The Law of STHU

There is a Law of the Universe that most of you abide throughout your lives without even realizing you are doing so. Take it from me, a convicted LAW BREAKER in the Universal Court of Bad Karma, laws are for your own good. Some people call this law the "Law of Leave Well Enough Alone". That's a bit wordy. I prefer to think of it as the Law of SHUT THE HELL UP.

You know that urge you get when things are going badly, that urge to say "Well what else could possibly go wrong"? Think about how many times you've saidthat quietly to yourself and then knocked on wood, crossed yourself, sacrificed a live chicken, or bought a nice set of candlesticks. That's the Law of Shut The Hell Up, in practice. You don't dare tempt fate by actually SAYING "Oh how much worse could it get?" out loud. That would be just.. stupid.

Here's my stupid sign.

Last Thursday I took the boys to the pool. When I returned my computer displayed the fearsome "blue screen of death". Some of you may not know of what I speak. Be happy in your little bubbles of technologically blissful ignorance. For the rest of you: yeah it was that bad. The computer wouldn't do anything. No safe mode, no "Last Known Good Configuration", no nothing. Several fruitless troubleshooting techniques and wasted hours later, I broke down in tears. The computer, it was dead, Jim. And, also, I hadn't backed up my data in about 5 millennium.

Then on Friday the gentleman came to install our new storm doors - the very expensive but very pretty storm doors that had to be installed before the contractors came to paint the house. The door that he installed looks horrible, barely closes and doesn't fit in the door frame. I say door, singular, because I kind of flipped out on the guy and refused to let him finish the job. Then I flipped out on Home Depot, my husband, and a squirrel who wandered into my field of view.

This is where people with common sense enforce the Law of Shut The Hell Up.

On Saturday, in a fit of restlessness ( no computer, no one working on the house for me to scream at) I decided to cut the phone wire that runs across our bedroom from the Cretaceous Era security system to the phone jack. We don't use the security system, never have, and why do we need that ugly wire running along our beautiful new walls?

I'll skip the cussing, tears, laughter and recriminations and get to the end result: cutting that one damn wire cut the phone service to the whole damn house.

SHUT THE HELL UP being enforced by God through the elimination of the Internet ( no computer) and the phones in one 3 day period.

One new hard-drive, a big fat apology and discount on our doors from Home Depot, and a 15 minute visit from the phone technician, later, I'm typing this message while watching Ian climb into the windowsill.

Because, you know, how could he possible get hurt doing.... oh hell.