August 2nd, 2005
We now have a new lamp, for $12 and change, from Wal-Mart to replace the one that melted its shade last night. I hate to replace instead of fix, but at $12, I'm not sure I could even get a replacement diffuser. Finding a way to replace the diffuser cost-effectively is now a low-priority problem.
We are also the owners of a new Dyson DC14, which I haven't unpacked yet. It's the "Full Kit" model, which appears to be packaged specifically for Costco, and as far as I can tell, it's about equivalent to the Full Gear version without the bundled cleaning products. We paid about $100 less for it from Costco than we would have paid Linens'n'Things for a comparable model.
By now, you've probably heard about the Air France A340 that skidded off a runway in Toronto about two hours ago while attempting to land in a severe thunderstorm, slid into a ravine, and was reported engulfed in flames with 300 passengers on board. The photos have been pretty alarming, with sheets of flame and great black clouds of oil smike. Sometimes, though, a few words can make all the difference ... like these few, fresh in from CNN:
"All passengers and crew survived but some have been taken to hospital with injuries, officials said."
Yup ... all 297 passengers and 12 crew got out. 14 people suffered minor injuries. On those days when everything goes wrong, it's awful nice when everything goes right.