Double check to make sure you have turned off the breaker for the circuit you are working on rather than some other circuit.

Ah, yes. I learned that one the hard way, when I was switching out the power cord on my clothes dryer. "Will this even work in the plug?" ZAP "Yes. Yes it will. Also, yikes!"

I keep thinking about buying lotto tickets, but then I remind myself of the odds, and how they're better if I want to get struck by lightening.

Speaking of spending money, I'm outta here early so I can run over to the DMV and get my registration for my plates taken care of (it expired in November--oops!). Then, I'm off to Best Buy for my very first MP3 player, a recordable DVD/VCR combo so I can finally get rid of all my old video tapes, and to see if they have any decent laptops left in stock (my big Xmas present from my parents--my 9 or 10-y.o. desktop has had it).

Gud, I think trade jobs are in demand. I know in my neighborhood - there are only 2 plumbers that get recommended and both are older guys - neither has young apprentices that I've ever seen and it can take weeks to get on their schedule sometimes. There are more people who do renovation/carpentry work, but not a lot who get recommended out. A/C repair seems to often be handled out of the big box electronics stores, but when I was in the southwest buildign houses, HVAC stuf whas what we seemed to wait a bit on because they were over scheduled/in demand.

I only ever buy lotto tix when my whole office is buying, on the principle that I really don't want to be the only person here who still needs a job the next day.

Electricians do have some serious job-related safety issues, though--my mom's high school BFF lost her brother when he touched a power cable while doing an install.

The receptionist in my office participated in a non-traditional jobs for women program, certified as a carpenter, got in the union, the whole bit, and then decided she couldn't deal with the day-to-day bullshit she had to deal with as a woman in a non-traditional job. So now she's underpaid and underappreciated in my office, and builds stuff for her own house.

See, Jesse's receptionist is who I need to be friends with, who could slowly do work in my place. Slowly is how I would need to pay for it. Lots of paint stripping.

I keep thinking about buying lotto tickets, but then I remind myself of the odds, and how they're better if I want to get struck by lightening.

I think of them as a cheap form of entertainment.

Ah, yes. I learned that one the hard way, when I was switching out the power cord on my clothes dryer. "Will this even work in the plug?" ZAP "Yes. Yes it will. Also, yikes!"

I was installing a kitchen ceiling fan and discovered that the ceiling light was not on the kitchen breaker. I didn't really get much of a shock, but it made me a bit more cautious.

I bought a tester thingy just for that reason. I did several light fixture switches in my place and have some wall outlets that needed to be closed off.