joedag32

On Thursday night while driving home from playing volleyball in Ventnor my dash lights were out. So I couldn’t really read my speedomoter, which was a pain. I got pulled over a block from the Longport bridge with the assumption that I must’ve been speeding slightly since I couldn’t read the black speedometer.

The officer asked why I was driving with my lights off. I informed him that my dash lights were out, but I wasn’t aware that my taillights were out as well and began to suspect that a fuse must’ve blown or there’s a short somewhere in the electrical system. Luckily he didn’t write me a ticket (thank you) and I drove home with the flashers on.

So Friday morning I awoke with a mission to attempt to fix my lights so I wouldn’t have to pay a mechanic to fix them. First I started with checking the fuses. Couldn’t find a fuse labeled for the dash, but the taillight fuse was blown. And upon replacing that fuse, the dash lights came back, so I guess they’re connected. I also replaced both headlights, as one of them was dead as well.

Result of my mission to repair my lights.

• Cost of Fuses: $3.62
• Cost of Headlight bulbs: $ 6.99 x2 = $15
• Hours spent: 2

Tonight I found myself up against a most adverse challenge. The bathtub wasn’t draining. This has happened before and all I had to do in the past was to remove the coverplate and reattach the linkage to the trip lever. It can come off everynow and then, it’s a plunger tub drain.

Unfortunately tonight when I tugged on the linkage the whole thing came out, as it must’ve come undone from the plunger that stops the drain. I was looking behind the tub to see if I could remove pipe to get to the plunger, but due to the constraints of the room I had for access that wouldn’t be done without some modification to the closet.

So after much searching I found a good old fashioned wire hanger. Bent it into something that I hoped would be able to grab the plunger from the pipe and prepared to go fishing for the plunger. Amazingly on my first try I hooked the plunger and pulled it out and reconnected everything. I’m going to have eventually buy a new drain since the trip lever seems broken, but for the time being the drain works!

Just thought I should share my bizarre Friday the 13th act of today. Some old man rear ended my car while I was at a red light. So I got out with a big smile on my face (I have a severe anger defiency) and he aplogized to me. I told him it was ok, accidents happen.

Then I inspected my car, no visible damage. Kicked my car in the area it was struck, not sure why but it looks like I know what I’m doing I suppose. Then said I’m ok, do you want to report this? Of course he said no. So I got back into my car, then got out again to tell him that it’s Friday the 13th and that’s why he ran into my car.

He didn’t really seem to get it, think he just felt stupid from hitting my car for no reason. Oh well, no one got hurt so that’s a good thing. I’m now an official believer in the whole Friday the 13th thing.