A Smoking Welcome

Kikay and I came back to our apartment today.
After a 3 week absence of leave from it.


And the welcome was....different then expected.
First was a power bill that was higher then expected.
I mean we hadn't been here for 3 weeks...how could the power bill be so high?
Perhaps they just counted the two weeks we were there and doubled the price or something lol.
But anyway.


We had managed to tug all our things up the stairs to our apartment.
And I was ready for a moment to relax before we gallivanted out to go grab some grub.
Because our fridge and pantry....were depressingly empty and begging to be filled.


So I decided to just turn on the TV for a moment and flip through all the channels to see what was on.
-Because it was that time of the day where I was ready to just stay home if given enough reason.
Food could be bought tomorrow. :P We wouldn't starve tonight.
We just wouldn't have any quick easy food to grab.


So I was flipping through the channels.
(Our guide button doesn't work so I have to flip through the channels to see whats on.)
And about oh...50 channels in.
the TV screen....went sideshow black.
You know on PowerPoint presentations
How they have options on how to transition between the next slide?
Well theres one where its a 'wipe' thing.
Where the slide entered on the left and leaves on the right.
Well...the computer did that.
With a black screen.
It slid across the picture, this wall of darkness from left to right.
I thought it might have been just a channel malfunction.
But this high pitched whine like scream started emanating from the TV
a couple of channel changes later.
I couldn't see the channels.
Couldn't hear any thing from the channels.
So I went to turn the TV off.
Only...nothing seemed to happen when i pressed the power button.
And then....
a smell a burning smell..
and smoke began coming up through the vents on each side of the TV!!
My TV was letting out fumes of noxious smoke!!
So I went into 'action' mode and unplugged the TV from the wall.
cutting off the high pitched whine.
Though smoke and bad burnt wire smell continue to pour out for a little bit.
Stinking up the apartment
*cough cough*
I dashed to the windows to open them up to air out the place


Kikay came into inspect the damage when I said "I think the TV just caught fire"
We looked at each other, looked at the TV....
and decided to go out and get those groceries before we did anything more with the TV.

By the time we got back.
I had basically decided that our TV was toast.
*sniff* which is sad :( I bought the TV for $40 off my roommate at the beginning of the summer.
And now...it had committed suicide.
Oh well.... I basically had the TV from January to July...so that's 6 months. About $8 a month.
Not to bad all things considering :)

Anywho. I decided that we needed some Man-power to get rid of our TV.
So I went next door to my friend Captain Amazing.
(when i got a new cellphone I decided to put contacts in as superhero names, that's what he chose his name to be)
And asked him for help.
He came over and heard our story.
And Kikay. Dying of curiosity and anxious for a hint of danger.
Suggested along with Captain Amazing.
That we plug in the TV again to see what would happen.
To see if it had just been a fluke thing.
Or if our TV was really broken.
I was like................................................Okay!
So i grabbed the cord.
And as I barely started to plug it into the wall.
The high pitched whine started up again.
Yep. Instantaneous answer.
If its whining before its fully plugged in.
Our TV was officially.....dead.

And being the crazy college students we are.
The three of us decided to have a 'funeral'

Though we did have a debate about what to do with a broken TV.
I thought "give it to the DI!" ....okay...probably not the best idea...a smoking TV at the di...
but I figured somebody could fix it....maybe....idk. I don't know TVs.
Kikay's idea was to "toss it out the window!"
and Captain Amazing's idea was "to place it in the dumpster"

We ended up going with Captain Amazings solution. :P lol.
So Kikay and Captain Amazing, being the taller and stronger people then me.
Hefted up our big black box TV.
And in a funeral march of slowness.
Took the elevator down to the main floor and outside to the dumpster.
I and Captain Amazing each took a gate and opened it up.
Revealing the dumpster.
Our grave for our TV.
Before tossing it away though.
We said a few words of commenseartion.
Telling the TV that it had been good to us and we were sad that it had decided to commit suicide.
Things like that.
Before Captain Amazing and Kikay lifted the TV up and put it inside the dumpster.
It landed on a nice cushion of garbage bags. And rolled towards the back.
It was a nice quiet affair.
I couldn't look at first. I didn't want to hear the crashing of broken glass, or see the shattered remains.
Luckily. That didn't happen. Its still in one piece. :)
Which was a big relief to me. It should go into the dumpster with dignity.
Then with creaky squealing ness. Captain Amazing and I closed the gates.
like closing the door to a tomb.
And went upstairs.
Where I found...the remote.
Not wanting the remote to be separated from the TV
I took out the batteries and went down again to reunite the two.

*sniff*
It was rather sad Y_Y
And I wish I knew what caused our TV to throw such a fit.
Luckily we had another much smaller -computer screen sized- TV to use in the meantime.
(It was a graduation gift. And usually stays in my room to be used when I don't want to intrude in the living room)
But our living room sure seems empty in comparison. A huge white space has opened up.

We're going to wait though, to see if our new roommates bring a TV with them.
Before going searching for a replacement TV for the living room.

Still.
it was a sad evening Y_Y
Farewell TV Farewell.
You served us well for those two years.

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

I was in my backyard on the patio.
Having come back from a vacation.
I was taking down my stuffed animals.
Moving them, deciding which ones to keep there,
and which ones to move elsewhere.
I glanced over and saw a brown spider attack a black spider and kill it and wrap it in its web.
After finishing with a section of stuffed animals I went over to investigate. Because I had moved a white bear next to another white stuffed animal away from the spider web it had been close to and I wanted to make sure those two were fine.
Yes the spider was dead.
I went and returned back to the area closer to the house and felt a pinch on my neck as I passed through the concrete barriers leading from the porch to the dirt/garden area my dad tried to make next to the house.
I crouched down and felt the back of my neck with my right hand. Below my left ear on my neck I encountered the hairy feeling of a spider. Like a compact tarantula.
I moved my hand away from it then swiped at it desperate to get it off me before it bit me.

Lets just say...that was an unpleasant awakening.
Its not often I'm startled awake.
But this morning was one of those mornings.

-S.N.D