I am not OSHA approved!

I haven't had much going on this week with the exception of battling a terrible migraine for two days and installing a new ceiling fan, and I felt the latter was much more blogworthy. After our glorious yard sale at Chace and Kenley's house, Meredith and I had some extra cash, and I had promised her that we would get a new "pretty" ceiling fan for Margaret Anne's room, which would be the replacement for the monstrosity of a ceiling fan that was in there. I was somewhat excited about the purchase because it would be an opportunity to try something new in the realm of home remodeling! The removal of the old fan was extemely easy, almost too easy considering the act of Congress it took to remove the old garbage disposal a few months ago. But the installation of the new one was a royal pain in the rear end. It always amazes me that when you buy a product that you self-assemble, they don't mention the "extra part" that you need until you open the instruction booklet and are 20 minutes away from the Lowe's you just came from. This then prompts a return trip to Lowe's, wasting precious time. I didn't get very far on Saurday, so I told myself I'd finish the job on Sunday between church and our planned afternoon activities (FYI, a window of about 2 hours). What I didn't take into account was the fact that I had turned the breaker back on the day before, as this breaker controlled the upstairs bathroom lights as well. So, feeling confident in my task, I proceeded to grab the "black" wire, which was not happy that I came to play. From atop the stepladder, I let out a shrill cry that Meredith compared to "the scream of a 12-year old girl", and she said that she immediately knew what had happened. There is no sensation in the world quite like 110 volts of electricity coarsing through your body, even if it is for a brief moment. I hopped down off the stepladder, and I wasn't in pain, but my arms and legs were buzzing like an adrenaline rush. Not one of my more intelligent moves, but one of those lessons God teaches us and says "Don't be an idiot!". I eventually got the mounting bracket for the fan screwed into the ceiling, but when I tried to attach the fan motor, it pulled the screws out of the ceiling, so I went with Plan B. I got my neighbor Jason, who is the handiest of men, to come and help me, and we had the job done in 30 minutes flat. I guess I learned alot about what not to do when working with electrical currents, but the new fan really ties the room together!

Moral of the Story: Don't play around power lines or other exposed electrical wire unless you are looking to catch a buzz!