How Many Aggies Does It Take to Run the Beaters?

Reminder: I like knowing about the minutia of every day life...so this may seem very boring to you... :) I'll try to make it entertaining...

Our house is a study in strange plug adaptors and multi-national configurations. Here are two examples just from the kitchen and only show a beginning number of options.

Here's how electricity is supposed to function.  A plug is supposed to go into the wall.  Notice the on/off switches on the plate.  I actually love these, because they allow you to turn the whole plug "off."  Of course the plug being off is important because the shock from 240 volts can kill you.  I also think that most plugs are easier to insert if the switch is off...almost like the strong current is fighting against the plug being inserted? I am probably just hallucinating, but it really seems like that...

Now here's a sample multi-national configuration, more typical of how plugs in our house look.  The white one: USA Apple computer charger, designed in California and made in Japan, adapted with official Apple plug element (made in China) is plugged directly into the outlet. The black one: Official Samsung cellphone charger, made in Vietnam, is plugged into a multi-national power adapter which was made in China and may be coming apart in the middle.

Now, let's travel over to the other side of the kitchen, where the alleged beating took place.  Don't forget: that's why we're here...to answer that question about numbers of Aggies.

This is another plug configuration.  In this instance, which is very common, you have a three-hole outlet but only a two prong plug.  In the US, you would just plug in the two prongs and ignore the third (typically the grounding element).  But in Qatar, the third hole is actually a lock.  If nothing is inserted in it, then the other two, side-by-side prongs will not insert.

Think of it like an upside-down face.  If you don't shove something in the mouth, then you can't poke its eyes out.  Thus, you have, scattered around your house in various drawers, on top of the vacuum, under the couches, in your pockets, numerous plastic adapters like you see on the left.

That long plastic poker goes into the mouth and tricks it into thinking that it's doing something (sort of like a pacifier!).  The eyes open and you can plug in your gadget.  The problem then is that you have the thick layer of plastic pacifier thing between the actual plug and the power source.  This means that the plug might not function because it isn't really plugged all the way in. 

So, how many Aggies does it take to run the beaters?  In Doha, the answer is two.  One to hold and maneuver the beaters and one to keep power flowing to the beaters by holding the plug at the absolute perfect angle.  Otherwise, you don't get any electrical juice to make the beaters go.

This is banana nut bread in the making, for our friends Vee and Collin (Habib's parents).  I need to write a whole other post over how much I enjoy and will miss them.

Upstairs we have "regular" (Qatari) power strips with varied American/two prong European adapters.  We have multi-national power strips with American stuff plugged straight in. We have a step-down transformer plugged into the wall with 110 V. American stuff plugged directly into it.

Did you know our house is made of concrete, which means it won't completely burn down?