Righteous Anger

Since I seem to be going on about my work lately - why stop when you're on a roll? - let me tell you about a very safe repair that yet managed to set me off yesterday.

I worked on anchoring a cable inside a drain snake for more than a hour Tuesday morning, and so help me if I could get it done. It was something I have done dozens, maybe even a couple hundred times in my life, generally in a matter of minutes, yet that dadburn anchor would not go into place. Despite trying all the tricks that I knew, and you do learn a lot of different approaches even for the same job over time as sometimes one way works, sometimes another, it was total frustration. A complete no-go. I could not get that anchor in place. I finally decided the hell with it and went home for a sandwich and cup of coffee.

After lunch I went back to the old barn still stewing over that bloody miserable repair. But it had to get done, so I might as well get right back at it, you know? And that stupid little so-and-so absolutely popped smack into place. I was done in five minutes.

That actually upset me all the more. I was madder than the proverbial old wet hen. Why in the world did it not go so very easily before? How had I offended the drain snake gods in the morning, that they were nevertheless miraculously appeased by 12:30? Was someone yanking my chain? I had to remind myself, albeit through clenched teeth, that it was a good thing the job was done. Wasn't that what I wanted?

Well, yes. At Ten AM. By early afternoon I had planned on being three repairs or so beyond that anchor, to have it tease me like that. 

I'm still mad. But I'll let it go eventually. Some day.