We Can't Rewind, We've Gone Too Far

I knew at once that this was from Spindle's End, which is kind of astonishing since I only read the book once, and that at least fifteen years ago, and I can't remember the plot or characters worth beans. But it's a wonderfully memorable opening!

My electric kettle is plastic, but the one at the rental company office is metal. They both do just fine, as far as I can tell. May I ask what about the switch from plastic to metal is catching you off-balance?