The oven failed again today. I was making pizza, and part-way through the second one, something went kaput in the oven. This isn't the first time that this has happened.
Our oven is kind of old (we've definitely had it for at least ten years now). It doesn't work so well (or at all) at higher temperatures: set it for 350 - no problem, set it for 375 - you got a 50/50 chance of it working, set it for 400 - not gonna happen. Set it for a lower temperature (350 apparently being the cut-off point), there's no problem; the oven goes up to, and maintains the desired temperature. Set it for a higher temperature (400+), it will go up a ways, maybe even all the way, but then something happens, and it stops emitting sufficient heat, instead dropping down to a much lower temperature (100s-200s). At 375, maybe it will work, maybe it won't. This time around it didn't. Turn it off, leave off for about 30 seconds, turn it back on to the desired temperature. It should work now, as long as the temperature isn't too high.
It's been that way for years now. We just got used to it.
We got used to it. How many times does this happen in a person's life? You can go and change it, but instead you leave it alone, citing such reasons as: cost, lack of time, everything else would be about the same, it still works okay. I'm not saying that if something isn't working as well as it used to, that it should be replaced - certainly not. Such behavior is wasteful and irresponsible.
It is still interesting, though. How quickly we come to the defense of something, how rapidly we adapt in order to accommodate this new (albeit minor, usually) difficulty. We make minor repairs; we plan and schedule around it. Quite often, replacing it would be more trouble than a new item would be worth. It's only when something can no longer perform even the basic functions it was intended for (e.g. a refrigerator that has ceased to keep food cold), that we cease making excuses for it, and say, "No more."
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