Man vs. Machine

As I was doing dishes, scrubbing the curry scent out of my crock-pot, down the drain went a washcloth completely unnoticed by me. As I flipped the switch, I heard a chug chug and then nothing. I peered down and saw the nasty rag, and thought, "no big deal, just pull it out and no harm done." Wrong. As I yanked and yanked, I realized that it was not only stuck, but that I would probably break my hand trying to get it out without some innovation on my part. Yet did I bcome innovative? No, at least not for abot 20 minutes. I continued to try and yank out the bunched up rag from the drain. Mind you, the rag was so bunched up and my hand was actually fully immersed in the drain while doing this yanking and would've innevitable lead to some kind fo injury.

Finally, innovation kicked in and I realized that I need to get the rag out without breaking my hand. So, I got the sharpest knife in the house and began to cut the rag within the drain in an attempt to extend it and be able to yank it from outside the drain. Yes, I realize that this endeavor brought about an equal chance of injury, this time involving blood instead of broken bones. But you have to understand that my main concern was not injury, but the amount of money I might have to pay hiring a handy-man to fix this problem, or to buy a new disposal.

Well, I was successful and proceeded to shred the rag with this butcher-sized knife, but was able to get it to the desired yanking length. It took only a few minutes to then get the rag out of it's predicament.

So, I flip on the switch. Nothing. I realized the problem was much bigger.

Now, do you all remember the infomercial for a set of do-it-yourself home improvement books pitched by...I think it may have been Bob Villa... and on the commercial a voice-over says, "Learn how to fix a jammed garbage disposal yourself!" while showing the image of a woman jamming the end of a broomstick into her sink with a smile on her face at the success this attempt will obviously bring? Well, I decided to try this as well, having no clue what exactly it was I was supposed to be doing with the broomstick. I just jammed it in there and wiggled it around and gave it a few forceful jabs. I removed the broomstick and flipped the switch. Still nothing. Ok, that was stupid.

So I then went to e-how.com and read on how to fix the garbage disposal, which proceeded to be nothing more complicated than resetting the red switch at the bottom of the disposal. I was kind of disappointed that I didn't get to lay underneath my sink for an hour screwing and unscrewing, using tools such as wrenches, screwdrivers, or other metal devices I didn't know the names of, getting all wet and grimy but engaging in a full battle of (wo)man vs. machine. However, I still won this battle and feel pretty proud of myself. So proud that I gave myself some me-time and proceeded to stop my work on the dishes.

It's amazing what kind of excuses I give myself to get out of my chores.