Tuesday, July 12, 2011

And It Was Good!

When I was 5 or 6 my mother was in a bowling league and all the children at the bowling alley were allowed to run around like a pack of wild dogs. I remember playing the juke box and dancing and I remember exploring the back rooms. One time in one of those back rooms, maybe the ladies' locker room, my brother dared to me to touch two electrical wires at the same time. They were sticking out of what had probably been an outlet but was just an open place in the cinder block wall. Being 5 or 6 and not knowing any better I of course grabbed the wires and was thrown backwards by a horrible electric shock. I'm surprised I didn't have a pants accident.
~
As all childhood traumas are wont to do, that particular experience gave me a lifelong fear of electricity. Well today, I conquered that fear. I installed a new light fixture in my laundry room:



I did a previous post about the light fixture being some sort of idiotic halogen bulb and how hard it was to replace and that I had bought a new fixture, but in that post I also said I was going to have an electrician replace it for me. Well the first guy came down with a case of mononucleosis and so I called another guy and they kept forgetting about me. So today (Monday I mean) I decided to do it myself.

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After removing the old fixture there was a black wire and a white wire sticking out and I made myself touch them. Not at the same time like when I was 5 or 6. I would stand at the top of the step stool and look at them and then go have a beer and then stand at the top of the step stool and look at them and then go have another beer until I had finally worked up my nerve. I got back up there and quickly tapped my right index finger against the black wire. Nothing happened. I was so relieved. But I did go have one more beer before I touched the white wire.

~

Once I realized I would not be shocked, I quickly did all the simple steps and had a new light fixture that uses a regular bulb. I was so tickled. Not that I had a new light fixture and not that I had saved $75. I was tickled because I had done it myself. Myself! I had conquered my lifelong fear and touched those wires. I said, "Let there be light!" I flipped the switch. It came on. And it was good.

10 comments:

OldLady Of The Hills said...

CONGRATS AND BRAVO!!!! That is fantastic!

Jazz said...

And then Geewits replaced god and all was good.

I think I'll accumulate all my house projects and then invite you over... ;-)

Anonymous said...

yay you! don't you just love that feeling?

Anonymous said...

yay you! don't you just love that feeling?

Her Sweetie said...

That's my handy girl!!

Anonymous said...

Feels good, doesn't it?

geewits said...

Naomi,
~~Thanks!!

Jazz,
~~You seem to be doing just fine.

Em,
~~Oh yeah.

Sweetie,
~~That's me.

Ian,
~~It really does.

Lori Stewart Weidert said...

Wow, you're so brave! Yay you!

I've never even been thrown across the room by electricity, but I'm still scared of it. Anytime someone's working with it, I keep a mental note of where a wooden broomstick is, in case I suddenly have to knock them off of an electrical current.

Good on ya!

Lo said...

You go girl! You rock!

Big Brother said...

Good for you.
Here are a couple of electricity facts 101 for the next time.

You know that there are little gizmo’s that have two probes and a small light. You touch the probes to the wires and if the light goes on the circuit is live. Anyhow you should always shut the power off at the breaker just in case and then test.

The black wires or the red ones are always the ones that carry the current (unless the electrical wiring was not done correctly), the white is the ground and carries no current. If you really want to touch them use your thumb on one wire and your index on the other so the electricity goes though the loop of your finger and thumb instead of your body. It tingles but won’t send you flying. :o)