Shocks and the Electric Fence Club

When we were kids the animal pasture near our home was surrounded by an electric fence. Somehow we decided that you couldn’t be cool unless you touched the fence voluntarily, allowing yourself to get at least one shock. There were five of us at the time, and of course we all joined the club, including the youngest who was only 2.

 

I am reminded of this childhood competition by the state of our household today. Our electrical devices have been unwell. The first small refrigerator we bought stopped working within two weeks of purchasing it. We got it repaired twice, and then decided to buy a different one and sell the first one. Once we had a buyer, the fridge went a little crazy. It literally became like an electric fence. When plugged in, it would shock you at any surface you touched, inside and out.

So we gave up the hope of selling that first little fridge. Thankfully the second one we got has been working fine, and we got a stabilizer to keep it from suffering from power surges and shortages. Now we have a a good one which we use often, and a worthless fridge cluttering up the house with no place to put it.

The next appliance to go was our little one burner electrical stove. This was a good friend of mine, and Orcxance had been using it since before I came. I think some people would have called it a hot plate. Or something like that. One day it just gave up putting out heat. Orcxance attempted to repair it, as he does with most things that break, but this time no luck. 

So we bought another cheap Chinese home appliance that promises much and delivers little. This burner lasted a few weeks before it too became a shocker like the fridge. We mostly cook with metal pots so getting the pots on and off the burner, lifting the lid or stirring with a metal utensil all resulted in small electric shocks. Even pouring water into the pot from a metal cup was like touching the electric fence we used to have. 

A new burner is not in our budget for the time being, so we continue to use this appliance, using plastic utensils for stirring and thick hot pads for getting pots on and off. We unplug it whenever it’s not in use. 

I hope that nothing else in our house starts conducting electricity like these things have. My nerves might not last, but at least I can say I have gone above and beyond what most of my fellow club members ever expected of me.