Another from the Anals of Colly, Klutz extrodinare!

Colleen Thomas

Ultrafemme
Joined
Feb 11, 2002
Posts
21,545
Ok, lets set the stage for this blunder. Katrina knocked power out all over Jackson. She also knocked out basic services like phone, cable etc. I worked for the phone Co. before becoming disabled. My capacity to move debris, chop up limbs etc. is prety minimal, but I do have a skill that I have been using to help. I've been fixing folk's phones when the trouble is on thier side, i.e. I've been going to the houses of people who can't afford a 135$ Ma bell service charge, elderly folks, members of my folk's church, etc. Word has gotten out and I have done quite a bit.

Today I went over to an elderly church member's trailer to see if I could fix her phone. Now I don't have the correct tools for the job. No b-tool, no wire stripper, no voltmeter, but a lot of it is just sight stuff. It's prety easy to see where wind or limbs have broken exterior wire.

This lady lost power and phone. What everyone neglected to tell me was she had phone right up until they cut her power back on. Shocking.

I found her wires, opened the box, ran a new IW from a spare bedroom with some station wire and was about to make my hook up. No wire stirppers. So you just stick the small wires between two teeth, bite down gently and pull. Done it a million times. Did it on my IW. I realized I needed to hook her old IW back in as well, or she would only have dial tone in the spare bedroom. Took the wire, bit down and knocked myself almost out. Electricity, electricity.

Let make sure you understand, it's hot, I'm sweating, my mouth is full of saliva and metal bridge work. Felt like someone hit me with a tickley 2 X 4.

So I crawled under her mobile home, and found, surprise surprise the problem. During the storm, she must have been on the recieving end of a very strong power surge. Powerful enough, to say, arc between some electrical wire and the phone wire some genius had wire tied to it. The arc, melted the thin insulation on the telephone wire and basically, welded it to the electrical wire. The reason her phones went out when power came on was because her telephone wires are now carrying a good percentage of the same current her outlets in her house are.

My mouth hurts, my tits hurt, my chest hurts, my shoulders ache. On the plus side, my sinuses are clear.

Another instance of Murphy's Law going out of it's way to smack me.


In the midst of so much tragedy, I hope everyone can get a smile from katrina's little surprise for Colly.

*HUGS* all around
 
You're Rainbow Brite and Bob the builder all wrapped up in a corset and matching tool belt. :kiss: :heart: :rose:
 
ABSTRUSE said:
You're Rainbow Brite and Bob the builder all wrapped up in a corset and matching tool belt. :kiss: :heart: :rose:


I feel like I could probably do an Uncle fester with the lightbulb
 
There is a lesson to be learned there colly I reckon *grins* I'm glad you're only achy and not too massively fried *hugs*
 
I wish you had asked before you grabbed those wires. I could have told you what would hurt.

:rolleyes:

I couldn't get the fan above the stove to turn off the first time I used it. So I reached up and yanked the wire and -


VVVVFFFTTTTTT

- ended up on the floor. Stove fan turned off, though.
 
English Lady said:
There is a lesson to be learned there colly I reckon *grins* I'm glad you're only achy and not too massively fried *hugs*


The only lesson I can see is no good deed goes unpunished ;)
 
shereads said:
I wish you had asked before you grabbed those wires. I could have told you what would hurt.

:rolleyes:

I couldn't get the fan above the stove to turn off the first time I used it. So I reached up and yanked the wire and -


VVVVFFFTTTTTT

- ended up on the floor. Stove fan turned off, though.


i don't think it would have hurt so bad if I hadn't bitten the darned things. :rose:
 
Colleen Thomas said:
i don't think it would have hurt so bad if I hadn't bitten the darned things. :rose:

It would if you landed on ceramic tile, on your ass. (Anals)
 
Colleen Thomas said:
Sold to the lady with the big heart !

*HUGS*

Oh, believe me, she's got more in the big department than just a heart. ;)

Glad you are ok, love........your exploits scare me sometimes. Sheesh.

:kiss:
 
Poor Colly! So glad it's just aches, and not something much worse. :rose:

Several years ago, I dated an electrician. He had his own business, and when I was on vacation, I'd go help him on jobs. It's fairly easy to wire an outlet, or a light switch, etc.

I went one time to help him wire a vehicle paint and body shop - WAY out of my league, but I managed to pretty much stay out of the way, and play "step-n-fetchit" in order to be at least marginally useful.

At one point, he calls me over and says, "go up there on that ladder...here, take this voltage meter. I need to make sure the currents going through the wires up there."

Me, being the good little gopher I was, climbs up the ladder, voltage meter in hand.

"Which wire?"

"The black one!"

"Um.....babe? There's three black ones.....which one?"

"Well, if it knocks you off the ladder and sideways about 20 feet, it's the wrong one."

I meekly climbed down the ladder, and decided that electrician's helper was NOT the career for me.
 
Ouch ... I'm glad I got trained on remote testing rather than outside plant /cable.

There was a home improvement show a few years ago with very funny host who advised that if you are doing electrical work and you are not in a cold sweat, you are doing something wrong. I live by her words. ;)
 
Guess it's funny now, but that must of been damned frightening too. I given myself a few buzzes over the years, but DIY EST!? *gentle hugs and kisses*

Electrician's famous last words, "Is it hot?"
 
Glad you are okay...thanks for sharing that....regards...amicus...
 
they say such jolts are good for curing depression....
glad you're ok (a little more 'up' than usual?).
 
Thaks guys :)

I'm ok, just achey. Hope everyone got at least a ghost of the smile. I know they are in short supply all over.

:)
 
Colleen Thomas said:
Thaks guys :)

I'm ok, just achey. Hope everyone got at least a ghost of the smile. I know they are in short supply all over.

:)
I laughed, but I couldn't help feeling guilty for it. :eek:
 
Back
Top