Postcards from the Fridge

My refrigerator has been a tad unreliable lately (e.g., a ten pound bag of ice cubes melted in the freezer over two days, then froze again in a lake on the bottom, milk goes bad before the expiration date, etc.) and in an effort to avoid having to call in an expert, I looked at the information online.

It turns out that you're supposed to vacuum the coils or change the muffler bearings or something like that every year, or every six months if you have a pet with long hair. It didn't mention the maintenance schedule for households with a grand menagerie, but I think it's safe to say that it's about seven years overdue. (Actually, I think a sensor is broken since it didn't even try to chill for two days, but whatever, I'll try anything.)

So I pulled the refrigerator out to clean the coils on the back and found... well, nothing, since the coils apparently aren't on the back. I did find a little grate on the front which revealed:


that after vacuuming looked like:


I'm sure that won't solve the problem and I'll eventually have to call someone.

However, in pulling the fridge forward I found about 50 pieces of cat kibble, a bunch of dust, and a postcard that Rvan sent me from Hawaii in 2003. If I remember correctly, he was there for Benson and Kisha's wedding. (Benson has done many notable things, but I'll always remember him as the only person I've ever heard of who was named after his father's favorite cigarette brand...)

Here's the postcard:


and the back:




In case you can't read that, it says

"Hello Theresa, You should try coming to Hawaii some time. Lots of plants, animals, open space and room to get away from people. Despite my best efforts the sun is managing to inflict a nice burn on me. Surfing went well, hiking and snorkeling only slightly hurt my foot and Kisha laughs at my jokes. I've gotten up earlier each day this vacation than I do for work. The weather is calmer in the morning and it leaves the afternoons for being lazy by the pool. Benson and I played an hour of outdoor ping pong at sunset and fought the wind the whole time."

Points to take away from this postcard:
1) Rvan knows my misanthropic tendancies and proves that by pointing out that I would enjoy the place merely because I wouldn't have to be around anyone.
2) He still hasn't changed -- what's a little pain when you're on vacation?
3) Someone laughing at his jokes is still a notable event.