Day 2106

How many electricians does it take to change a light bulb? In my case, it takes three. There is a boss electrician to tell the other two what to do. There is the guy who climbs up the ladder and actually does the work. And there is the guy who walks back and forth to the truck to bring tools to the guy on the ladder. This is one of the reasons why electricians are so expensive. Plumbers are kind of the same way. Every time I call a plumber to do something simple like clean out a drain, they send out two plumbers.

Does it really require three electricians to change a security light? I doubt it. I'll still uses these guys again though. I like to support small, local businesses. There aren't enough of them left. If more people followed this inefficient, old school business model, there would still be plenty of jobs for everyone. Ruthless efficiency is what has killed the job market. I used to have assistants for what I do as well. Did I really need an assistant? Of course not, but this was how people learned their trade.

Maybe the security light was too expensive, but it's bright and works great. Now I won't have to worry about stepping in poop when I take the dogs out at night. The irritating flickering is gone too. The head electrician told me that the only thing wrong with my old light is that the ballast was bad. I suspected as much. Nevertheless, it was less expensive to replace the entire light than it would have been to take the old one apart and repair it. That's what we've come to. Almost everything is disposable.

My car isn't disposable, so I'll have to take it in for service to get rid of the irritating suspension squeak I've been hearing lately. Land Rover has become so computerized that they are almost the exact opposite of my old fashioned electrician. It's hard to actually talk to a real person anymore. Although it's much easier to make a service reservation online, I still prefer talking to the service representative myself. I finally managed to get someone on the phone this afternoon and made a service appointment. "When my car goes over a bump," I told the service guy, "I hear a high pitched noise that sounds exactly like a dog's squeaky toy." "I've heard that noise," the service guy said. "Bring the car in." If experience is any guide, this will turn out to be a very expensive squeak, but at least the car is still under warranty.

I woke up this morning to discover that Dot had pooped in the hallway. I must have been tired last night, because I didn't hear a thing. Luckily, I'm getting better at anticipating these things. She pooped on a strategically placed rubberized mat that is very easy to clean. Even though she had already done her business, Dot still enjoyed her morning walk. We are all learning to take these accidents in stride. I do worry that the washing machine is going to break again. It's been getting a lot of use lately.

It's been a fairly productive Monday. The light in the back yard is fixed. I've picked up Dash's prescriptions at the vet. The squeak in my car will soon be gone. I've updated two of my client's websites and finally paid the last of my September bills without becoming overdrawn. In my book, that's pretty good for a Monday.

Rover is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day