Friday, January 13, 2012

965 Bulb Hunt

965 Bulb Hunt

This is good training.  It’s getting a small number of people ready for the onset of the vanishing lightbulb.  

The small number of people in mind here have antique floor lamps.  Many of these use what’s called a “mogul” base bulb.  A mogul base is just like an ordinary base, only bigger.  Much bigger.  And, yes, they still make these bulbs.  But just try to find one!

Generally, these are energy gulping three-ways -- usually 100-200-300 watts.  They run hot.  And usually when you put in a new one, one of the elements burns out immediately.  They are hard to come by.  Yes, you can get them on the internet.  But shipping something this fragile is risky.  Could be, when you screw it in it’ll be DOA.

And yes, some specialty lighting stores sell them.  At a price as big as a mogul base.  Often on special order.

Inspection of three local big box stores brought comments like “A mogul bulb?  What’s that?”  Or “I haven’t seen one of those since my great grandmother died.”  Or “Not only do we not carry those, but we don’t carry the little adapters so you can use regular bulbs in your mogul lamp.”

So those of us with mogul floor lamps have a distinct advantage over you poor peasants who have ordinary bulbs.  We have gotten early training in not being able to get what we need.  When you go out scouring the stores for ordinary 60s and 75s and 100s, we will look at you with benevolence, sympathy and knowing nods.

We are pioneers in privation.  And we hope that our effort, our searching serves future generations of light bulb hunters.  Learn from our sacrifices!

Some days, it just doesn’t pay to be a mogul.

Shrapnel:
--The Romneys: like father like son.  George was “brainwashed” and Willard “likes to fire people.”  When these guys make a public mistake, it’s a MISTAKE.

--Your tax dollars at work:  the TSA confiscated a Massachusetts woman’s cupcake as she went through the screening at Las Vegas.  It was in a jar partly filled with extra icing, which is considered a gel and therefore prohibited.  Gotta watch those cupcake wielding New England terrorists.

--This space has long hated Buffalo NY radio station WWKB (Nee WKBW) for bigfooting the signal of the much smaller WTHE (Nee WFYI and WKIT, Mineola and WKBS, Oyster Bay) and preventing people from hearing it.  But now, “KB” has started broadcasting a progressive/liberal talk format.  And after almost 50 years, Buffalonians, all is forgiven (and yes, the signal reaches central Pennsylvania.)

Have you noticed...? When the TV says “we’ll be back after these messages,” some people get actual messages ranging from “your prescription is ready for pickup” to “forget the meds, go out and kill random strangers because they’re evil and out to get you.”

I’m Wes Richards.  My opinions are my own but you’re welcome to them. ®
Please address comments to wesrichards@gmail.com
© WJR 2012

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