Here We Go Again

They say that lightning never strikes twice in the same place. Who said it? I need to pay them a visit and Bop em on da head! Now, during my 3 days of absolute insanity trying not to go postal on the Charter cable company, it occurred to me.. well it didnt really occur to me, Walt said it... There are 2 ways of looking at this. One is OMG it happened again and we are so screwed... OR: Dude, Happy 2009! We get alot of new appliances, electronics, and maybe move!!! I think I will run with the latter, thanks.
Remember the cable co surfer dude guy coming over to change out our tv box and blowing up the entire office a couple months ago? Well, they were responsible enough to reimburse us for the equipment lost and with the exception of all of the footwork, life went on and I came out with a new Smokin Hot PC. We were so very grateful that the Gammil didnt go down, or anything else. When did that get hooked up? Just a few days ago eh? Ironic.
Scheduled to replace the box again on Friday, I was a bit nervous when the cable dude appeared...longish hair, 20 something, goofy grin. ( I was having a flashback.) I warned him as he began to unplug things. I told him the whole story while I calmly read posts on MQR. He sorta laughed me off like I didnt know what the heck I was talking about. He assured me that he was a professional and knew exactly what he was doing. He ran downstairs to check his splitter. I warned again. Now why the heck I didnt warn MYSELF and go unplug the entire house is beyond me. Blind faith in the fact that lightning really doesnt strike twice in the same place? Hmmm
I smelled it. I saw flickers. I heard the dishwasher growling. Rudy flung himself to the floor in instinctual bird fear. I leaped from the chair and unplugged my new computer as I dialed my own personal 911 number.. (Walt) I ran to the deck to see Dan Dan the blow up man in his truck on his phone as well. I eves dropped enough to hear that he indeed was shocked and sparks were flying all over the studio side of our home. OMG He came up eventually and explained that it wasnt his fault, our home must not be properly grounded. WHERE have I heard that before? I swear I cant believe I didnt hurt the poor boy. I wanted to. I really did. I pleaded with him to FIX what he had done and he told me it wasnt his field. OMFG ITS GROUND HOG DAY AT G's HOUSE!!!!As the scared kid called the TEAM out, I was busy assessing the damages. So far, dozens of light bulbs exploded, my microwave, fridge and bedroom lights were out. The entertainment center, out. I was way too afraid to go downstairs to check on Greta, I feared the worst, and to be learned the next day, my fears were correct.
Within an hour the Calvary appeared. Walt, our electrician, and 5 more cable dudes. Not a one of them could figure out what was going on. All of them tracking down lines for shortages, furniture all over the place, Broken glass... and me. A knock on the door proved to be the guy who saved the day. PGE guy, Joe. I like Joe. I didnt at first, but I warmed up to him hours later. As joe entered our home he announced that he was condemning the building. Walt yelled to me up top to go get emergency supplies, STAT. Condemned Im yelling? While I was at Rite Aid with a grocery cart full of flashlights, candles and camping lanterns, the TEAM at home was working hard to figure out the mess. That means everyone was scratching things while looking at Joe on a 100 foot pole in the middle of the night. Long story, less long, Joe found the problem was corrosion causing current to travel back into our ground, producing electricity 24/7 into anywhere it could travel. Even water. (OMG no wonder the bills were through the roof!!!) He cleaned it all up during the night, restored our power, gave us claim forms and told us to fill out as many as we needed, and dont forget the hired electricians fees, as PGE was indeed at fault here. Hows that for a full moon? More importantly, Dont I owe the poor cable guy a huge apology for "wanting" to rip his head off and store it in the fridge! We thanked Joe profusely, asked Dan for forgiveness, and began the clean up. Committee only of 2. Me & Walt, a broom, clorox wipes, and a claim form.
It isnt pretty, and if I kept going I think I might freak out again. I will say that I am now convinced that we do not belong here. My fears are now peeked. I'm still hopeful... it very well may have been a good thing...we shall see. In the meantime... I'm very happy that microwaves really arent that necessary to me. Oh yes, and that we havent been electricuted, blown up, or spontaniously combusted in the 8 months that we have been here.
Tomorrow I shall tell you about my 50/50 journey... cause I'm all about journeys these days.