Friday, January 16, 2009

how many engineers to change a light bulb?

Today I have made history (for me anyway). I changed a light bulb.

Q: How many engineers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: One. But it took 18 months.

That's right. 18 months. 18 months ago one of my brake lights stopped working. There were multiple people to mention it. There was the German guy yelling over the balcony once, but he didn't know the word for it. He kept calling it a stop light, and I didn't quite get it. But he told me it was the RIGHT side. I had no idea how to change a brake light bulb. And so I didn't. And I never got pulled over either. But it's been hanging in the back of my mind for so long, and I never made the time to figure it out. Once last year, while I was getting the oil changed I asked a mechanic how to do change the bulb. He helped me figure out which bulb it was and showed me how to get to the bulb area. Again, on the right side. There are three tiny bulbs back there.

Last October on the way home from work, I pulled into Autozone with the intention of fixing it. But there weren't any bulbs in the store that said "brake light" so then I felt stupid and left.

Last December, I started thinking I should probably try again to get it fixed. I asked DH to watch while I put on the brakes, and he told me that it was the LEFT brake light not working! Maybe I was hallucinating when the German guy and the mechanic told me it was the right side. I'm pretty sure I saw the mechanic working on the right side also.

Anyway. Today, I checked (with the help of my neighbor) which side was not working, and confirmed which bulb it was. However, it has been a year since the mechanic told me how to access the bulb area, which means I have forgotten everything. So it took me a while to figure out how to get to the bulb area. But then I went to the store and got another bulb with the right part number on it, and put it in. Now I am pro. Go ahead and laugh.

And that's the end of the story.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've never even tried to change a light inside or outside my car. How do you get the cover off, anyway? I am thinking about expanding my repertoire to wiper blades, however.

Anonymous said...

Ode To Vacuuming

Sung to the tune:

Hello Mud-der,
Hello Fa-der
Here I am at: Camp Gre-na-der

Hello Laura!
Are you the-re?
Are you brea-thing, good clean ai-re?
How’s the vac-uum? Is it go-ing?
Now you know why dirty floors could keep me scolding.

Spring is coming!
Buds will blossom,
There’ll be options, for your vacuum!
Will you leave it, running daily?
Grab-bing errant gas and dusties unawar-es.

Soon the Moon-shine
Will be shi-ning!
And the night owls, will be whin-ning!
But your vacuum’s, hum-ing mo-tor!
Causes deep and often dreamlike narco-torpor.

Refrain:

“Take me home!”, the vac was humming!
“Take it home!”, your lungs were begging!
I don’t know, if there, will come, a time, a time,
More sui-ted - for- your - dime.


Yes you bought it!
Who’d have thought it?
There’ll be more time for a HEPA
In the meantime, are you keeping?
Vacu-lines completely straight without repeating?


Repeat as desired.

Sung to the tune:

Hello Mudder, Hello Fader
Here I am at Camp Grenader

MommaMcCarthy said...

two word: chilton's guide

that's how i fixed my emergency brake one time...

LRH said...

Dear "Anonymous" (heheh..)

One of the negative things about not having carpet is that I am unable to make stripes and beautiful designs while vacuuming. Alas.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.