I should be working on a more profound post, such as my New Year's resolutions, but going through my neglected inbox provoked a quick post for your bemusement. It's always important to read the instructions for a new appliance, right? So before tossing the single sheet that came with the electric lift/recliner chair we bought in honor of my father-in-law's visit, I felt obliged to look it over. (Never mind that we've been using the chair for a month....)
Really, I do usually read instructions, and I certainly keep them for anything important. However, the single "instruction" was a very large image of a controller with two buttons, one labelled "Down" and the other labelled "Up." I'm pretty sure I can remember that.
The reverse of the page is more interesting. The Important Safety Instructions there include:
- Do not reach for a product that has fallen into water. Unplug immediately.
- Do not use while bathing or in a shower.
Did I mention that this is a recliner chair? A large, heavy, recliner chair? It's theoretically possible that a tornado could deposit it in our swimming pool (conveniently unplugging it as well), but by no stretch of the imagination can I conceive of installing it in the shower, even if it would fit.
We laughed when the safety instructions started telling us not to use our hair dryers in the shower. This is beyond laughter into head-shaking grief at the state of society. Who needs a Fiscal Cliff? We've already jumped off a more dangerous precipice.
