Bad luck

Listening to: Love Action by The Human League

Does bad luck come in threes?
Any tips for stopping it from happening?
Do you believe in karma?
What did I do wrong?

Yesterday I bought a teapot to match my tea cups at 20% off at House in Melbourne Central and broke it in less than a minute of leaving the shop.

It was wrapped in one sheet of paper which under normal circumstances would probably be adequate. The shoes I was wearing wearing have from time to time clipped the ground when I've been walking along but they're not clown shoes and I haven't exactly stumbled in them :P Anyhoo. I walked out of the shop and went to take the first step on the stairs just outside but stumbled - perhaps on the bumps put there to aid the vision impaired, perhaps on my clown shoes. Naturally I put my hands in front of me to stop my fall . I was okay but the teapot hit the stone steps with a heart sinking tinkle. Back into the store I went, told them what happened. We unwrapped it to find the handle was beyond repair. I asked what they could do for me. I wasn't expecting a refund or even a replacement for free. That would be unreasonable. They took 30% off a replacement teapot and used some bubble wrap. [sigh]

Tonight M did the green thing and cycled down the shops to buy stuff for dinner. He used his new cable combination lock which he had just figured out. I suggested using my U-lock until he had it licked but he was insistent. 45 minutes later I get a call saying he can't the lock open! Safeway doesn't sell any kind of saw in its 'hardware' section. Fortunately I had packed a small kitchen saw when I moved over here. We were able to saw through in less than 15 minutes with no questions asked by passers by.

So let our bad luck be a lesson you dear reader:
Insist on well wrapped crockery.
Cable locks are pointless unless you're leaving your bike for a VERY short period. I recommend a U-lock. It's heavier but it does the job well.
$15, combination, cable locks from Big W are unreliable.
Keep a hack saw with a metal-cutting blade in the house.

I'm thinking of getting a fire blanket :(