Even The Little Things

I thought it would be a good idea to replace my outdoor lamp with this one which features a daylight sensor that will turn the light off in the morning and back on at dusk. I wired it in and tested it and it works! I'm feeling fine. Problem #1: the lamp sits so close up under the eave that the light goes on even in the middle of the day if it isn't a bright cloudless day. I'm going to try to put a piece of aluminum foil or something above the sensor to reflect more light onto it. Problem #2: neighbor from across the street shows up at my doorstep the next day and asks me to turn off the light at night because it shines right in her bedroom window and keeps her up at night! WTF! I laugh and explain incredulously that I just put it in! We talk and laugh about it for awhile. We come up with some options. How about I try to paint the outside of the globe to dim the light a bit? If that doesn't work, I could hang something in front of it. She agrees. I rummage around and find some yellowish paint, take off the globe, paint half - the half facing her, let it dry, then remount the globe. I called her and told her it was up and to let me know if it works for her or not. She says she has plenty more paint in various colors if I need it. It looks kind of funny, but she hasn't complained so far.

Next, I decided I wanted to try out some dimmer switches for my new interior lights. I like dimmers because they save energy and give you better control over the amount of illumination you can get in a given situation. I bought some on eBay. Nice ones. New. Cheap. When they arrived I marched into my house, ripped open one of the packages, tripped off the breaker for the circuit (glad I remembered that step), un-wired the on/off switch I put in a week ago and wired in the new switch.

Dead. No go. Damnit!

Disgusted, I tore it out, put the original 69 cent switch back in, screwed it all in with the plate cover and all, and sat down in my man cave and watched an episode of Lost, 2nd season.

Next day I decided to wrestle with it again. This time I tried wiring it into a different light. Same thing! Dead!! I was pissed. No wonder these things were so cheap. But that can't be. They are brand new and made by Lutron, a quality brand.

Then I saw it. At the very bottom was a tiny on/off toggle set to the off position. Wasn't mentioned in the directions. Hardly visible. Can't understand the function since there is a big button that turns the light off. This little switch makes the whole assembly go dead. Why? Anyway, I moved the toggle to the on position and to my relief, it worked. Wired in the other one. They've been great.

But, I fear this is my lot in life when it comes to this house. Everything seems to be a struggle. Even the little things.

my wound

this house is my wound
shame blocks the sharing of it
no one
can truly see it
i can't even bear
to take it's true measure
of my debasement
so, i deflect with typical banter
of minor struggles
and hope for fraternal sympathy
while it sits there and waits
night after night, dark and cold,
waiting for me to do something
while i cover my ears
avoiding at all costs
the cries
of skeletons in the cupboard

Some Final Thoughts - Electric Upgrade

Got some lights working! Wired some myself! Now I go shopping for sconces, etc. to finish up. I learned some things (you can buy a simple wall switch for 69 cents - made in the USA). Discovered I kinda like working with wire. Almost electrocuted myself when I stuck a probe into a switch - the wrong way. Got my hands dirty. (It's interesting to thrust your bare arm into a newly drilled hole in the ceiling and grope around, not knowing what your fingers will discover.) Radically increased the usability of my hovel (I can now see where the mouse turds are). Forced to make decisions that will effect how I live and are largely irreversible.

Other random thoughts:

• While electricity is probably the #1 innovation in housing over the long haul, little has changed in the last 100 years. It's ridiculous that we still roam from room to room flipping little switches on the wall to channel electrons to turn lumens on/off. I'm going to replace all those switches with a more advanced system that allows for dimming at various stages, in different rooms, with the touch of a button (probably will pay for itself).
  
• The way we organize our housing solutions are pathetic. All those layers of wood, hand carried, hand cut, hand fastened and rotting away out of sight. Many more people could own their own homes if we just made housing in factories and delivered them in pieces.
• Straight walls and floors are a Western conceit
• All those doors everywhere - in hallways, bedrooms, bathrooms, storage spaces, kitchen cabinets - are a reflection of our uptight, sexually repressed, self-loathing, militaristic nature. (More on this in a future post.)