...or at least became a Domestic Diva-in-training for Halloween. There are two things that I rarely tackle: doing handy home-improvement projects and setting up electrical equipment. I really wanted to take shop when I was in high school, but I could never fit it in my schedule. Unlike college, you couldn't take a heavier class load in high school, so there are some basic skills I never learned. I remember being tracked to do all the science colege prep courses, so I have phenominal math skills. I love puzzles and can perform near-magical feats with spreadsheets. However, people step away when I have a hammar in my hand and the printer can sense I'm in the vicinity (I get error messages that even stump IT support).
So, you can imagine my horror when my garbage disposal clogged. I have no landlord, my dad lives in another state and the last time I looked I didn't have a handy boyfriend that stops by. I can't believe that I've avoided learning basic home maintenance skills for so many years! Well, it took me a couple of hours to look up tips from the manufacturer, go to the store to buy a plunger, and discover that alan wrentches are used for things other than bike maintenance. I was determined to at least try before calling the plumber. I also can't tell you how good it felt to problem solve, try a couple different approaches, then fix the garbage disposal.
I would love it if they had a basic home-maintenance class. I've had to learn how to take apart a sink, fix a garbage disposal and paint walls on my own. They have bike maintenance classes, but people just assume that we know how to take care of our homes. I'm not afraid to work with my hands, I just rarely get the opportunity and I don't know what else I'm capable of.
