Wednesday, February 13, 2008
HERE WE GO AGAIN
You must all know by now that I go into an absolute panic when something inanimate stops working. After all - these things are here to serve me - to make my life easier. Hahahahaha!
So it was that last Friday my second most important TV stopped working. Why second most important? Because the one in my bedroom is the prime TV and the one in the kitchen is the second - the one I turn on when I cook - the one that keeps me company when I'm chopping and peeling and doing all the mindless other tasks one does in a kitchen.
What to do. First I called Marallyn - why not - her TV had a problem a week or two ago and she managed to get it fixed. Turn on - turn off - push this button on the shalat (remote) - push that button on the shalat. Nothing doing. So I called my cable company -"YES" - told them I had a problem - asked for a technayee (repair man) to come to my house. This, you understand, was after "push 1 for Hebrew - push 2 for Russian - push this - push that - finally push 5 for technical help". Told them of my problem. Asked for a technayee. No - it's your shalat they said. And they don't send a technayee for a broken shalat. I have to go to the Post Office to buy a new one!! But not just any Post Office - only certain ones. Be sure to call first to make certain the shalat you want is in stock. Fine - except that not one Post Office I called answered the phone. By that time it was too late to go anyway as the Post Offices were closed for the weekend.
Fast-forward to Sunday. Marallyn and I went out for an early breakfast so we could get to a Post Office - before it closed again. (Our Postal Service is not the most hard-working of industries, you understand.) Called and called - still not answering their phones - so we took a chance and went to the one in Kiryat Yovel - miles from my house but near to Marallyn's. Exchanged my old shalat for a new one - paid my 50 shekels - and went home to call "YES" so they could walk me through putting the code into the new shalat.
Push this - push that - I finally got hold of Uri. OK - push this - push that - "What's happening?", he asked. "Nothing". "Impossible", he replied, "something has to happen". "Is the middle button on your shalat twinkling?" Twinkling? What about flashing? "It's neither twinkling nor flashing". "OK - you need a technayee", he says. Helloooo??? That's what I asked for two days ago. "You'll have someone there within 72 hours". "72 hours? - I'm not sitting at home for 72 hours to wait for someome to come." I was going out with Yoav to a new restaurant in the shuk (market) and I certainly wasn't going to miss that - we always have such a good time. "Give him my cell-phone number and have him call me first." "Oh" says Uri - "why didn't I think of that?"
Late that afternoon the technayee showed up. Made a million phone calls (maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration) - he pushed this and pushed that - guess what - it wasn't the shalat at all - it was my mameer (the cable box).
So now I have a new mameer and also a new shalat - and the TV is working perfectly, thank you very much.
Today I picked up a new car - well, the kind of car I think I'm getting - and I have it for a week or two to see if I like it and then "ELDAN" - the company I lease from, will buy me a new one. The people at "ELDAN" are fabulous - the best company I ever dealt with. The car is a hybrid - a "TOYOTA PRIUS" - drives like a dream. But - you need a degree in car-ology or auto-ology (is there such a thing?) to work the thing.
No key - just a little thingie you insert into the dashboard and then you push this - push that (here we go again with the pushing) - and the car runs. Finally got that straight.
So I called Ros and asked if she wanted to go for a ride in the new car. Nevermind that she's recovering from a strep throat - she's such a good sport that she agreed. As we were driving ,a cab-driver honked at me and told me that I was getting a flat tire!!! Back to "ELDAN". They took us to the hotel next door - bought us coffees - took the car to have the tire changed - and off we went again.
Not so easy - the radio - for which you need another degree (the whole car is push-button everything - all your functions show up on a screen - don't ask) - stopped working. I had hysterics. Ros - ever calm - took the manual and got the radio to work. We both have no idea just how she did it - but it works. She's the only woman I know who can look at a manual and actually understand it. And she doesn't get hysterical like you-know-who.
Now the question remains - am I going to get this car - or not? I love the way it handles - I think I love the way it looks - it's a hatchback - not my favorite model - but it's a "green" car - uses almost no gasoline because it also runs on a battery - I'll drive it for a few weeks and see. Ros and I were going to take it to Herzliya next week - but they are predicting snow and rain for the next several days - if it snows we're not going. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime - I'll keep on pushing this and pushing that - just so I stay in practice.
Yalla, Bye.
So it was that last Friday my second most important TV stopped working. Why second most important? Because the one in my bedroom is the prime TV and the one in the kitchen is the second - the one I turn on when I cook - the one that keeps me company when I'm chopping and peeling and doing all the mindless other tasks one does in a kitchen.
What to do. First I called Marallyn - why not - her TV had a problem a week or two ago and she managed to get it fixed. Turn on - turn off - push this button on the shalat (remote) - push that button on the shalat. Nothing doing. So I called my cable company -"YES" - told them I had a problem - asked for a technayee (repair man) to come to my house. This, you understand, was after "push 1 for Hebrew - push 2 for Russian - push this - push that - finally push 5 for technical help". Told them of my problem. Asked for a technayee. No - it's your shalat they said. And they don't send a technayee for a broken shalat. I have to go to the Post Office to buy a new one!! But not just any Post Office - only certain ones. Be sure to call first to make certain the shalat you want is in stock. Fine - except that not one Post Office I called answered the phone. By that time it was too late to go anyway as the Post Offices were closed for the weekend.
Fast-forward to Sunday. Marallyn and I went out for an early breakfast so we could get to a Post Office - before it closed again. (Our Postal Service is not the most hard-working of industries, you understand.) Called and called - still not answering their phones - so we took a chance and went to the one in Kiryat Yovel - miles from my house but near to Marallyn's. Exchanged my old shalat for a new one - paid my 50 shekels - and went home to call "YES" so they could walk me through putting the code into the new shalat.
Push this - push that - I finally got hold of Uri. OK - push this - push that - "What's happening?", he asked. "Nothing". "Impossible", he replied, "something has to happen". "Is the middle button on your shalat twinkling?" Twinkling? What about flashing? "It's neither twinkling nor flashing". "OK - you need a technayee", he says. Helloooo??? That's what I asked for two days ago. "You'll have someone there within 72 hours". "72 hours? - I'm not sitting at home for 72 hours to wait for someome to come." I was going out with Yoav to a new restaurant in the shuk (market) and I certainly wasn't going to miss that - we always have such a good time. "Give him my cell-phone number and have him call me first." "Oh" says Uri - "why didn't I think of that?"
Late that afternoon the technayee showed up. Made a million phone calls (maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration) - he pushed this and pushed that - guess what - it wasn't the shalat at all - it was my mameer (the cable box).
So now I have a new mameer and also a new shalat - and the TV is working perfectly, thank you very much.
Today I picked up a new car - well, the kind of car I think I'm getting - and I have it for a week or two to see if I like it and then "ELDAN" - the company I lease from, will buy me a new one. The people at "ELDAN" are fabulous - the best company I ever dealt with. The car is a hybrid - a "TOYOTA PRIUS" - drives like a dream. But - you need a degree in car-ology or auto-ology (is there such a thing?) to work the thing.
No key - just a little thingie you insert into the dashboard and then you push this - push that (here we go again with the pushing) - and the car runs. Finally got that straight.
So I called Ros and asked if she wanted to go for a ride in the new car. Nevermind that she's recovering from a strep throat - she's such a good sport that she agreed. As we were driving ,a cab-driver honked at me and told me that I was getting a flat tire!!! Back to "ELDAN". They took us to the hotel next door - bought us coffees - took the car to have the tire changed - and off we went again.
Not so easy - the radio - for which you need another degree (the whole car is push-button everything - all your functions show up on a screen - don't ask) - stopped working. I had hysterics. Ros - ever calm - took the manual and got the radio to work. We both have no idea just how she did it - but it works. She's the only woman I know who can look at a manual and actually understand it. And she doesn't get hysterical like you-know-who.
Now the question remains - am I going to get this car - or not? I love the way it handles - I think I love the way it looks - it's a hatchback - not my favorite model - but it's a "green" car - uses almost no gasoline because it also runs on a battery - I'll drive it for a few weeks and see. Ros and I were going to take it to Herzliya next week - but they are predicting snow and rain for the next several days - if it snows we're not going. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime - I'll keep on pushing this and pushing that - just so I stay in practice.
Yalla, Bye.
