machine repeatedly.
Nothing was thrown, nor kicked.
But it came close.
So, before we went back to the store to show them a video of the world's largest vibrator, I finally decided to Google what I have done wrong, watched a video and realized what many of you know already,
I am a fucken' idiot.
Transit bolts.
Front loading washing machines have four large bolts in the back of them that stop the drum from moving and being damaged in transit. The machine will work with these in it, but the drum won't spin freely, knocking hard against things and walking from the laundry, on the way to the fridge to see if there is anything to eat. I had failed to remember this, failed to read the manual, and failed to check anything for far too long, before looking for a solution.
No harm, plenty of fail.
Smallsteps got an awesome gift for Australia Day from her Uncle @galenkp yesterday, and after being sick for a few days at home, she was super excited to open the box and see what was inside. We filmed it for Galen of course, and inside there were some pencils, Australian flag tattoos and a beautiful set of satin pyjamas with dachshunds on them. She was very happy.
See the problem in the picture though?
Yes. The security tag was still on them, tying the two pieces together. What had happened was that in the store, the attendant took a new set off the shelf, which is nicely boxed and wrapped, not realizing there was a security tag inside. And, because it was so nicely boxed already, there was no reason for Galen to look inside the box either, and even if he did, he would have had to bring the set out fully to see the tag.
Halfway around the world.
Smallsteps took it well, but she was a bit disappointed she couldn't try them on, and I know that Galen and my sister-in-law were as well. It is a lot of effort, and isn't cheap to get and send stuff from Australia, and it also takes time, so there is anticipation of the event, and it is a let down.
But, it isn't the end of the world, and there are several ways to try and get it off. But, as it is satin, I really wanted to be careful not to damage the fabric. So, I got my wife to call H&M to see if they would try to open it with their magnets. It took a little convincing, but they agreed (They were concerned we had stolen them) and I went in store to try.
No dice.
After trying a couple other stores, they had the wrong machine too, so I had to go home and try to wrangle it myself. One technique I tried was using the handle of a plastic bag to twist around the metal post and slowly pull the two sides apart. This didn't work for me. However, the second method of using two forks to pry them apart, did work, though I had to bend the post and then use pliers to cut the post.
I also bent the fork tines.
But, with very minimal damage (but still some damage), I was able to get the tag off and Smallsteps could wear the set to bed. There is a tiny hole though, and the hassle to get this done shouldn't have happened at all, but, at least this wasn't the worst thing that has happened this month and, Smallsteps is happy. She looks very cute in them too.
My wife wants a pair.
Re:solutions.
sure, both of these things weren't the most challenging of problems I have faced recently, nor were they the most impactful on life, but it felt good to actually have solutions that worked. Too often this month, there have been issues that have arisen, and the solution has taken a very long time, or a huge amount of hassle to solve, leaving the problem open in my mind. The cognitive load has been too high for me this month, as there have been dozens of things with the house, and this is likely the craziest month of the year for me at work also.
Small wins, are still wins.
The day isn't over though, so I am going to roll the dice again and see if my solution luck will hold until I fix a couple door handles, and install a magnet system (long story) to keep our closet door closed. It is a custom door to block entry to the walk-in-wardrobe, so there isn't anything that is really made to fit it, so I am going to innovate my own solution. I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I do like making creative solutions to problems.
Sometimes...
They even work.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]