Static

I’m one of those people who attracts static electricity.
Its a talent I’ve had since a very early age, but I don’t remember a time of learning about it, or suddenly waking up with it, it is something that has always been with me.
Very often, when I go to press the button to call a lift a blue spark will leap from the button and attach itself to my index finger with lightning pin point accuracy. There is usually a slight crackle (well it’s more of a crack or a pop) that accompanies this little spark, and then a whimpering “Ow!” from me shortly afterwards. One day, I was visiting at the hospital and received my usual static shock from the lift button. When the doors opened, I walked into the lift, and went to press the button for the second floor, and got my second static shock. And when I reached my desired floor, I walked out of the lift after the doors opened, and was struck again – by the door this time – as I walked out. Three static shocks in under two minutes… hardly fair that, is it? I didn’t want to walk by anything in case that decided to attack me too.

In work today, my computer monitor wouldn’t switch on. Well, it powered up OK, it just didn’t show anything on the screen, apart from the manufacturers logo that was just about visible in the blackness. I switched the computer off and on, and off and on and off an on again for good measure, but no – it did not want to work. I asked one of the IT people to have a look, he changed the power cable and still nothing happened, and then, as if by magic, it came on! I was told it was caused by a build up of static electricity. Does this mean my monitor was planning to zap me too? I don’t know, I’ll have to wait and see what happens here. It wouldn’t be a surprise if it did.

I’ve been zapped by some random things over the years. Front doors, keys, my car, and once I was zapped by a colleague who I worked with. We both laughed at that incident, but deep within me, I knew it was all her doing. She deliberately picked me to release her static electricity on.

When I worked on the old plug in switchboard, everyone received a slight electrical shock, that was the nature of the job back then. I only needed to lean close to the cord and the familiar sound of the crackle could be heard four positions along. Everyone knew that it was me getting the shock (and it was nothing to do with the “Ow” noise – I managed to hold this in for at least seven seconds afterwards.)

All of these little shocks, well, today’s build up of static electricity, has got me thinking about something. What if the static is building up in me? What if the shocks I get aren’t from the thing I’m near giving me the charge, but the opposite – what if I am releasing my electrical charge on that? What if the crackle is the energy leaving my body and hitting whatever is close by? And what would happen when I go swimming, if I go on a day when I’m highly charged? Water and electric do not mix well together… although as yet, I haven’t received a charge from water. Eek. I think rather than avoiding things so I don’t feel the charge, I’d be better to be close to things so the charge can leave my body. Just in case. Maybe this is why I never did well in physics at school.