Alarm clocks and gremlins

I have two alarm clocks: one that has been with me since I am 19 and one that I bought less than two years ago because I could not find the first one. I use them simultaneously, just in case one would not work because of low battery or old age or something. This morning, neither of the alarm clocks rang. I discovered it when I woke up by myself and feeling refreshed instead of all blurry because I am in a deep sleep and the alarms are ringing. It was 8:25. I had to take a taxi to go to work, having missed the train. I got to the office on time, or at least early enough so nobody noticed I was late. I tried them again tonight and they rang fine. So I blame the gremlins, like I always do when such inexplicable thing happens. Darn gremlins. Can you make any gremlin trap?

Of socks and gremlins

Do you have the same problem I face after doing a laundry basket? After you have everything washed and dried, you find out that you have socks, but some are no longer pairs of socks: some socks lost their brother in the laundry. Laundry after laundry, and you end up with lots and lots of socks... but fewer and fewer pairs. Well, I was relieved to know that I was not alone, as one of my friends complained about the same thing on Facebook. He also gave a very plausible explanations for these disappearances: gremlins. Or, as he explains it: "Washing machine gremlins must exist, I've never seen one but they are living among us. What other explanation can there be for all of the pillow cases ending up at the bottom of one duvet cover, or socks going into a wash cycle, never to return?" Makes sense doesn't it? And I suspect there are many houses with gremlins infestations. Kind of scary and reassuring at the same time. Now I know where all the lost socks go: they are snatched.

Bermuda Triangle?

Okay, yesterday I was having problems with opening Word docs, tonight I had internet connection problems until a few minutes ago. Just when I was/am inspired to blog. I usually blame the gremlins. But tonight, I am wondering if the UK is not part of the Bermuda Triangle. Okay, maybe not, I know I am being melodramatic, but I want to find a name for my technological woes. Which one is more fitting, gremlins or Bermuda Triangle?

Gremlins

Recently, I had a run of bad luck with my technological devices: my cell phone (or mobile as they say here in the UK) and my iPod mainly. The iPod would log off at any moment, whichever app I am using, but that's ok, I seldom use the iPod. The problems with the mobile are more of a pain: some apps ceased to function properly and wouldn't download again. I wasted ages calling a Support line with an employee who could not understand my accent. And she was from England, not India or Bangladesh! I said "safe mode", she heard "safe mould". It was painful. I think she was plain thick. I don't know how I managed to stay polite. She barely was. Anyway, in the end, she could not help me. So I am stuck with my technical woes. Since I do not live in the Bermuda Triangle and never been any near it, I have started blaming gremlins. I know they were supposed to sabotage aircrafts, originally that is, but I'm sure they now are tempted by computers, phones and other pieces of modernity. Or do I trust technology too much and cannot accept its fallibility, or my own weakness as a human being? Surely, I cannot mishandle it like that! It must be gremlins.