Friday, July 16, 2010

brain, hands and the arts!

Today we concluded our brain, hands and the arts class at ESSA with the mind map at left, briefly summarizing and reflecting upon the range of materials we covered in the class. In the photo below, you can see one student's work (not including two days of art and music).

This has also been a mr.fix-it-day for me. I removed and replaced the heat-pump/AC unit in my office which had quit the week before I left for Marc Adams School. The new unit was narrower and taller, which meant adjusting the through-the-wall opening to fit... the project made me thankful for my carpentry/woodworking skills. I was able to use a trim router to make the opening taller, and planed wood to fill the too-wide space to fit, while many other homeowners would be trying to find a skilled handyman and waiting for him to arrive.

When I was out of town last week, our oven quit and would no longer ignite. It was a problem I have come to recognize from past experiences as being due to a faulty igniter. I ordered the part, and spent a half hour replacing it and saved well over $100, without having to schedule a service call. I did it easily on my own schedule without waiting for help to arrive. But that's just the half of it. The satisfaction one feels from real accomplishment is more important than the money, hands down.

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:09 AM

    But if you read the comics, or watch the ads on TV, males are inept and unskilled and couldn't fix or replace anything without professional help.

    Mario

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  2. Maybe watching TV is part of the problem. I guess I haven't been watching. How's the boat repair coming? I can imagine that would be fun, and since many people don't have the skills or inclination to do things themselves, you could get busier than a retired guy would have wanted.

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