Electricity is Stupid

This is dumb. My profession as an electrical engineer does nothing to explain why I'm typing away in my pitch black room with my computer that I finally fixed today.

Let me tell you the recent luck I've had with these things electrical. First, three weeks ago my hard drive fails, dies, dead. Ok that's fine I order a new one. (that story to come in a minute) I'm using a loan computer from the office, and after a few days of using it, the keyboard decides I'm really pressing its buttons and calls it quits. That's fine, we've got plenty of recalcitrant computers for me to go through. Then last weekend, my cell phone decided that it would hence forth refuse to accept charge from my generic charger, forcing me to go to the cell phone shop and spend 20 euros on a genuine Motorola phone charger. So today, my new hard drive comes in the mail. I install it, put some applications on it, and go home. I'm sitting at my desk plugging the adaptor in the wall when a shower of sparks lands on my hands and feet. Well, at least I think it's where my hands and feet are, because at that precise moment everything goes dark. The only thing keeping me from total disorientation were my trusty iPod speakers, which were steadfastly playing through the fireworks. (they have a rechargeable battery)

After trying out my newly learned Italian profanity, I make my way to the fuse box and find that the breakers are still intact. These were the slow-blow type, that are designed to prevent overloading the circuit (ten hairdryers at once) rather than fast faults, like shorts.

Five minutes later, I'm on the phone, and the conversation goes like this:
Me: Good evening, is this the front desk?
Him: Yes it is, good evening.
Me: I'm living right now in the temporary wing, in--
Him: Room 33, what can I do for you?
Me: Wow, how did you know?
Him: There's a little light that tells me who's calling. It's modern!
Me: (as sarcastically as I can muster) Well, did you also see that all the power is out in my room?
Him: All of it? Did you try the room light?
Me: Yes, it doesn't work.
Him: How about the bathroom light?
Me: That doesn't either.
Him: Do you have an entrance light? Can you try that?
Me: Doesn't work.
Him: OK let's try plugs. (holy god)
Me: I am positively sure that absolutely none of nothing anywhere does not function. (verbatim, since I said it all wrong, much to his amusement)
Him: Oh... well you know, it's late, and dark.
Me: Yes.
Him: Can't repair it tonight.
Me: No.
Him: Got to wait until tomorrow.
Me: Yes.
Him: Oh, you're moving into your permanent room tomorrow! Great, no problem then!
Me: Good night.

I suppose that means that until they get a new tenant in this room, the power will remain off. The other good news is I can look like a total idiot and hold up the line during rush hour at the supermarket when someone asks me, "Would you like that in a bag?" but I am very capable of dealing
with thorough night watchmen.

So let's talk about getting a package shipped to Italy. It's not impossible, but it's pretty amusing. A nondescript brown package the size and weight of a soccer ball is mailed on Monday, September 11. It is supposed to arrive in 5 days. On Tuesday a week and a day later, it arrives in Italian customs. There is a delivery attempt Wednesday, September 20, but for reasons unknown to the postal agent with whom I spoke, the postman opts to not leave a notice of attempted delivery. The postman makes another attempt Thursday, September 21 and arbitrarily decides to leave a notice. That night, Enrico (to whom the package was to be delivered, since I don't have an address yet) calls the post office to ask them to deliver the package on Friday to our office instead, and waives the signature requirement. Friday comes and goes, with no package. Enrico left on a trip today, so I call the post office and ask them what's going on. Five minutes later, I'm asking a coworker if they wouldn't mind calling the post office and finding out what's going on, since I can't understand a word of it.

So here's the deal. There was an attempted delivery Friday, but it was after 5pm. At 5pm the desk worker at our office goes home so no one was there to sign for the package that clearly states, in addition to Enrico's request, that no signature was required. So, a delivery would be attempted today. Is the desk worker going to leave at 5 again? Yes. Would the mail come before then? Don't know. Is this the final delivery attempt? Yes. After that what happens? The package gets stored in a warehouse an hour north of Milan.

Fortunately, the package arrived around noon today.

What have we learned:

1. Better late than never.

2. It is a universal fact that postal workers are grumpy.

3. I now have two functioning pieces of electronics in my room, which in approximately 3:55, will cease to function.

4. You don't want me anywhere near the design of boats, airplanes, or buildings.

PS: I took more pretty pictures BUT YOU CAN'T SEE THEM.