Murphy's Law - Victim support and advice column

[WitawatWatawit]

My entire life is one disaster after another. Murphy's Law governs my very existence and nothing I do goes smoothly.

The other day I was cleaning my reading glasses and had removed the lenses from the frame. The screws that hold it together are tiny, and I knew that when I put the frame back together, I would have to be very careful. Guess what happened? You can't? Oh, then let me tell you. I tenderly reached for this eensie little screw, and just as my shaking fingers closed around it, a guest of wind blew it slightly sideways, so I accidentally nudged it. Now, Murphy's Law dictates that in such events, the screw should roll off the table, cross the floor and disappear down the only crack in the entire house. It did.

I cried. At that point, my cat Paddy would have jumped into my arms and given me a cuddle. But Paddy isn't around anymore. I got out the high pressure water jet the other day to clean the motorbike and gave the hose wand button a squeeze to check it. But it was pointed at Paddy ... and guess what? Fortunately, I could use the jet hose to clean the blood and guts off the concrete, so it wasn't all doom and gloom.

Misery loves company, so, do you have a Murphy's Law moment that you could share to ease my pain? Let's hear it.

(Note to certain TV members: Please read the following two words very carefully, and digest them. Pub section.)

[Costas2008]

You horrible, horrible man......you killed your pussy?

And why didn't you open a thread on TVF, with the title "I lost my best friend" as some others do..........not mentioning names.......

As about me .....never had any problems.

But again, I'm young you are an old fart.....................

[WitawatWatawit]

QUOTE; "And why didn't you open a thread on TVF, with the title "I lost my best friend"

You trying to out-funny me, Greek man?

And don't call me an old fart, you old fart.

[Patsycat]

I didn't know you could unscrew the lenses of your reading glasses to clean them. I just use spit and toilet paper or my t-shirt.

As for the I lost my best friend bit. I did do a thread like that a few years ago about my cat, and a lot of people were sympathetic.

Back to Murphy's Law - Being Irish and all that.

I was walking during Christmas time three years ago, with a friend. It had snowed but it was walkable. Until, we meet a small patch of icy snow on the ground. I slip, fall, laugh and continue my walk. I remember clearly that i said - lucky me i could have broken a leg...

The next day i could not move. We had to call an ambulance. Verdict - hairline fracture in my top leg bone and 4 cracked ribs!!! I couldn't walk, laugh, sneeze for at least 3 months.

Verdict - do not go near snow. I laugh about it now - but at the time it was sad.

Edited January 1, 2015 by Patsycat

[geronimo]

Got one for you,

had a small steering wheel fitted on the car, you know the racing type. Anyway after a few days the horn didn't work. I checked the fuse which was fine then I spent hours pushing that little button in the centre. I tried all possible ways, slowly, to one side, hard, really hard, twisting it, tapping it, I tried every technique possible and nothing. Not a hoot to be heard. Satisfied that it needed fixing, I pull up to the shop where I had it fitted and explained what was wrong. The guy puts his hand in through the window and "hoot hoot" it worked fine. I made him do it once more, just to be sure. Then driving home I decided to have a celebration hoot and yes, it was once again silent. None of my neighbours can get a squeak out of it either!! Haven't got the nerve to go back again!

[Gsxrnz]

Bought my son a s/h motorbike in the morning. Rode it home and blew a hole in one piston due to a faulty coil (as we later found out). Took my own classic RD400 for a ride to cheer myself up in the afternoon, seized it (due to it being race tuned but I held it way past the red line for too long).

Got my son to pick me up with my car and bike trailer, on the way home a tie down came loose and the RD400 tipped sideways wrecking the tank. Got home and took the bike off the trailer.

Realised I was now 30 minutes late picking up my (then) wife from work, ran into the garage and jumped in the car, threw it in reverse and powered out backwards.....crash/bang/thump. I'd forgotten to unhitch the trailer and it had demolished the neighbours fence and garden shed. Shocked, I threw it in Drive and powered forward, forgetting that as I'd reversed out I'd hit the auto garage door button. The garage door was 2/3 down as I drove through it.

This is a true story and that day cost me in excess of $12k for repairs to two motorbikes, the fence, the trailer, the car, a new garden shed and new lawnmower for the neighbour, and a new garage door. The only good thing about that day was the wife didn't talk to me for 3 days afterwards, after the initial multi level abuse.

I've never forgiven murphy, and never will do.

[geronimo]

Bought my son a s/h motorbike in the morning. Rode it home and blew a hole in one piston due to a faulty coil (as we later found out). Took my own classic RD400 for a ride to cheer myself up in the afternoon, seized it (due to it being race tuned but I held it way past the red line for too long).

Got my son to pick me up with my car and bike trailer, on the way home a tie down came loose and the RD400 tipped sideways wrecking the tank. Got home and took the bike off the trailer.

Realised I was now 30 minutes late picking up my (then) wife from work, ran into the garage and jumped in the car, threw it in reverse and powered out backwards.....crash/bang/thump. I'd forgotten to unhitch the trailer and it had demolished the neighbours fence and garden shed. Shocked, I threw it in Drive and powered forward, forgetting that as I'd reversed out I'd hit the auto garage door button. The garage door was 2/3 down as I drove through it.

This is a true story and that day cost me in excess of $12k for repairs to two motorbikes, the fence, the trailer, the car, a new garden shed and new lawnmower for the neighbour, and a new garage door. The only good thing about that day was the wife didn't talk to me for 3 days afterwards, after the initial multi level abuse.

I've never forgiven murphy, and never will do.

If that was me, I wouldn't get out of bed for a month after a day like that!

[Gsxrnz]

Bought my son a s/h motorbike in the morning. Rode it home and blew a hole in one piston due to a faulty coil (as we later found out). Took my own classic RD400 for a ride to cheer myself up in the afternoon, seized it (due to it being race tuned but I held it way past the red line for too long).

Got my son to pick me up with my car and bike trailer, on the way home a tie down came loose and the RD400 tipped sideways wrecking the tank. Got home and took the bike off the trailer.

Realised I was now 30 minutes late picking up my (then) wife from work, ran into the garage and jumped in the car, threw it in reverse and powered out backwards.....crash/bang/thump. I'd forgotten to unhitch the trailer and it had demolished the neighbours fence and garden shed. Shocked, I threw it in Drive and powered forward, forgetting that as I'd reversed out I'd hit the auto garage door button. The garage door was 2/3 down as I drove through it.

This is a true story and that day cost me in excess of $12k for repairs to two motorbikes, the fence, the trailer, the car, a new garden shed and new lawnmower for the neighbour, and a new garage door. The only good thing about that day was the wife didn't talk to me for 3 days afterwards, after the initial multi level abuse.

I've never forgiven murphy, and never will do.

If that was me, I wouldn't get out of bed for a month after a day like that!

Yeah it felt a bit like that. The irony was that about three weeks later I bought a new coil and new piston for my son's bike and replaced them. I even stripped the carbs and reconditioned them. He went out that night and managed to rear end his mate's car up a country road. Thankfully he didn't get hurt but the bike was trashed.

[geronimo]

Bought my son a s/h motorbike in the morning. Rode it home and blew a hole in one piston due to a faulty coil (as we later found out). Took my own classic RD400 for a ride to cheer myself up in the afternoon, seized it (due to it being race tuned but I held it way past the red line for too long).

Got my son to pick me up with my car and bike trailer, on the way home a tie down came loose and the RD400 tipped sideways wrecking the tank. Got home and took the bike off the trailer.

Realised I was now 30 minutes late picking up my (then) wife from work, ran into the garage and jumped in the car, threw it in reverse and powered out backwards.....crash/bang/thump. I'd forgotten to unhitch the trailer and it had demolished the neighbours fence and garden shed. Shocked, I threw it in Drive and powered forward, forgetting that as I'd reversed out I'd hit the auto garage door button. The garage door was 2/3 down as I drove through it.

This is a true story and that day cost me in excess of $12k for repairs to two motorbikes, the fence, the trailer, the car, a new garden shed and new lawnmower for the neighbour, and a new garage door. The only good thing about that day was the wife didn't talk to me for 3 days afterwards, after the initial multi level abuse.

I've never forgiven murphy, and never will do.

It does sound like it got better as you say the (then) wife. I am presuming she no longer holds that title!

[Gsxrnz]

Bought my son a s/h motorbike in the morning. Rode it home and blew a hole in one piston due to a faulty coil (as we later found out). Took my own classic RD400 for a ride to cheer myself up in the afternoon, seized it (due to it being race tuned but I held it way past the red line for too long).

Got my son to pick me up with my car and bike trailer, on the way home a tie down came loose and the RD400 tipped sideways wrecking the tank. Got home and took the bike off the trailer.

Realised I was now 30 minutes late picking up my (then) wife from work, ran into the garage and jumped in the car, threw it in reverse and powered out backwards.....crash/bang/thump. I'd forgotten to unhitch the trailer and it had demolished the neighbours fence and garden shed. Shocked, I threw it in Drive and powered forward, forgetting that as I'd reversed out I'd hit the auto garage door button. The garage door was 2/3 down as I drove through it.

This is a true story and that day cost me in excess of $12k for repairs to two motorbikes, the fence, the trailer, the car, a new garden shed and new lawnmower for the neighbour, and a new garage door. The only good thing about that day was the wife didn't talk to me for 3 days afterwards, after the initial multi level abuse.

I've never forgiven murphy, and never will do.

It does sound like it got better as you say the (then) wife. I am presuming she no longer holds that title!

Nuh, it got better - sort of. She was wife #1 and she lasted a total of 23 years. We parted shortly after the above Murphy's incident. Remarried a few years later to a total PBFH and that lasted one year. Then I discovered Thailand.......

[NoshowJones]

I took a part time job driving a local service mini bus to supplement my band earnings not long before I moved out here for good. One the Sunday, I was stopped at a bus stop picking up and dropping off passengers when a car ran into the back of my bus, did a U turn, and sped off. My boss just wrote it off as one of those things.

On the Friday, the exact same thing happened, this time the boss said to me, " I thing you backed into a wall, this can't happen twice in one week" I told him "I don't blame you for saying that, I'll just leave", and that was that.

I would have had better odds on winning the lottery than that happening, but there's no way that would ever happen.

[NoshowJones]

I took a part time job driving a local service mini bus to supplement my band earnings not long before I moved out here for good. One the Sunday, I was stopped at a bus stop picking up and dropping off passengers when a car ran into the back of my bus, did a U turn, and sped off. My boss just wrote it off as one of those things.

On the Friday, the exact same thing happened, this time the boss said to me, " I thing you backed into a wall, this can't happen twice in one week" I told him "I don't blame you for saying that, I'll just leave", and that was that.

I would have had better odds on winning the lottery than that happening, but there's no way that would ever happen.

[WitawatWatawit]

I didn't know you could unscrew the lenses of your reading glasses to clean them. I just use spit and toilet paper or my t-shirt.

As for the I lost my best friend bit. I did do a thread like that a few years ago about my cat, and a lot of people were sympathetic.

Back to Murphy's Law - Being Irish and all that.

I was walking during Christmas time three years ago, with a friend. It had snowed but it was walkable. Until, we meet a small patch of icy snow on the ground. I slip, fall, laugh and continue my walk. I remember clearly that i said - lucky me i could have broken a leg...

The next day i could not move. We had to call an ambulance. Verdict - hairline fracture in my top leg bone and 4 cracked ribs!!! I couldn't walk, laugh, sneeze for at least 3 months.

Verdict - do not go near snow. I laugh about it now - but at the time it was sad.

I think most specs are made with tiny screws. Over time, stuff gets lodged into the tiniest of spaces, and rather than mess around, I just pull them apart and do a thorough cleaning job. No problem except when a screw goes walkabout - they're bloody small and easily lost, and I am ham-fisted, half blind and intellectually disembowelled.

[sipi]

I'm not sure about "Murphys moments". But for plain stupidity.

I spent hours trying to tune my reversing camera before realising the tailgate was up and the camera was pointing at the sky.

I unloaded the entire contents of a 12 gauge pump action shotgun at a cobra in our shed. I hit the grass trimmer, workshop fittings, tools. . . The snake slithered away.