“Is it a bad thing when the TV is clicking and it is not on?” he asked.
I think that doesn’t make any sense, how could the TV be clicking when it is not on. I decide I’d better check this out. He probably pressed the wrong button on the remote to cause this clicking. Electronic equipment is not something my husband likes to tinker with, to him it just needs to work. Don’t try to figure out how or why it works, just learn the function of a minimal number of buttons and life is good.
Yes, the TV is clicking. Actually is sounds like the blinker of an old car inside the TV. We even unplug the TV and yet it continues to click! I guess the TV has finally decided to die. By our best calculations, it is probably about 25 years old. In fact, I think this was a hand-me-down from his parents. So the clicking was the last gasp of this ancient, huge, boxy TV. It had warned us, by warping and slowly shrinking the picture, but we ignored the signs. It lived a good life in the bedroom, but it was time to move on to a nice little flat screen.
The timing was convenient. We don’t have a Costco where we live, but we were going to be near one the next day. Perfect! We will go to Costco and get a new small flat screen TV and a new counter microwave too.
Why do you need a microwave too, you are wondering. Well, the button to open the door on our microwave popped a spring about six months ago. It still worked (sort of) so I didn’t think it was necessary to replace it right away. However, over time the inside of the door began to rust. So, this is a perfect opportunity to replace that too says my husband. He is tired of dealing with the button.
Of course, Consumer Reports was consulted prior to any purchasing. We arrived at Costco, rolled into the TV department. Plunk! A 27 inch TV box into the cart. Moving on to microwaves. Thunk! A microwave added to the cart. Off we go with our purchases.
Back home we assemble the TV, but of course the satellite remote is not set up for this TV. I try the multitude of access codes but none work. It is 10:15 PM, this is a job for tomorrow. After a quick call to Dish, the remote is synced to the TV. Yeah! That was easy.
On to the microwave . . . take it out of the box, plug it in. Simple, right? Yes, but has less wattage than our previous machine so it takes longer. The beeper at the end goes on and on and on, even when you open the door. Plus it is noisy when cooking. Husband is not liking this machine.
Apparently, it can overheat too. I was cooking bacon in it and after I had taken the bacon out, it turned off. Poof! No power at all. I moved it to another outlet, still no power. Thirty minutes later, it’s back working. I predict this is not living long in our house.
This month has taken a toll on machines in our life. Two weeks ago it was my laptop, followed by the wireless printer, the TV, the microwave, and finally my husband’s cell phone. That’s another story for another day.
I hope we have reached the end of this string of appliance issues.
elsie tries writing 
And 70 years ago we humans survived with none of these. Don’t get me wrong, I need my computer, TV and microwave! But I do wonder what kinds of things will be necessary for my grandchildren 🙂
You captured the difficult situation in a creative conversational tone. Hope life brightens for you. I so agree with Elizabeth’s comment. :)MaryHelen
When I read your link, I thought…”didn’t she just have issues with her laptop.” You poor thing! I did giggle throughout your post. I remember when my parent old TV expired….the dying blinker was the perfect metaphor. I hope that you technical issues are finally finished. Good luck!
Oh those electronic gremlins can be maddening! I hope you successfully chase them away (but not toward my house please!). 🙂
You bought a new TV when the old one finally broke down after a long life. You didn’t replace your microwave at the first sign of it wearing down. I find it admirable that you buy things that you need, not just want because they are newer and shinier.
Ah, yes, EDSDS – Electronic Device Synchronized Disfunction Syndrome. It is really quite common nowadays. It was not prevalent in the early 1900’s, only becoming a nuisance after 1980.
And-thanks for the book idea-I love having new pieces for my ‘shoe’ collection!
I guess it’s good that the TV was a good purchase, at least. Those things do tend to go in waves. We’ve replaced the furnace motor, rollers on a sliding glass door, and a hot water heater recently. Did the TV thing last year. I commiserate with the syncing and readying the remote-lots of time on that too. Hope you find a good replacement for the microwave!
Been there, done that. It seems like when those machines in our lives decide to quit working, they all do it together! By the way, this works for tires on vehicles, too!
I’ve been there before. I don’t like when everything goes at the same time. It’s extremely frustrating!