Random stuff

27 Apr 2007

Sorry, it has been busy. Here are couple of little things though -

- Today I was briefly introduced to someone in an academic environment. She asked me “Did you just graduate from undergrad?” I was stunned for a moment and then blurted out that I had graduated from undergrad well over a decade ago! Once I was back home and vegging, despite the fact that I believe she either needs her eyes checked or had recently consumed some good stuff, it did make me smile.

- There has been a partial power outage ever since I got back home. When I was growing up in India, power outages were very common. In fact, a house was set up in “Phases”. Each phase of electricity controlled a part of the house. So, there was a phase for the kitchen, one for the bedrooms etc. Sometimes there were total blackouts, across all phases, but often you would just lose one phase and you would immediately know which one it was and therefore which part of the house to avoid until power was restored. In the US, that concept doesn’t seem to exist as cleanly. Right now, the lights in the entry, and one part of the living room don’t work. The lights in the bedroom are out, but the bedside lamps seem to work (??!!) and very unfortunately, the light near the fuse box is out too (it is not a fuse – I checked). Anyway, the most annoying fallout is the smoke detector. The device is programmed to beep when the battery/power is dead so that you fix it. So, all evening, I’ve endured soul-piercing beeps every few seconds. The damn thing is so loud that people on the other end of the phone have asked me what the heck it is. And… it is right outside the bedroom… Argh!

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April 27, 2007 | Filed Under New York, Personal

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Comments

  • Shripriya
    Any time! This blog is all about making the readers feel good ;)
  • you should consider writing another "The Power of Positive Thinking"... :)

    thanks for the 'dilaasa' :P
  • Shripriya
    @ Krishna - thanks for the tip. Eek, that's scary. I didn't dismantle the inner casing though - the wires are the ones that connect to wires in the wall and they were outside the core casing. I hope I am safe!

    @ Saurabh - I am sure that was meant as a compliment! As in "you look so wise"... :)
  • lol today I was introduced to someone and they asked: "When did you finish your PhD?" (I actually just got my B. Tech last year). I am glad to read from your post that at least you were asked the more positive question!
  • Krishna
    You should be careful when working around the inside of a smoke detector- depending on the type, there may be a radioactive source (Amerecium)in there. The radioactivity is completely harmless once you're a few centimeters away and it is probably shielded for the battery compartment. But if you're getting into the innards and disconnecting wires, just be careful that you're not going near the source
  • ;)
  • Shripriya
    @ indira - Ah, if it were only that easy. I removed the battery as soon as I realized it would not stop - did nothing. So, this morning, I actually disconnected a couple of wires and it finally stopped. Now, I need to make sure I get it set up again - by someone who knows more about these things than I do!

    @ Rathi - Since some lights worked, it wasn't completely dark, but I put batteries in a torch today. Learned my lesson.
  • Rathi
    Keep candles/torches/ matches handy. Reminds me of the good old days....!!
  • indira
    you could just take the batteries out of the smoke detector temporarily. problem solved.
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