A List of Things I've Broken in the Last Week

... aka Requiem for an iRiver.

1. Ben and Carol's George Foreman brand vegetable steamer. They use this thing all the time, and I messed it up when I tried washing it and got water in the wrong place. Thankfully, it looks like it's gotten better. Thank God!

2. The fairylights in my bedroom. Yes, I know how incredibly manly that is.

3. My iRiver. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. This one breaks my heart, and it happened just this morning. I was on my way to the car when I dropped my beloved iRiver on the ground. It didn't shatter, it didn't crack. It was a bit scratched but it seemed fine. I unlocked the car, got in, tried to start the player and ... nothing.

I almost cried. It felt like losing a friend.

It hurt extra bad because I'd just loaded new music onto it last night that I was looking forward to playing on my way to Ballarat today. Instead I had to listen to the ... *shudder* .... radio.

I'm currently the highest bidder on eBay for a replacement iRiver, but while my previous one was a 20 gig model, the one I'm bidding on is only 6 gig - the compromises you make when you're desperate for mobile music.

And then, almost as if to top off the day ...

4. My house key.

This one happened in the lock of the front door, otherwise known as the only door into the house. It snapped right off in the lock, with absolutely no way of wiggling it out. I immediately headed for the real estate agent, who gave me the number of their locksmith and told as I was the one who'd broken the key, it was up to me to pay for it.

$90 later, I was let back into the house.

None of this is counting how my work car keeps breaking down because motor heat seems to scramble the engine immobiliser, so I have to let it cool before it will recognise the key's electronic signature.

Fuckin' technology age.