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I remember it well. (That's comforting, considering it was two days ago). It started off as a nice, sunny day; it was a welcome change from the destructive storm of the previous week. I was a bit tired from the weekend, but nevertheless went to work expecting a usual day.
And that's what I had. I went throughout my day in the normal fashion. I worked at my computer. I went out to lunch with some guys in my office. All the time, I was completely oblivious to the impending nightmare I was soon to go through.
My evening was nothing unusual. I watched The Simpsons, ate supper, and played on the computer a bit just like usual. Bobby and I then went and worked out, and nothing strange happened. When I got back, I talked to Tammy on the phone for a while. Life was good.
And then that all changed.
As I was getting into bed, I turned my box fan on as I do every night before I go to bed. The noise helps me sleep, and for the most part I've become dependant on it. It drowns out all the creaks and noises my house makes, not to mention my mom when she wakes up at 4 AM. I have a hard time going to sleep without it.
But this night was different. The fan didn't come on. I didn't panic immediately, because for the past few weeks it's had some problems turning on. It would eventually start blowing, after either waiting a few minutes or sticking a pencil in and getting the blades going. I tried, but neither of these things worked. I checked to make sure it was plugged in, but the odd humming sound coming from the fan already answered that question. I frantically switched between all of the speeds and tried repeatedly to get the blades going, but it was no use. My box fan was dead.
Keep in mind that this was no ordinary box fan. It was THE CYCLONE, from Wal-Mart. It was a fully adjustable fan that could tilt up or down. It functioned in low, medium, and oh-my-gosh-that's-loud mode. It had spent all four years of college with me. It was with me the whole time, from my roommate who barely spoke English my freshman year to my two years at 1122 to last year the BCM. It got me through the spring my freshman year in the hot weeks before they turned the air conditioning in my dorm on. It lulled Brandon and me to sleep on high and pointed at him during the 1122 years. It drowned out the sound of people coming in and out of the BCM at all hours of the day and night last year. And now, it's gone.
I'm not sure if it can ever be replaced.
P.S. - I'm going to throw it away, so keep in mind that if you see anything on EBay's 1122 Memorabilia section about a box fan, it's a fake.