Get an education!

Kids, stay in school! I know, I know, nag nag nag, but seriously.... Here's how my day went today:

Okay I'll back-track a bit, to when I arrived home after ten o'clock last night. It seemed oddly chilly in my house, and when I went to turn up the thermostat, I noticed that I could hear the furnace motor running but the fan wasn't on and there was no warm air being circulated. D'oh! A crapped-out furnace is NOT what you want to discover on a cool winter's eve. However I was tired and a quick visual and cycling of the power to the appliance didn't fix the problem, so I decided to don my flannel jammies and snuggle under my blankies for a shivery sleep and deal with it in the morning.

So now back to today. After I convinced myself to leave the warmth of my bed this morn, I did a little more troubleshooting and headed to work. I got on the phone early and dialed more than a few numbers before I was able to find a technician who had time prior to lunch for a service call. He could be there around 10:30? Great! According to google, the problem appeared to be minor, and I figured that would be ample time for me to run home and return for my 1:00 meeting. Well the 10:30 appointment turned into a 1:15 appointment, and I happened to leave my lunch back at my office. So while I was waiting, huddled next to my lame gas fireplace, I scarfed down some shortbread cookies out of the freezer. Needless to say, by the time the doorbell rang I felt like I was in a bit of a sugar coma, and I probably laughed out loud a little when I opened the door.

This fireplace is clearly just for looks!

Here is the part about staying in school:  In walks this teenager - in fact he didn't even look old enough to have a drivers license much less be a tradesperson - with his bucket full of tools and a big grin. Downstairs he went, and within about 4 minutes he had his hands inside the belly of the furnace and was asking if I had paper clip. I did not, but I was able produce a large safety pin, which apparently served the purpose just fine. Because within another 4 minutes, the thing was back together and fired up like a dream. He shut the furnace down and restarted it a second time, just to be sure, and then he put the one screwdriver he used back into his tool pail, handed me the safety pin, and ever so politely asked for $94.50.

Ninety-four dollars and fifty cents. For eight minutes worth of effort. Nice. And you know what? Who's NOT going to get their furnace repaired? What a smart career - run the numbers on how good of a living this young fellow is making, and I'm sure you'll agree.... Stay in school! It's worth it! Oh and keep a few safety pins handy too, cuz you never know when you might need one.


Cheers!

Cool fall days are upon us!