Oh, for fuck’s sake

Around six o’clock last night, just when it was getting properly dark, the power went off.

No problem, thought I. I have a brand new $1300 (with tax and delivery) generator. Ha!

Bring it on, I said earlier this month when it was installed.

Find the big torch, open the panel in front of the electric switches in preparation for the alternate power source.

You’re supposed to run the generator for half an hour once a month whether the power’s on or off, to keep the battery charged. As it happens I had set tomorrow aside as the day when I would do this, so the power going off just meant running it earlier than I’d planned.

There are even helpful instructions on the top of the generator about how to operate it. Followed instructions, got generator going, came back in house to switch the side of the panel that runs off the generator over. Odd. The lamp on my desk didn’t come on. Went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Not on. What?

Dig out the manual. Oh, right, before you do anything else you’re supposed to pull out the choke. And then I remembered.

When the two lovely lads came from the hardware store to deliver and install the generator, we’d had a very hard time figuring out where the choke was hidden. And it seemed “hidden” really was the word. A rather awkward spot which necessitated repositioning the generator so I’d actually be able to access it when the lights went out. Could I find it in the dark, in the rain with the torch last night? No, I could not.

It all worked perfectly back then. After I’d been to the village to buy the petrol I’d forgotten to get before the generator was delivered (and drop off $20 at the hardware store for the lovely lads to buy themselves a beer on me), I came home, filled the tank and got the generator running easily.

Clearly, I should not have waited three and a half weeks to run it again. Gah.

Is this kismet? Or hubris? Or what? Damn.

Fortunately it wasn’t a major power outage. Not like the five-day one in the run up to Christmas a couple of years ago when a major wind storm knocked off the power all over Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the Lower Mainland. The lights were back on by 8:30.

In a few minutes I’m going to have to get dressed and go out to see if I can figure this out in the light of day. Failing that, I’m going to have to go to the hardware store and track down Gord, the generator guy, and get some sort of tutorial.

Serves me right for being so smug, I suppose. Extremely galling nonetheless.