Environment upgrade part 2: Settling down

Part of the series Environment upgrade.

I was face down on the ground, hand reaching into the unknown corners underneath the kitchen counter. Twitching muscles screamed while the hand holding the wrench desperately tries to turn a knob with unfamiliar motions. The progress seemed so miniscule that a snail can overtake it easily.

That was how I spent my whole night; installing the dishwasher. A waste of time from some people’s point of view, but not for me. Now that I’ve done this, the knowledge will forever be with me. It’s the result of a decision I’ve made with my life along with other principles I decided to follow when I bought the condo. I will face and learn the unknowns and I will mold the environment around me as I will it.

Which is a transformation I noticed in myself. I am willing to take the challenge of making things happen in the way I want it instead of settling for the mediocre result. More confident that it will work and more defined in the choices I make. I don’t have to think things through as much because I am more in tune with what is “me” and what is not. This definition of the self in turn immunized me from the desire to mimic others and peer pressures while eliminating most of the indecision when presented with a choice. I don’t seek to conform anymore. Now, my inspirations comes from within.

Although the place is still a mess with no furniture in sight, I felt proud and smug now that I installed all the major appliances myself. It’s my place, my rules and there’s no rush.

————Edit—————-

I have to emphasis, that installing a dishwasher is not recommended for the general population. Injuries or death might occur if care is not taken with the electrical system. The whole time I was working on it, there was an imminent feeling of death where I get a huge electrical shock and pass out to die.

First, shut off the circuit at your local breaker. If you don’t know which one it is, shut them all. Second, the most important thing is to test the three wires to see if any is live. I, like any good engineer, used triple redundancy: Voltmeter, electromagnetic live wire testing and a simple LED connected to a fuse that attaches to the ground and the live wire. Add on to that, I used the back of my hand to touch both the ground and live wire at the same time as a real human test. (The electricity will go through your skin instead of passing through you to the ground, it hurt as hell, but you won’t die).

There’s no way to avoid instances where you have to touch all three wires, believe me I tried.