Feb. 20th, 2013

vicarz: (Vampire (new))
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151292951748176&set=pcb.10151292956033176&type=1&theater

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151292952503176&set=pcb.10151292956033176&type=1&theater

(not sure the links work)

A couple days ago I ran into our property manager in my building - I think he had just shown this couple furniture in a unit downstairs. The couple has barely been there, splitting their time with this location and a ski resort area - they've decided to go 100% resort and are having the items sold off with the balance to go to charity.

I didn't see much of interest (never, ever, buy a sofabed) (I've slept on the floor over a towell, and I've moved a lot of furniture - never, EVER, buy a sofabed) in the furniture - but on top of a bookcase I saw the mantel clock from Sessions Clock Company. I want to look it up but there is no model # (or it faded past existence). The sign said it was $35, as always I paid at least a little less and picked it up for $30. I had no idea of the value, but it had the key, was made of wood, and smelled like my grandma's house. I looked inside and saw gears, pulled the hammer back and let it hit the "spring," which gave a low pitched GONG. Yoink.

I found a similar one on ebay that looked in worse condition for $200. I fiddled with it and wound both holes (it seems one is for the chime, one is for the clock) and started the pendulum. Did I mention it's a manual clock with mechanical-only action? The chime is a coiled spring that sounds...much larger than it is. It sounds colonial.

However, it would start...but then sort of faded out, the pendulum coming to rest after less than a minute. I figured I could pay a clock person to work on it (I know a, possibly now homeless, man who fixed my last mechanical timer). The problem was in my earlier ignorance I wound the clock - probably too much, with the coiled springs practically flat (unwound the spring has air between the coils, fully wound there is none). I left the back open and when I thought of it I'd touch the pendulum to let out tension a few seconds at a time.

This morning I hit the pendulum. Cable tv had given an odd series of clicks and died. I was then on the computer loading up my auctions in diablo, when I heard a GONG from the living room. I walked back out there, and found the clock was still ticking. Still...ticking. I stopped the swing for a bit because by coincidence the clock was about 15 minutes off the time. At about the right time, I started the pendulum again.

It's still working as of this post. It seems to have accurate time.

My clock is haunted.

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