Broken Washing Machine and French Exchange Student - A Strange Coincidence

Oct 24, 2010 9 Replies

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DerbyDad03 15 years ago

My washing machine was having trouble draining. I ran the diagnostic tests and it came back with an error that said it was taking too long to drain. (Thanks, I knew that!)

I took the hoses off of the pump and found a beat up guitar pick lodged in the intake of the pump.

Here's what's strange: No one has played the guitar in my house since before we bought this washing machine over 5 years ago. No one in the house claims to have had a guitar pick in their pocket for as long as they can remember.

Here's what's even stranger: The French student we have staying at our house (but who has not done any laundry yet) said "Oh, I play the guitar." So my daughter pulled out her old guitar, tuned it up and our international guest is in the living room strumming away with the mystery pick!

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Country 15 years ago

I always have guitar picks in my pants pocket. I believe I've got three in there right now. But it's late and I don't know where my pants are. I hope they are not in the washing machine.

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Ed Pawlowski 15 years ago

***************************************** Mystery? I think you know where it came from even if he did not do laundry yet.

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DerbyDad03 15 years ago

I know what you are thinking, but no, that's not it. The Dunlop USA pick was bent and chipped, with faded writing, like it had been in the machine for quite some time. I doubt it was a pick anyone would bring with them on a 4000 mile trip.

Two other factors against your assumption:

1 - The young lady made no indication that it was her's. She doesn't know it had jammed up our machine, so I doubt she was hiding anything. She tried using for a little while then put it down and just used her fingers. She left it laying on the table when she went to bed.

2 - I quote from the Dunlop site: "*Please note that we currently deliver orders within the United States only."

I think it would be quite a stretch to think that this pick made it's way to France, got all beat up along the way, and then got carried back to the US by a French student and somehow ended up in my washing machine.

If this pick was so special to the girl, she wouldn't have just left it on the coffee table and gone to bed.

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DerbyDad03 15 years ago

P.S. Also found in the pump's inlet sump was a silver necklace my daughter hasn't seen in a couple of years and $1.16 in coins. I have no problem believing that the pick was in the machine for quite awhile and finally made it's way out of the sump and into the pump.

I just find it a neat coincidence that it got put to use - albeit briefly - by our guest.

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The Daring Dufas 15 years ago

Perhaps it stuck to the bottom of a shoe and was carried into the house? I see odd and strange items show up from time to time and have removed some weird stuff from the bottom of my sneakers quite often. Where did that freaky screw come from that's stuck in the soul of my shoe?

TDD

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Larry W 15 years ago

Obviously, someone has picked the lock to your home, put the pick in the wahing machine, then left, locking the door behind them after carefully ensuring that no trace of intrusion was left behind! :)

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postmaster 15 years ago

DerbyDad03 wrote in news:56073dde-f199-4770-92ca- snipped-for-privacy@l8g2000yql.googlegroups.com:

I always keep a couple in my "always take" tool bag. Just in case I need one up in the attic or in crawl space. Why waste a trip.

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Jim Elbrecht 15 years ago

A couple French students? What do you do with them in an attic or crawl space?

Jim

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Red Green 15 years ago

Jim Elbrecht wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Bait.

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