Things that have broken this year

Mosaic at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens
Philadelphia, PA
Sometimes it is a good thing when something breaks
because you can make art out of it.

Queen Mediocretia of Suburbia’s blog has broken. Message to The Queen: if you are reading this, know that I miss your blog.  If you have been able to move it somewhere else, please let me know where!  I suspected this day might come but still was not ready for this loss.

Things in the Common Household which have broken (not that I am particularly sad about them):

1. My mother’s flour sifter.  

It may have even been my grandmother’s flour sifter.   Its time had come.

2. The kettle.

I dropped the electric kettle, spilling water all over the kitchen floor, and the lid broke off.  It still heated water but if I wasn’t careful about how I poured the water, the lid would fall right off, engulfing my hand in steam. It was at least 20 years old.  So we bought a new one.

3. Toilet brush

I was just tapping it on the edge of the sink, and it snapped.   While I was at a rally, I saw someone with a toilet brush with the Toddler-In-Chief’s image incorporated.  That’s an appropriate place for that man’s image to be, but I don’t want it in my house, not no way not no how, not even in the toilet.

4. Watch battery

My watch battery quit at the end of April.   Not many in the newer generations use a wristwatch.  Weeks went by, and I missed my watch, but didn’t find the time to get it fixed.  Finally in June I went to the jeweler to have the battery replaced. It took 5 minutes and just a few dollars –  much less expensive than the kiosk at the mall.  If the kiosk is even still there – maybe the watch kiosk broke too.  Is the mall still there?

5. My expensive but ultra comfortable shoes.  

On March 9th, a piece of rubber on the bottom of the shoe started flopping around.  I remember the exact day because I was walking to the Dem Committee endorsement vote at the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers.  I managed not to fall down.  I took my shoe to the shoe repair place, but they refused to do anything to fix it, recommending instead that I get some glue and do it myself.  Dammit.  I eventually bought some gorilla glue but haven’t fixed the shoe.  I would be enraged that such an expensive shoe fell apart before it’s allotted time, but there has been too much else to be enraged about.  I bought a cheaper, less comfortable pair of shoes. It’s fine.  FINE.  This is all proof that the endorsement vote should be abolished.

6.  Inner ear.

In June my inner ear(s) broke.  I’ve had vertigo before, but this was extreme.  I hope never to have to repeat this experience. 

Unbreakable door in my area in 
the emergency room.
If you look closely you will notice that
I broke the rule by taking this photo.

7. Watchband of the aforementioned watch.

In early July my watchband broke. In late July I bought a new watch, which comes with a fresh watchband, because it was right there and took less time than figuring out where to get the old watchband replaced.  I am so wasteful.  I wanted a wristwatch before I went on a trip.  Two days later, before I even went on the trip, I discovered that the battery in the new watch was dead.  I returned it and got my money back.  And then for my birthday the marvelous Common Household Husband got me an entirely new watch *and* a new band for my very-old-but-with-new-battery watch.

Now that I have two watches, does this mean I am on time everywhere?  No, it does not.

8. The innards of the bathroom sink handle.  

It took a little while for the tiny part to arrive, but eventually the guy came to fix it.  No charge.

In this photo the faucet handle on the right
 is LEAKING. It took me weeks
 to convince the Common Household Husband
of this.  He thought we (meaning I)
were just being sloppy.

9. Glasses

Today at the hairdresser’s my glasses frame broke and one lens fell out. The lenses are just reading glasses on the lower part, and nothing on the upper - I wear them for driving so I can see the road and the dashboard.   I have artificial lens implants, thanks to cataract surgery last year,  which give me nearly perfect focus for distant vision.  So I was able to drive home with no problem.  The frames are about a year old.  

Maybe it’s just a screw loose.  As is true of a lot of people and things this year.

This one I am sad about.