I had a couple of things break in the house recently. My exhaust fan was not working and making snap-crackle-pop noises. Which is acceptable in breakfast cereals but not in light switches embedded in walls. At first I thought it was the fan that shorted out.

So I yanked off the cover and investigated the fan. I like how they use a small plug for the fan module. How convenient! But it took me a while to pry the fan out.

Notice how someone wrapped duct tape to stop drafts? But when I plugged the fan into an electrical outlet, it worked fine. Sigh. All that effort for nothing. So I removed the light switch and went to Home Depot (another new one on Braker and Mopac. Man, they are spouting up all over the place!). I also found out that if you turn the power back on with the light switch missing, then nothing else on the circuit works. I should know that everything is wired in series…

Next up was the garbage disposal. In my peach pitting marathon, I accidentally let one of those suckers escape down the drain. Where it promptly wedged itself in the disposal. I was able to fish out two pieces with my hand but there was still more in there. Fortunately, my model has a slot for a big Allen wrench to fit into. And I was able to turn the blades and clear the blockage.