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Handydad and Overlapping Roles
Aug. 13th, 2010 12:48 amI was hooking up the washer and dryer in our weensy utility room and discovered to my dismay that the electric cord to the dryer didn't match the wall socket. Not even close. This was beyond weird. I had no idea there was a variety--or why there would be. Unfortunately, this meant no dryer, and we don't have the means to string a clothesline.
Today, I used my cell phone to take a picture of the cord and a picture of the socket. Then I went down to the hardware store, where I called on a clerk. "Is there some kind of adapter I can buy so these will fit?"
"No," he said. "But you can buy a new cord." He handed me one, thick and heavy, with three wires. "Just make sure the middle one is attached to the middle post. It doesn't matter which post the other two get as long as they're attached."
I looked at it dubiously. "I'm not an electricity guy. Is it hard?"
"Nope. Really easy."
At home, I realized it was time to make supper. Chicken kebabs were on the menu. I cut up the chicken and put it a bowl of teriyaki to marinate. Then I went to the utility room, where I pulled the dryer away from the wall. After some examination, I figured out how to remove the panel that covered the appropriate section of wiring. Everything looked straightforward. I unscrewed the wires from the posts, pulled the cord out, and installed the new one. Then I held my breath and plugged it in.
No sparks, no explosion. I turned on the dryer. It ran perfectly. Woo hoo! Way cheaper than a new dryer or paying a repair technician to come out.
Replaced the panel, put the tools away, washed my hands, and went back to the kitchen, where I chopped vegetables and boiled noodles. The kebabs, with noodles on the side, came out perfectly.
I have successfully overlapped both gender roles.
Today, I used my cell phone to take a picture of the cord and a picture of the socket. Then I went down to the hardware store, where I called on a clerk. "Is there some kind of adapter I can buy so these will fit?"
"No," he said. "But you can buy a new cord." He handed me one, thick and heavy, with three wires. "Just make sure the middle one is attached to the middle post. It doesn't matter which post the other two get as long as they're attached."
I looked at it dubiously. "I'm not an electricity guy. Is it hard?"
"Nope. Really easy."
At home, I realized it was time to make supper. Chicken kebabs were on the menu. I cut up the chicken and put it a bowl of teriyaki to marinate. Then I went to the utility room, where I pulled the dryer away from the wall. After some examination, I figured out how to remove the panel that covered the appropriate section of wiring. Everything looked straightforward. I unscrewed the wires from the posts, pulled the cord out, and installed the new one. Then I held my breath and plugged it in.
No sparks, no explosion. I turned on the dryer. It ran perfectly. Woo hoo! Way cheaper than a new dryer or paying a repair technician to come out.
Replaced the panel, put the tools away, washed my hands, and went back to the kitchen, where I chopped vegetables and boiled noodles. The kebabs, with noodles on the side, came out perfectly.
I have successfully overlapped both gender roles.
