I know that complaining is anti- Mustachian. But what an unfortunate January it was for me. Computer trouble, car trouble, varmint trouble, tainted food, a plumbing leak, phone trouble 2X, a 401k account problem, and finally some credit card fraud.
1. Computer trouble
The power supply on my 7 year old Dell desktop gave its retirement notice. Cost of DIY repair: $50.
2. Car trouble
Keyless entry fob for my car quit working. It wasn't the battery. Now down to one working key fob.
3. Varmint trouble
Had to spend $50 for a humane live animal trap to trap a feral cat. The breaking point for me was when after doing some yard work I tracked cat excrement through my kitchen.
4. Tainted food
Stocked up on a 10 month supply of Quaker Oats during a great sale last summer. Now I have found dead moths in two of the boxes. One was in my breakfast bowl, about to be eaten by me. I've thrown out the two bad boxes, but now I have to watch my breakfast for bugs, not very appetizing. Thrown out $5 worth (at the sale price) of oatmeal, so far.
5. Plumbing leak
Slow water leak from the shut off valve under the kitchen sink. Discovered it when I opened the cabinet doors to avoid freezing water pipes. It was a super slow leak that developed a slime mold colony where the drip landed on the cabinet bottom. Cost of DIY repair: $3 for valve stem packing.
6. Phone trouble #1
My expensive Ting smartphone is malfunctioning. With tax and shipping I paid over $500 in April of 2014 for a Galaxy S4 Tri-Band (SPH-L720T). I planned to get 4 or 5 years out it, and I have pampered this phone.
The phone has started throwing a “Sim Card not found” error message. It started once per day and quickly grew to many times per day. Phone must be rebooted to clear the error, otherwise it cannot make or accept calls, or access the internet by cell tower (WiFi would still work).
The problem is not the Sim Card. Per Google, the problem is the phone motherboard, where the Sim Card reader ribbon connects to the mainboard. Replacing the Sim Card reader and ribbon will not fix it. A Google search also provided a simple improvised repair, but one that usually doesn't last. I can DIY the mainboard replacement, but I will have to find a good mainboard from an identical device with a clean ESN.
7. Phone trouble #2
My phone caused yet another annoyance. We had a large snow event forecast in January. My employer declared a snow day. They don't announce it on the local TV, as many companies do. A manager (who no longer works there) forgot the password, so they can't use the TV. Instead they call everyone by phone. My phone never rang and showed no missed calls, so I assumed that work was not canceled.
When I arrived, the parking lot was 99% empty. Just a few supervisors were there, and they were leaving. I was rather annoyed at not being called off. Turned out, I was called. After a reboot, my phone showed the missed call and the voice mail.
This malfunction was not due to the “Sim Card not found” error. That error, once it pops up, never goes away until the phone is rebooted. The error was not present when I checked my phone for missed calls and voice mail. A Google search suggests that no ring missed calls are usually a network / cell tower issue, but nonetheless my next phone won't be a Samsung.
8. Locked out of 401k account
This one is the only one where the blame is entirely my own.
My ISP changed my IP address. Happens a couple of times per year. This time they gave me an IP that was previously associated with a different town than the one I live in. I found out when suddenly Google Maps centered itself in a town I didn't live in.
That also triggered my 401k website to ask for the answers to the security questions on my account. I never answer those questions truthfully, but instead make a nonsense answer and write it down on a piece of paper. I couldn't find the paper. Three guesses later, I'm locked out of my own account.
9. Credit card fraud
I had my first time ever at being the target of credit card fraud. Someone tried to purchase a Vitamix blender with my card number for $788. Fortunately Chase denied the charge, but they had to cancel my card and mail a new one.
I know it's all small stuff. No accidents, no tumors, no heart attacks, no hospitals and no funeral. But son of a bitch, it was like everything I touched turned to shit. Usually my life, at least away from work, is very much free of drama.
On the good side, so far February has been much smoother <knocks on wood colored particle board>.
