Being handy

While I have handled most of the immediate tasks from the move (though I only have purchased the sewing machine and have not actually sew up the new curtains), it turned out that the light in the study was just not adequate.  It was some track lighting from Ikea, but the filaments that held the bulbs on were not strong enough.  One of them snapped off while I was changing the bulb, and then another bulb burned out.  I decided enough was enough, and I decided to change the lighting fixture.  My wife wasn't sure I was up to the task, but this is a relatively simple home improvement job.  Or at least it should have been.

I don't even like track lighting particularly, so I found a simple overhead light.  What is different about this is that the lighting unit is all one piece with a LED lamp inside, so there are no bulbs to change.  Supposedly this will last up to 30 years, though I have my doubts.  I suppose I'll have to see if there is some warranty card.

It looked like a 20 minute project, though just as I was about to get the bracket mounted to the electrical box, the screw head sheared off.  It appears to be a cheaply made aluminum screw, which annoyed me to no end.  It would have cost $0.15 more to put in steel screws or something a bit sturdier.  Then it took close to 45 minutes removing the broken-off screw from the bracket.

I also think it was foolish not to have some kind of hook built into the bracket to rest the unit while connecting the wiring.  So that took longer than expected, since I essentially had to do everything with one hand, while holding the unit up by the mounting bracket.

Still, it seems to be working well.  Here are the before and after photos.

The rest of the day was spent getting groceries, taking my daughter swimming, buying a rake to rake up the many leaves in the yard, and now I can take a bit of a break, though not as long as I would like...