Thursday, 24 November, 2005
One problem solved, another arises
- Dell's on-site service in this area is provided by BancTec. Their service representative called me in the morning yesterday and made an appointment to come by and replace the LCD on Debra's notebook computer. When he got here, I was surprised that he had to disassemble the top, remove the old LCD, and then reassemble the top around the new screen. I figured they'd just give him an entirely new top to replace the old one. It seems like that would be more efficient for field service. In any case, he was done in an hour and the computer was up and running. I'm very pleased with Dell's customer support.
- Debra found a wet spot on the carpet in the bathroom yesterday morning that wasn't there the night before. We quickly determined that it wasn't the result of the dog or cat making a mistake. Since it was right beside the sink cabinet, I figured one of the supply pipes was leaking. That happens from time to time in an older house. A quick look at the sink connections didn't reveal anything. I cut a hole in the back of the cabinet to check the copper pipes. Still nothing. This morning I pulled up the carpet, removed the sink cabinet, and chipped away the mortor surrounding the pipes (they're in a block wall) at the floor. There's definitely a wet spot on the concrete that appears to come from under the floor. We've been planning to remodel the master bedroom and bathroom, but we weren't expecting to do it quite this soon.
- Builders use long staples to connect cabinets to walls. The staples are quick to install, hold the cabinet quite securely, and are easy to paint over. The problem is that they're very difficult to remove. It's almost impossible to remove a cabinet that's been installed with staples without scarring up the cabinet in the process. If you ever install cabinets or have a house built, I would suggest that you use screws. Screws take a little longer to install, true, and they're harder to hide with paint, but at least you can remove the cabinet without destroying it.
- I finally decided what to do about the dead truck. Today I ordered a replacement engine. My next door neighbor who is a car enthusiast is going to help me remove the old engine and install the new one. I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures and some stories to tell about that one.
- Things go wrong from time to time, but life is good. Minor things like dead cars and plumbing problems give me the chance to reflect on all the good things that happen and that I take for granted. If there were no problems I would not appreciate the good things in life. Like Thanksgiving dinner. Debra stuffed a turkey breast with oranges and cooked it up. That was the tenderest (is that a word?), juiciest, and most flavorful turkey I've ever had. We had a quiet meal together with all the traditional fixins: stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, cranberries, and of course fresh apple pie. Yes, life is good.