Beeps and buzzes that run our lives
Today G mentioned that her new coffee pot started beeping and flashing a clean me light. Holy cow, talk about having a machine tell you what to do. At the time, we were waiting for my coffee pot to beep and let us know the pot was ready. Then our discussion went into other forms of beeps and buzzes that run our lives.
I complained that due to people having laundry rooms near their bedrooms manufacturers of dryers have done away with the loud buzzer that lets you know it has finished with the cycle. It’s now an anemic chime. I hate it. Why do I hate it? My dryer is in the basement. The old dryer had a loud buzzer that I could actually hear and respond to; taking my clothes out, before they became wrinkled.
I wish the manufacturer had asked me about the chime before they produced the new dryers. I would have told them to put an optional chime or buzzer switch on them.
Consequently, what beeps, buzzes, or chimes run our lives? Our list consisted of the coffee pot, the dryer, the microwave, alarm clocks, cell phones, and timers for everything. What beeps, buzzes, or chimes run your life?
Posted on January 7, 2010, in Misc, My blog, Uncategorized and tagged Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Coffee, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing. Bookmark the permalink. 7 Comments.
Doggonedmysteries 
After four hours of no electricity yesterday afternoon while two men hung onto the pole behind my house replacing the transformer in below freezing weather, I find myself feeling very safe and comforted by all the little sounds in the house that went missing – like the furnace hum, the buzzing of my 12 four foot long daylight corrected florescent bulbs in my studio. The subtle noise of my computer, and the roar when the heat goes on.
But what does annoy me? My oven, microwave, and dryer all a few feet apart have almost identical dings when they are done. Two of them even ding four times. And my washing machine gives me no sound at all when it’s done. Just a discreet flashing red light down near the floor.
In the summer I don’t mind so much hearing the incredibly loud outdoor ringer extension on the phone next door, but I do mind the yelling that follows about who should answer it.
Around here it is just the microwave and my washer and dryer and I agree, it is a wimpy chime. 🙂
My comp. has weather bug on it so when the weather forcast is bad my bug. starts chirping
Our microwave pings5 times, the breadmaker 8 times! I frequently catch myself yelling at them, “Yes I know, I’m coming!” To a machine, I ask you 🙂
The smoke detector frequently beeped in our old house when JW cooked “brunch” on Sundays!!!
I heard something the other day beep at me and I couldn’t find the source. We were getting ready to leave the house to go to the movies and I wasn’t leaving until I found the source. I finally opened the basement door and realized the beep was downstairs but it wasn’t the multi-chimes coming from either the new washer or the new dryer, nor was it the beep of a smoke alarm needing a new battery. Turned out our water softener was empty and was demanding we put some salt into its poor little tank. Devoted Spouse carried down two twenty pound bags of salt, emptied them into the tank, the tank was happy, and we took off beep-free. We have another one that’s new and it’s a beeping sound that is actually an alarm on the new refrigerator if a door is left ajar — it started beeping the other night and it turned out that someone (DS) had not shut the freezer drawer all the way closed! That beep I was thankful for as my freezer is packed!
Oh let’s see, my computer, cell phone, landline, microwave, toaster oven, regular oven, hum of the furnace, ceramic heater, a whistling tea kettle at which I will yell “shaddup” lol. Our washer and dry do not beep, buzz or chime. Fortunately they are on the main floor.
Glad I’m not alone… 😉
Linda–I’d love it if my fridge beeped when the door wasn’t closed, DH has a habit of leaving it ajar from time to time.
Speaking of DH he had a few to add to the list: In the cars… Fasten seat belt, lights are on, keys are in the ignition, check engine…