It has happened to most people, several times. You buy a fine jacket and then the plastic zipper craps-off two years later. In the past, "wardrobe malfunction" in the zipper department has followed washing/drying the jacket. Is overheating in the dryer to blame? Maybe I should machine wash the jacket, followed by "gentle" heat, or air-drying since temperature controls at public lavamaticas seldom work. Please don't tell me that a jacket (with a zipper) needs to dry-cleaned.
This wouldn't be such a big problem if you lived in one town all year. Eventually you would find somebody. But when you are traveling, it is a much bigger problem. It is infuriating to think that the world wants you to scrap such an expensive jacket just because a couple cubic millimeters of YKK Delrin plastic has gotten dinged.
It happened again, just a few days ago. It wasn't as infuriating as the previous time: after making an excellent winter parka last for 20 years, I had finally replaced it with an even better winter parka that had taken weeks to find on the internet. Nobody makes a men's parka that covers your tush. Why would anybody want to walk around with a cold tush in the winter? It finally dawned on me that nobody does walk around; they drive. Parkas are kept short so they don't bunch up when you sit in your motor vehicle.
But eventually I did find a semi-long, well-made winter parka. One day I was out walking on a cold, windy, winter day when the zipper croaked. One failure to get it fixed led to another failure. (Remember that I was walking from place to place, in the cold, with an unzipped jacket.) I was ready to pop with frustration and anger. This forced me to bust out in a different direction: beating the System on this wardrobe malfunction was my Noble Cause for the day. I was going to beat it, even if I had to walk to every possible place in town, and even if I half froze to death.
'Noble' is not meant facetiously. Think of what is at stake here -- think of what this represents.
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Fixing a zipper is symbolic of how difficult it is to find freedom in an increasingly unfree world. Largely your escape from the Grind consists of lowering your "overhead." This requires an economy with lots of options for the freedom-seeker to exercise his ingenuity and rationality, albeit with the motivation of sheer stubborn pride.
But America is becoming a country in which what isn't mandatory, is forbidden. There is an unstoppable, downward ratcheting of options and choices. The costs of unavoidable necessities are run up to the moon by government-caused inflation and requirements.
But the good news is that I did find a place to repair the latest zipper problem, in a small mountain city where success was doubtful. They thought that excessive heat in the dryer is the most common cause of zipper malfunction. The store owner was quite old. A sign in the window said that it was for sale.
This wouldn't be such a big problem if you lived in one town all year. Eventually you would find somebody. But when you are traveling, it is a much bigger problem. It is infuriating to think that the world wants you to scrap such an expensive jacket just because a couple cubic millimeters of YKK Delrin plastic has gotten dinged.
It happened again, just a few days ago. It wasn't as infuriating as the previous time: after making an excellent winter parka last for 20 years, I had finally replaced it with an even better winter parka that had taken weeks to find on the internet. Nobody makes a men's parka that covers your tush. Why would anybody want to walk around with a cold tush in the winter? It finally dawned on me that nobody does walk around; they drive. Parkas are kept short so they don't bunch up when you sit in your motor vehicle.
But eventually I did find a semi-long, well-made winter parka. One day I was out walking on a cold, windy, winter day when the zipper croaked. One failure to get it fixed led to another failure. (Remember that I was walking from place to place, in the cold, with an unzipped jacket.) I was ready to pop with frustration and anger. This forced me to bust out in a different direction: beating the System on this wardrobe malfunction was my Noble Cause for the day. I was going to beat it, even if I had to walk to every possible place in town, and even if I half froze to death.
'Noble' is not meant facetiously. Think of what is at stake here -- think of what this represents.
CHAPTER VIII. OF THE GOOD FORTUNE WHICH THE VALIANT DON QUIXOTE HAD IN THE TERRIBLE AND UNDREAMT-OF ADVENTURE OF THE WINDMILLS, WITH OTHER OCCURRENCES WORTHY TO BE FITLY RECORDED
At this point they came in sight of thirty or forty windmills that there are on the plain, and as soon as Don Quixote saw them he said to his squire [...], "this is righteous warfare, and it is God's good service to sweep so evil a breed from off the face of the earth."The mundane, prosaic, and literal-minded Sancho had a lot in common with middle-class retirees -- the kind of timid retiree or traveler who haunts travel blogs or discussion forums, and looks for "practical" tips. Actually this means looking for "constant assurance" that it's OK to be the slightest bit unconventional or rebellious of a lifestyle of phony pragmatism, busyness, and mass consumption. At the very least they should stop thinking like Sancho, and be more like Don Quixote.
"What giants?" said Sancho Panza.
"It is easy to see," replied Don Quixote, "that thou art not used to this business of adventures; those are giants; and if thou art afraid, away with thee out of this and betake thyself to prayer while I engage them in fierce and unequal combat."
So saying, he gave the spur to his steed Rocinante, heedless of the cries... (As usual download this for free from Gutenberg.org.)
_______________________________________
Fixing a zipper is symbolic of how difficult it is to find freedom in an increasingly unfree world. Largely your escape from the Grind consists of lowering your "overhead." This requires an economy with lots of options for the freedom-seeker to exercise his ingenuity and rationality, albeit with the motivation of sheer stubborn pride.
But America is becoming a country in which what isn't mandatory, is forbidden. There is an unstoppable, downward ratcheting of options and choices. The costs of unavoidable necessities are run up to the moon by government-caused inflation and requirements.
But the good news is that I did find a place to repair the latest zipper problem, in a small mountain city where success was doubtful. They thought that excessive heat in the dryer is the most common cause of zipper malfunction. The store owner was quite old. A sign in the window said that it was for sale.
Comments
When people relied on only their own two hands, everything must have been very simple and what we call today make-shift. You just solved the problem with what you had on hand, the best you could.
We pay a price for all the many conveniences we have and totally take for granted. That price is dependency because we can't be an expert in everything.
I can see the windmill analogy but I don't think the enemy is what society has become but how any one individual allows themselves to become dependent. I'm including in this all the many folks who are so socially conscious of their looks and status that they are owned by it and driven by it, consumed by it, and victimized.....but it was their choice.
Every once in a while I come across someone's blog who runs into a person who doesn't have the internet nor much of anything else either. Very little money as well so would have to think twice, and then a third time, every time a purchase was made. Do I really need this or can I do without?
It's surprising sometimes to really realize what we can do without.
A zipper is one of those things.
You did have another option you know. It is possible to buy a zipper, needle, a thimble and some good strong thread and do the job yourself.
Wouldn't be a professional job but just as durable.
George, "invented" doesn't really count for much. When and where was the zipper first used for a mass-produced article of some kind?
It takes me 20 minutes to sew on a simple button, and that is after procrastinating for a couple months.
You're right about hearing of people who get by on nothing. It adds perspective and sanity to owning all our "necessities."
Yes, it's the individual's own fault for becoming dependent. But I think you can only get so far by focusing on a subtractive approach. That is why I enjoy visualizing the spurning of material clutter as a valiant thing that we must "sink spur" to.
There's Need for the body, and then Need for the spirit. Those "spiritual" needs are often painted as frivolous.
I contend that feeding the spirit is as important if not MORE so than feeding the body at times.
http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/historical-inflation-rates/
Jim
It was fascinating talking to her about her racket. I must have used up a half-hour of her time, just asking questions.