Fun with Power Tools
Oct. 1st, 2001 09:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sanpaku_backupOkay, so this is the time of year that Jewish people build a little hut in the backyard, called a sukkah. We never did this growing up but I have managed to do it now for the past 5 years or so. The holiday of sukkot starts tomorrow. It is a lot of fun after the somber tedium of the other recent holidays.
Anyway, so you are not supposed to have tree branches over the sukkah. I go out with this insane power tool with teeth given to me by my landlord for purposes of pruning. Our bushes are completely out of hand and it is very tempting to just try to get that last really tall branch by standing on a chair and reaching waaay over and hitting the red button and hoping that your hand doesn't slip and you lose a thumb. Yesterday I was trying the same trick, when it suddenly stopped. I saw that the teeth had caught on the next door neighbor's phone line, which was caught in a tree overhanging our fence.
After recovering from the feeling of not being shocked, and saying "Oh shit! Fuck! Shit!" about a thousand times, I realized the only way to get it off was to hit the button and move the teeth again... the line was not cut but there's a fairly noticeable gouge in its top and bottom sides... I always panic in situations like this and start wondering whether the phone company will charge me thousands of dollars to replace the line... Talked to the neighbors and their phone was OK; called the phone company, and it turns out they won't even look at a line unless it's either cut or the neighbors report a problem with the phone. So I guess I was lucky.
It is disturbing to me that lately the "Goofus" side of the "Goofus and Gallant" aspect of my mind has taken over. I am unthinkingly making left turns without seeing the oncoming traffic opposite me. I do not know if this is a function of too little sleep and coffee or some kind of subconscious stupidity rising to the surface amid my general anomie. Or perhaps just a function of having to be Responsible. In addition to its hedges, this house has big yards that need to be mowed, and I had never used a gas mower before. I live in constant fear of the gas can under the stairs. I am easily spooked by my own carelessness and absent-mindedness in the presence of dangerous objects.
Anyway, so you are not supposed to have tree branches over the sukkah. I go out with this insane power tool with teeth given to me by my landlord for purposes of pruning. Our bushes are completely out of hand and it is very tempting to just try to get that last really tall branch by standing on a chair and reaching waaay over and hitting the red button and hoping that your hand doesn't slip and you lose a thumb. Yesterday I was trying the same trick, when it suddenly stopped. I saw that the teeth had caught on the next door neighbor's phone line, which was caught in a tree overhanging our fence.
After recovering from the feeling of not being shocked, and saying "Oh shit! Fuck! Shit!" about a thousand times, I realized the only way to get it off was to hit the button and move the teeth again... the line was not cut but there's a fairly noticeable gouge in its top and bottom sides... I always panic in situations like this and start wondering whether the phone company will charge me thousands of dollars to replace the line... Talked to the neighbors and their phone was OK; called the phone company, and it turns out they won't even look at a line unless it's either cut or the neighbors report a problem with the phone. So I guess I was lucky.
It is disturbing to me that lately the "Goofus" side of the "Goofus and Gallant" aspect of my mind has taken over. I am unthinkingly making left turns without seeing the oncoming traffic opposite me. I do not know if this is a function of too little sleep and coffee or some kind of subconscious stupidity rising to the surface amid my general anomie. Or perhaps just a function of having to be Responsible. In addition to its hedges, this house has big yards that need to be mowed, and I had never used a gas mower before. I live in constant fear of the gas can under the stairs. I am easily spooked by my own carelessness and absent-mindedness in the presence of dangerous objects.
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Be Careful!
Date: 2001-10-01 10:11 am (UTC)In a completely unrelated note, I am thinking about buying a car but I have no idea how to do this.
I swear sometimes I look around and wonder how the hell I got here.
Re: Be Careful!
Date: 2001-10-01 01:39 pm (UTC)In other news, I got me a shiny reply card from Thomson this very day saying they got my resume. Unfortunately I'm not sure I will find anything there. The website is confusing and the jobs seem to have been posted in June, but mostly it's that I have yet to see, with any publisher anywhere, that magic ad for a historian (as opposed to an English major or a science major or some other discipline). But I did want you to know I looked, and thanks again for the tip. Every little bit helps.
Re: Be Careful!
Date: 2001-10-01 02:17 pm (UTC)The car purchase is part of our new seige mentality-- we're simply afraid of getting stuck.
no subject
Date: 2001-10-01 11:19 pm (UTC)by the way...
Date: 2001-10-02 07:18 pm (UTC)(well, yeah, I suppose I could just look it up but I'm tired of looking things up. I just want you to tell me.
Re: by the way...
Date: 2001-10-03 05:13 pm (UTC)