Plug It In, Man

I went out today. My war with technology continues. The first place I went was Memory Express, a local computer shop which will repair my laptop. Their estimate for repair is around $125, assuming they don't have to put in a new keyboard. Instead I bought an inexpensive extrernal keyboard for $30. It's not a perfect solution, but it costs less and means I don't lose my laptop for a week or so while it is in being repaired. The repair will have to wait until I can afford it.

When I said my war with technology continues, I meant more than my laptop. My power wheelchair had its moment in the sun today, both literally and figuratively. Before getting too deep into the story, you need to know a bit about the wiring and the joystick control module on my chair. The module is connected to the power system and sends signals to the wheels via a wiring harness. This harness is connected by way of a plug, connected by a short extension from the joystick module. This plug is not well designed and can come easily disconnected by the simple expedient of rubbing against a door jamb.

So I went out today. It is a nice day here. The sun is shining. The birds are singing. The snow is melting. All is right with the spring time world of Calgary. I got on the bus and went to the aforementioned computer shop. I rolled my way home rather than catch the bus. The voyage was uneventful, until I came through the garage and into the elevator foyer, or at least part way into the elevator foyer. I misjudged the edge, and brushed the aforementioned connection against the door jam. It disconnected. I came to a full stop.

Normally in this kind of situation I would reach down, grab the connection end left dangling, and reconnect the module. This situation did not play out that way. The door I was going through was a heavy metal fire door with an auto-closing piston. I was unable to reach down beside myself because I was too weak to push the door open enoujgh to do the reaching.

I was well and truly stuck. So I called one of the many people I have on my list of emergency helpers, this time the maintenance man for our condo complex. He was across town on business, but fortunately the elevator servicemen were in the complex doing maintenance on the elevators. He asked them to come help me. After what seemed like hours of waiting, they arrived. They disconnected the lock rods to allow the chair to roll freely. They pushed me forwards all of three feet, at which point I could grab the cord. I connected myself. All was well.

It reminds me of the many times I instructed technicians in the fine art of troubleshooting various bits of technology. First, is it plugged in? Second, is it switched on? Third, is it connected to the thing it should be connected to? My power wheelchair met all three conditions. I went home.