Shouts From Down Under

Kirby, Chuck Norris' Grandma and Honey's last hours...(?)

When disaster strikes of the Vanuatu magnitude, how clear it becomes that a lot of our life hassles are First World Problem category.

Someone we know owns a Kirby vacuum cleaner, for which they paid a head scratching, throat clearing, probably regrettable sum of dosh and then sucked something up during their home cleaning, there was a bang and now the machine won't work. Plug in to a different power point (power outlet) but still nothing.

So we ended up putting this machine in our car and carrying it home for me to repair, or attempt to repair. Ok, I offered. I insisted. One reason could be that I like to help people, and that is somewhat true if it's not at 6am, but this time it was really the challenge of the puzzle.
It must be an electrician's thing. Once I hear that something doesn't work, I feel a strong urge to at least plug it in once and see if I can find the problem.

Well, you know how people don't read the instructions until later? I pulled the entire machine apart as far as I could, but then ran into a couple of "brick-wall" dead ends.

Enter GOOGLE-maaaaaaaaaaaaaaan. (0r woman? Is Google a woman, man or otherwise? Maybe Siri knows?)

I wished I'd looked up the how to stuff on YouTube and Google, before commencing my repair session. However, I was almost there. The Internet information did help in the final stages, where I didn't have to guess.

Last time, when we had our repair business, I attempted to repair a Kirby. That was probably 10 years ago. The local Kirby service people didn't want to help at all. Nope. Won't supply parts. Won't offer any advice except to bring it in to an Authorised repair shop.

Well, that was before Google and YouTube took off like they have today. As you'd know, almost everything can be found on the Internet for repairing almost anything.

I don't recommend this sort of repair unless you are an electrician. Perhaps in the USA or elsewhere, where the power is 110 Volts this might not have such fatal effects.
But in Australia 240 Volts doesn't forgive and you don't get many second chances, heart defibrillator or no.

Just take it to a proper repairer if you are in any doubt.

UK accent from some region
https://youtu.be/4OJ7y9N_YBE

American accent from some region
https://youtu.be/V8N3OGJQKls

The strange information you find while researching.

http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_appfaqa.html

The problem with this particular Kirby cleaning conception:

Invalid Photo #1038948 Invalid Photo #1038949 Invalid Photo #1038950

Sometimes it's difficult to scratch an honest to goodness reason, or moral, from things that happen in life. Like in this episode of Good Mythical Morning, from Rhett and Link. Even after 30+ years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx58i_a7MeA

If you aren't Chuck Norris, or his Grandma, and don't do any stuff very well, even accents, or vacuum repairs, then there's always Mr Google and Mrs YouTube.



Here she is again.



and yet again!




My hat is in hand, and I bow, to all those who have put together information, edited posts on Wiki-whatever, or uploaded video clips of step by step suctionation and basic derivativeness of Wall Street's whys and wherefores. They went to those lengths, unpaid lengths, so that the rest of humanity can tap into that info, and use it multiple times to save the day.

Thanks people. (And animals and maybe plant life)

Another life hassle that isn't on the Vanuatu scale, nevertheless feels like a major blow to us tonight; our dog Honey is in the last hours of her life. She had a mishap with a vehicle earlier in the afternoon, and while she didn't seem to be obviously injured, we could tell straight away that with her age, recovery is most likely not going to happen. She won't eat, or drink water, but did drink a little bit of milk. She lies unresponsive, but I did once see a slight wag of her tail.

Late tonight, she hauled her trembling back end up into my wife's favourite chair, even though the dog knew she shouldn't be in it and risked a scolding. My wife was out.



But scolding was the furtherest from my wife's mind when she returned. She helped me relocate the whining dog onto a bean bag in our lounge room.

There is not a lot in life that is as heart rending as knowing your dog is in pain. She's too old for treatment now. We wouldn't be so cruel as to prolong her suffering.

Let's see what tomorrow brings.

Sparky