Disaster

I'm not handy.  I don't like to do home improvement projects because (a) I'm no good at them and (b) I spent my entire childhood as my Dad's assistant seemingly every weekend as he ripped apart the house and put it back together.  I hated every minute of it then and little has changed since then.

Yesterday Ken decided he was going to change out the kitchen light.  He bought new lights for the house a year ago and they've sat in the kitchen collecting dust ever since.  I made my feeling clear that I wanted no part of the project and he decided that it was okay.  He was going to handle it himself.  About fifteen minutes into his project, he called me because he needed help.  And that help, most of which was me standing around holding things or handing him things or fetching him things, lasted nearly two hours.  

Ken is deathly afraid of fire, and so by association, he's very, very wary of doing anything electrical.  With this in mind, the nearly two hour project of taking down the old light and putting up the new light ended in complete and utter disaster with him kind of freaking out and the light getting destroyed in the process.  It's now sitting in the trash bin with a temporary light fixture up in it's place.  

To me, it's worth the money the professionals gouge you for to have it done right the first time.  I know I can't do it and Ken second guesses himself the entire process.  Other things he's a whiz at and should stick to them.  When it's something that terrifies him, I say spend the money.  I'm happy not to eat out a few times if it means Ken's peace of mind.

He bought the lights last year when they were on clearance and was panicked that he wasn't going to be able to find a suitable replacement that goes with the other lights yet to be hung (and the foyer light fixture that is already in place), but today he reported that he found one that will work.  That's a huge relief for him.  Me, I don't particularly care.  I didn't have a problem with the lights that are up now.  That irritates Ken, but that's just me and what makes me so adorable.