I really need school to start

 So I got the call that my quilting machine was fixed and I went to pick it up yesterday.  I brought it home and it worked for 3 seconds.  Yep, that's right.  One stitch and then I pushed a button and it went back to stitching however it wanted.

 I called and took the machine back.  They plugged it in and saw that it wasn't working and worked on it for a couple of hours and called me back saying they had fixed it and I could come get it.

 When I picked it up, they promised me it was working again.  Said they had changed out the left handlebar controller and that's what made it start to work again.  Made no sense, but hey, whatever works, I will take it.  I figured I'd have to spend the $1,000 to get the computer replaced in it.

 I brought it home and this time it worked for a whole 7 seconds.  Then, I pushed a button and it started stitching however it wanted!  Yep, I cried a little.  I called and the guy said he had no idea what was wrong with it.  He had called the Viking company and talked to them for a long time and they had no idea what could be wrong with it.  He said I could bring it back in but he was out of ideas.  I decided not to go back there yesterday and to just sleep on it.  Maybe a great idea would come to me in the middle of the night.

Well, sure enough, I had a dream that the black cord from the handlebar controls was plugged in backwards.  Not that it should make a difference, but this morning I got up and tried switching it around.  Sure enough, it started working again correctly.  Really?  There is a direction to the cord?  So, I started hooking other things up like the robot part of the machine.  Well, I started moving that black cord around and the machine stopped working.

I think that there is a kink in that black cord somewhere and when you move it there is a gap in the wire.  I'm sure it is one of those compound wires that is made up of lots of little wires and one of those little wires is broken, so when it gets move just the wrong way, one of those little wires isn't connecting and the information isn't getting transmitted all the way so the handlebars aren't working.  When you move it again, it works.  When you move it the wrong way, it stops working.

So, I called the shop and asked them to order me a new cable.  The guy thought that might be the trouble, but then again he had no idea yesterday.  It shouldn't be too expensive of an idea to try out at least.  And who knows, I might have a new career troubleshooting people's quilting machine issues.

In the meantime, I'm spending my last few days crocheting baby hats and making embroidery things.  And trying not to cry.  Two days of vacation left. I'm so spoiled!