Corona Red Roses

Bad luck is raining down on me...

Once again, I wonder if there is some evil plot in the universe out to get me. The past 2 days have reminded me that I have absolutely no control over so many things in my life.

First bad item...I stumbled out of bed at 6:45 a.m. (I am not a morning person!) I fumble for my glasses. I then went into the kitchen to feed Duchess (my cat). She is on scheduled feedings at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Good thing I wore the glasses. There-next to her bowl-is this puddle of water. It looked strange. And I looked up to the ceiling - no leak. I examined the dishwasher area - too far away. So, I shrugged it off. Maybe W, the roomie, dropped a couple of ice cube and didn't realize it. I dropped some towels on top of the puddle and left for work. No idea.

Well ladies and gentleman, that wasn't it. I arrived home last evening with a few bags from the grocery. Fifty dollars worth of groceries -- most refrigerated and frozen items, including ice cream. I glance into the kitchen only to discover the puddle is back. I move the cat's dishes and feed her first. I know it's crazy to deal with her first, but it keeps her occupied. I note the slight reddish tint to the water and it's closeness to the freezer. I began to mumble to myself that this could not possibly be happening. Yet, it did.

The freezer had almost completely defrosted itself and the refrigerator wasn't very cold. The pounds of pork chops and salmon I just bought earlier this month at costs - defrosted. Ice cream - soft. And of course, I had the groceries that I just bought. So, I clean up the water with towels. I open the freezer and wiped out the blood. (Those so-called "freezer bags" are crap. They should not have leaked.) Then, I called my parents to ask about how to know if the fridge was completely shot or not. I also inquired about Dad's discount on refrigerators. Mom asked what had in the fridge and said that all those pork chops had to be cooked. They cannot be refrozen.

I messed with the controls inside the fridge. I put it on the coldest settings. Realizing the front grate on the bottom was loose, I sat down on the floor to reattach it. That's when I noticed that there was a lot of nasty dust stuff accumulated under there. So, I check my "how-to" books on refrigerators. As usual, they aren't real helpful. However, two of them talked about maintaining the fridge by cleaning the coils twice a year. Who knew? So, I reached under there and pulled the majority of the dust out from under there. So, now what to do now? I lean against the freezer -- I can hear the whizzing of the motor. The fan is on. I have no idea if these are bad or good things.

I pulled out all the pork chops I could see and proceeded to bake 8 of them. Then, I removed all the magnets, papers, and assorted junk off the fridge. I moved the fridge around to clean the floor underneath. Then, I got the cooler out, filled it with ice and put the most expensive items in the cooler and set it outside. Since it was below 30 degrees last night, I figured the ice wouldn't melt.

I checked on the fridge when I got up this morning. The ice cubes in the freezer have refrozen. So, it's working again. But for how long - I have no idea. And why it defrosted - I have no idea. So, now the dilemma, do I buy a new fridge or just pray this one makes it another two years? I was planning to replace the entire kitchen, including all of the appliances in two years. I think I am just going to commit now to a new one. But, how annoying.

Second bad luck item ... I keep a small badge holder on my desk. I usually have some change and my badge in it. Sometimes, I throw a dollar or two in there for sodas. Yesterday, I went to the ATM and withdrew $40. I spent about $6 on lunch and put the change back in it. I then forgot to put the money in my wallet. I didn't realize it until I had left the office. When I arrived this morning, the money was gone. This means someone between yesterday afternoon and this morning came into my cube, looked inside the badge holder, and stole $34 from me. How freaky.

So, now I am waiting for the proverbial other shoe to fall. Bad luck always comes in threes. What is next? I am almost scared to find out.

posted by Corona Red @ 10:09 AM