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Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Call me the vacuum whisperer

After a month of not blogging, this is what I blog about? All this school work is killing my creativity.

I wonder if there's more money in vacuum repair, because I don't even need to go to trade school to do that. I've taken apart every vacuum I've ever owned, pulled things out, readjusted things, put them back together (only several times with bits of hardware still sitting on the floor afterwards), and kept on vacuuming.

Two times my current vac has stopped suctioning, and I've dismantled it to see why. Once, a huge clog was stopping air flow from the hose, and this time, a belt had melted around the bottom brush. A little duct tape repaired that easily, but it turns out that duct tape melts pretty easily and smells like a potential fire hazard, and besides, Target sells the replacement belts for cheap.

It makes me feel a sense of accomplishment to be able to fix things. My brain just seems to fit well around figuring out parts and knowing how to fix them. When I was a kid, the first thing I took apart was an old 8-track tape player. Of course, back then it wasn't about fixing, but just seeing the innards that used to make it run. Next was a broken stereo.

I think I missed something, not working with my hands. It's harder to feel definatively like you've "fixed" a person. The successes aren't always so clear and tangible. I know I'm doing what I should be doing, but there always feels like more I could do, if I had a day or two more in the week.

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1 Comments:

Blogger Lesley said...

When our vacuum dies, I'm calling you!!

Lately, the things I do around the house in terms of fixing/ changing/painting/putting together something are much more fulfilling than the often intangible progress I make in my school work. It's like, hm, I can either cut back all the plants for fall or repaint the bathroom and see a wonderful result -- or I can spend an afternoon trying to revise a draft that looks much the same when I'm done. I think I ended the weekend happier that I'd replaced a toilet seat than reworked a chapter. Plus, I like the tired feeling I get after physical work better than the fatigue after emotional or mental work.... the first kind feels more stimulating than draining, it seems.

9:30 AM  

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