Life Support Systems Are Back On Line, Captain.

Well, I now have heat and hot water once again! But tell me, why is everything always so bloody difficult? It seemed fairly straightforward: I called the gas guys, they showed up around noon and filled the tank. All I had to do was turn the valve back on and relight the pilots, right? Simple. Well, simple except for the fact that my furnace hates me. It's the only explanation I can think of for why it refuses to light for me. Ever. I figured maybe the gas valve was clogged up again, since that was the problem the last two times, so after three or four failed attempts, I called the furnace guys. Furnace guys said they wouldn't be able to make it by until 4:30, which was kind of annoying, as I was supposed to be at work at 3:45. OK, not a big problem. I called work and told them I'd be late. The boss is off on vacation, the guy I would have been relieving had plenty of notice, and I can make the time up later. It bugs me to do stuff like that, but I figure this kind of qualified as an emergency. So I sat and waited. And waited. The furnace guys finally showed up around 5:30. (Not something I hold against them, by the way, especially as they apologized a lot.) Then, here's the kicker: they looked thoughtfully at the furnace for a minute or so, repeated the exact same sequence I had used, and got the triple-damned thing to light on the very first try. And charged me fifty-eight bucks for the house call.

What the hell did I ever do to that furnace, that's what I want to know...