Or, how to run a VCR.
I decided this morning that yknow, I'd really like to watch Last of the Mohicans. Unfortunately, the only VCRs in the house are A, in my parents' room, and B, downstairs. Now, I'm not fond of camping in my parents room to watch movies, so I went downstairs.
The problem here, of course, is that the new VCR (year or two old) is pretty much shot. It has this little habit of eating tapes that kind of irks me... thus necessitating find another VCR. No problem, I figure. There are, after all, two older VCRs sitting around down there. So I hook up the first one, plug it in.
WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Ruh-roh. Yank the plug back out, unhook it, dig out the other one. Plug it in. No whining noise, so I proceed to try and hook it up. The problem is, it's so old it doesn't have the standard three video/audio jacks. This is a problem. Suddenly, inspiration hits. We snagged Grandpa's VCR and TV not too long ago! Run upstairs, check. Yeah, it's there. Turn the TV on, put the movie in, and...nothing. After screwing around with things for a while, it occured to me that the audio/video cable wasn't there. Well, says I, it's probably in the cabinet with whatever else.
*digdigdigdigdig*
Home videos from 1987... nope, that ain't it... For Whom the Bell Tolls... Nope, that ain't it. Tapes of people I've never heard of... nope, that ain't it... Rook cards, tools, a wierd plastic thing, but no cable. So I ran downstairs and grabbed the one that would have gone to the VCR down there. Buahahahahaha. Unfortunately, the remote doesn't work for some reason, and the VCR keeps switching itself off if it goes idle. But that's ok, because I can FINALLY watch my damn movie. Bleh.
On a side note, this whole problem could have been solved quite easily. Unfortunately, the conversation went something like this:
Me: Mom, the downstairs VCR is dead. Don't you think a new one would be good?
Mom: Buy yourself a new one.
Me: With what money? Besides, it's your TV in the first place. Don't you want a VCR on YOUR TV?
Mom: Go dig out one of the other 2.
Me: Well, the only one I know of smoked and whined when I tried it.
Mom: Ok, whatever.
Thus bringing us to the current situation, which involves me watching Last of the Mohicans, on the wrong TV, in the wrong part of the house (couch downstairs is more comfortable.).
[edit]
Or...not. When the VCR makes crinkling sounds on the tape and the tracking goes crazy, I become less inclined to trust said VCR. Guess I get to use my parents' VCR after all. FIVE VCRs in this house, and ONE of them works. How screwed up is that?
[/edit]
Posted by Dwip at December 9, 2000 10:44 PM