Thanks to Ginnie over at Golden Days, I have begun doing Tai Chi everyday. I really enjoy it and find it to be very relaxing. I do about ten minutes in the morning, and then again at night before bed. I am sleeping better (for the most part) and am much less stressed than before. I am very thankful that she suggested it to me.
Today was a very productive day at work. With the help of a co-worker, I changed things around in the office to prepare for my new assistant. Afterward, I took him to lunch, then finished up several projects and headed home.
As soon as I entered the house, I was assaulted by a high pitched sound. It was emanating from the kitchen-dining room area, but try as I might, I couldn’t find the cause of this highly offensive noise. Although it was centralized to that location, it could be heard throughout the entire main level of the house. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t stay in the room long enough to locate the source. To be honest, the frequency was so exasperating that I thought I would lose my mind.
By the time HWDDD got home from work, I had a headache of biblical proportions and was lying in the fetal position on the chaise lounge. Every fiber of my being hurt and for once I truly understood why psychological torture methods worked.
H attempted to locate the source of our now shared annoyance, but had no better luck than I did. He unplugged all of the appliances, bled the hot water heating system, and checked through all of the cupboards. Finally, even he was on the edge of insanity, so he escaped to the basement to get away from it for awhile.
Eventually he came back up for one more try and located the source of our aggravation. It was a tiny little gadget that had apparently malfunctioned, causing an alarm to sound. H couldn’t get the blasted thing to stop, so he removed the battery. Neither one of us recalled having seen it before, so when H couldn’t figure out what it was, he threw it in the trash in disgust.
After he went downtown to play pool, I figured out what it was.
Today was a very productive day at work. With the help of a co-worker, I changed things around in the office to prepare for my new assistant. Afterward, I took him to lunch, then finished up several projects and headed home.
As soon as I entered the house, I was assaulted by a high pitched sound. It was emanating from the kitchen-dining room area, but try as I might, I couldn’t find the cause of this highly offensive noise. Although it was centralized to that location, it could be heard throughout the entire main level of the house. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t stay in the room long enough to locate the source. To be honest, the frequency was so exasperating that I thought I would lose my mind.
By the time HWDDD got home from work, I had a headache of biblical proportions and was lying in the fetal position on the chaise lounge. Every fiber of my being hurt and for once I truly understood why psychological torture methods worked.
H attempted to locate the source of our now shared annoyance, but had no better luck than I did. He unplugged all of the appliances, bled the hot water heating system, and checked through all of the cupboards. Finally, even he was on the edge of insanity, so he escaped to the basement to get away from it for awhile.
Eventually he came back up for one more try and located the source of our aggravation. It was a tiny little gadget that had apparently malfunctioned, causing an alarm to sound. H couldn’t get the blasted thing to stop, so he removed the battery. Neither one of us recalled having seen it before, so when H couldn’t figure out what it was, he threw it in the trash in disgust.
After he went downtown to play pool, I figured out what it was.
43 comments:
Glad you have chosen to head down the taiji path! For a good introduction video, check out the material from Dr. Paul Lam, MD. His learning DVDs are pretty good. You may even be able to find it at your local library or on Netflix! :)
Good luck!
Glad that source of aggravation is gone! Reminds me of smoke detectors with low batteries. ("Which one *is* it?")
Thanks for the information on Tai Chi. I'm going to investigate
Wuji, thanks for stopping by. So far I'm really enjoying it. I'll look on netflix for that dvd...thanks for the tip.
Mary, I'm glad too. It was so aggrevating, it nearly drove me mad, granted that's not much of a drive. ;-)
I second the motion to look up Dr. Lam. I have his beginner's tape, "6 Forms, 6 Easy Lessons," and it's a great learning tool.
He has his own website:TaiChi Productions.
Thomas, so far I'm really enjoying the book that Ginnie recommended, but I'll see if I can't find the dvd as well. Thank you!
Okay so I must be slow today...what IS that thing in the picture?!?
Glad the horrible buglike sound is gone...and intrigued by the book enough to go googling later
My Mom had an experience quite like this one recently. She called me and then she called my brother in desperation. "It is in the wall!" she says. Turns out it was a timer on an exercise bike. Glad you found it, those kinds of noises drive me insane too.
Sam, I'm still not entirely sure what it is. HWDDD threw it in the trash in disgust, but being the blogaholic that I am, I put on my rubber gloves, dug it out of the trash, washed it off and blogged about it. I'm hoping someone will know what it is.
Butterfly, thank you! It was the most annoying sound I've ever heard. I thought I was going to go insane!
Is it a cooking timer? A carbon monoxide detector? A torture device?
Littlepea, before HWDDD ripped the battery from it, the display said Low Temperature. I think you are right...it's a torture device. ha! Best answer yet!
Actually, I saw your post last night, and in complete horror I couldn't figure out what that thing was. I figured I must be living in the dark ages! I'm glad a few of your readers felt likewise. Phew. What a relief! I'm not getting old afterall.
Crazy as it seems, Bonita, I still don't have a clue what it is!
I think it is a Digital Probe Thermometer. Follow this link and see if it rings a bell now. Codenoll Thermometer
Oh, I have been stopping by lately after you posted to my site. Hope you don't mind.
This is the closest I could find.
I think Mslittlepea's right, I think it's a kitchen timer or thermometer of some kind.
Things like that would drive me crazy, but I have an African Grey. I hear sounds like that all day! :(
Ack! Drew must have been typing at the same time I was.
Sorry Courtney. Timed perfectly with my mid-afternoon break. I'm guessing Laurie has a probe and power cable that she can't use any longer too. Unless she can get the probe out of the trash again...
Drew, I'm happy to have you stop by, I've been dropping by your blog as well. And I bet you are right! I'll check the drawer for the probe and cord when I get home. I put on my rubber gloves and retrieved the blasted thing so I could take a picture of it to post and I think it's still by the computer.
Maybe I'll even use it. As my previous post indicates, I could use a bit of help in the cooking/baking department.
Courtney, you still win a prize for guessing correctly. Not sure what the prize will be, but I'll think of something!
I'm not sure how you stand the chirping, if that's what it sounds like. I think I'd have to be institutionalized.
That's the funny thing about smart birds, a timer goes off and the humans run to shut it off. Pretty soon a bird learns to make its humans do tricks! He can also call Dan's name in my voice -- Dan comes running everytime!
I'm I am so going to resist the urge to make a snarky comment about 'probes'! :P
That's hysterical...I'd love to see that. So you're saying Dan actually comes when you call. Interesting.
We babysat a myna bird named Otis when I was a really little kid. He was quite a character...he could really talk up a storm! He also said "I love you Laurie" all the time. It was so cute.
And I'm glad you refrained from talking about (anal) probes. heh!
I was stumped, too, until I read your comments.
Tai Chi is great, I used to do it and loved it.
I see someone else already found what it is--a digital cooking thermometer. Here's a different link: http://www.ablekitchen.com/Digital-Probe-Thermometer-p/cdn-dtp392.htm
It should have a probe with it to work.
But I think it found a different way to "probe"!
Pam, I'm really enjoying it.
KG, no kidding! It about drove me over the edge.
Laurie - goodness I am having trouble posting comments these days. Hope this one gets through and you don't see repeated ones posted. Sheesh!
The device looks like a pedometer to me, but it sure didn't help you "take steps" towards inner peace and calm the Tai Chi way!
I am also enrolled in a beginner Tai Chi class and am loving, loving, loving it. The movements are so calming and beautiful.
We are only up to move 27 of the 108 Taiost Tai Chi moves, but I find doing them in the morning calming and energizing - both at the same time. Strange how that works, but it does.
I feel the same Cuppa, I'm not sure how you can feel relaxed and energized at the same time, but that's exactly the feeling.
No, I think it's the early version of Star Trek's "Beam Me Up Scotty" transport device.
Put the batteries back in and try it. Press up and you'll land on the Enterprise.
Press down and...who knows?
My ex and I spent about 3 hours trying to find the plug on an alarm box that was hidden in a closet above the door. It made a noise into the attic and it spread thoughout the house. The alarm was not connected with the police, so it just made a horrible sound. It about drove the dogs crazy...and us...and the neighbors.
WW, Hmmm, I wonder where the down button would take me. If it's a warm island, I'm all for it.
Steve, the crazy part I can imagine. I couldn't believe how annoying it was. Every fiber of my being hurt afterward. I know what you mean about your dogs going nuts...my cats went 'round the bend too. They are still tired!
It appears to be a discontinued product, probably a timer from this company:
http://www.cdn-timeandtemp.com/
It bears their logo.
Minahs, usually the greater hill minah (gracula religiosa) is native to India and the most astonishing of mimics, uniquely able to imitate human vocal inflections. A friend of my mother's had one and it's laugh was diabolically funny.
Thanks Joe. I can see why the item has been discontinued! HWDDD couldn't get it to shut off after he found it and finally had to take the battery out.
The Minah that stayed with us was really amazing. I remember that he had an eerie laugh. and he learned to cuss from one of my dad's friends. It really upset my mom for awhile, but after awhile she thought it was kind of funny.
And I notice it was made in Canada, too (Cdn).
I think the down button would maybe bring you to Kansas with Toto.
The top button? Still scratchin' my tiny Canadian male brain over that one...
Made in Canada, huh? Well that explains it. ;-)
And I'm pretty sure I don't want to go to Kansas...what with tornado season almost upon us.
If you figure out that top button, let me know, ok?
Based on my research so far, I think it has something to do with tantric sex, but you know how men are with instructions...
Tantric sex? (Glances around, sneaks into kitchen, puts on rubber gloves, pulls new toy out of garbage can...)
Serenity Now!
This is great. You've inspired me - it's been too cold here to walk outside. I've got to find my David Carridine tapes. (Tai Chi and Tantric sex - sounds like you've got a plan:0)
KC, don't you mean SERENITY NOW!!
Cathy, it sounds like a good plan...doesn't it? ;-)
That’s where that went! That is my digital thermometer I purchased back when I was living in Missoula, must have got transferred in our kitchen stuff mom. I'm surprised the batteries still worked seeing that would have been from 2002. I purchased it to check the temp of the meat in hamburgers I was cooking on my good old George Forman back in the day so I didn’t give myself food poisoning. I need to buy a new one some day, it was handy, that’s what you get for pilfering kitchen supplies out of my boxes! Just kidding;)
I think I would have gotten paranoid that someone was bugging me! That, or aliens...
My mother started Tai Chi almost a decade ago and has moved up to using swords... granted, the thought of my mother armed with a large, edged weapon is frightening... that said, however, she just turned 73 last Thursday and is the YOUNGEST 73 year old I've ever seen!
As for the alarm, my hobby is paranormal investigations... and once we had a lady who was absolutely sure her basement was "haunted" by either a small child screaming or some other demon-like thing as it was a high-pitched whining combined with "chirpy" music. Also, it ONLY sounded first thing in the morning for about an hour... We advised her (via e-mail) to bite the bullet and head down at noon and search the place. She did and found a pocket electronic game her kid had jammed behind a shelf... which had an alarm clock built into it... so "Hello Kitty" was wishing her a "GOOD MORNING!" every day at 8:10am... and wouldn't shut the heck up until 9:10am.
Worse yet, the batteries WERE dying so, "Hello Kitty" sounded a lot like it was "Hello Kitty Being Ground Up in a Meat Grinder".
Like you, definitely not condusive to a relaxed atmosphere... and this one was blamed on a "ghost"!
...the ghost of unwanted toys past, I 'spose.
Tai Chi is wonderful. I began it years ago, when two of my parishioners taught Tai Chi. The husband had studied in China and was quite the expert. I will admit that after the first days exercise I had difficulty getting out of bed the next morning. But that's a long story relating to my stupidity and unwillingness to follow simple self-care directions.
I'm glad the source of the noise was found. Had I been in that situation, Alex and I would have probably just left the house.
Wolf (aka son), Aha! Mystery solved! Will I ever learn not to pilfer? ha!!
Rurality, when I first subscribed to Netflix, I went on an X-Files kick. I watched every single episode within a month's time. I'm really glad it didn't happen then...I'd probably still be wearing a straight jacket!
Matthew, your mom sounds like a very spunky lady! I only hope I am spunky enough to handle swords when I'm her age. Not that I will, mind you, I'm dangerous enough with kitchen knives...but the thought of being able to is interesting.
I loved your "Hello Kitty" story. I can only imagine how scary that was for the lady, but once she figured out what was going on, it had to give her a good laugh. It's good of you to have helped her like that!
Nick, I am amazed at how many people actually do Tai Chi! I am just in the early stages, but I'm really enjoying it!
I know what you mean about leaving the house. I was pretty close to leaving myself! I, however, have 6 cats to take with me and one of them doesn't like the other 5...it would have been an interesting trip.
An ANAL Probe? Laurie, how naughty! That wasn't what I was thinking at all! ;)
Post a Comment