the price I pay

 The last couple days I have been talking about tech and doing it yourself. Today I hope to perform that self install of internet and television services. I could have scheduled a technician to do that, I guess, not sure with this covid stuff if that is still a thing, but I didn't even consider that. I just agreed to the disclaimer that if I couldn't do it and needed a tech later, it would cost one hundred dollars! Well, I see that as an opportunity to save a hundred. Hey, how hard can it be, the cable is already run from the pole to the house.

 I was asked why I don't just pay the tech and get it over and down with. Why don't I save myself the stress and aggravation? The answer isn't because I'm cheap! Yeah, I've been told that a few times but that comes from the incompetents! That's my judgement anyway and yes, I judge people based on the things they say and do. Don't judge me though. But the reason I don't just hire someone to do it is a simple one, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. If that involves learning how to do it, that's what I will do. Been that way most of my life. You could say it's a family tradition, heritage even. I come from a long line of self sufficient, independent, hard working people. Also a long line of people that couldn't afford to just hire someone every time something broke or they wanted something. No, we learned to make do, repair it, build it, or just do without. That's the way it worked at my house, for the most part. As a result, I have acquired a range of skills, but wouldn't call myself a master at any one of them. Yup, a jack of all trades and master at none. I think it is a fair description. 

 Now as the tech increased the ability to do all of that gets reduced. Today, for instance, should the television quit working there isn't much I can do about that. Check for power is about it. Forty years ago I could have checked to be sure all the tubes were lit up and working. I have replaced a few over the years, no need to call the tv repair man. It's the same with a lot of other things today. On the old cars I could fix just about any part on there. Today you have to replace the broken component, if you can figure out exactly what that is. Takes a laptop computer sometimes to pinpoint that. Back in the day you could listen with a piece of pipe and diagnosis the issue. That's the problem with all this tech, the ability to repair it is limited, not by the person, but by the ability to repair it altogether. Generally, today, you can only replace the part, not repair the part.

 You know it is a funny thing though, I was told that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. The truth of that is, if you want something done to your satisfaction, you have to do it yourself. It may or may not be right! Doesn't matter if you did it yourself though, you got it done to your satisfaction. That's what important in this scenario. Now that I have grown older, not old, just older, I have taken to paying others to do certain things. I take the car to get the oil changed for instance. Then I'm hoping the guy doesn't screw that up. That's the thing with other people, sometimes they just don't do things the right way. The only right way is the way I do it! In the Navy we used to say, there is the right way, the wrong way, and the Navy way. 

 I have wondered over the years if I came from a family that had simply hired people to do everything what that would be like. Is that the people that don't know how to so anything? We have all met those folks, helpless with the simplest of things. During my brief job at Lowes store, in the electrical department, I had a person ask me if I could rewire a lamp. Yes, a simple table lamp, one bulb. The person explained he didn't know what wire to put where. I figured there was no use trying to explain and simply said, we don't do that here. I referred him to the lighting center next door where they offer that service. I've heard of people hiring a plumber to install faucets or a sink or because they had a leaking pipe. I've heard of people hiring electricians because a breaker tripped or they needed an additional receptacle. I've even heard of people paying to have a tire changed. 

 I figure it must be hard to live that way, dependent on others all the time. I wonder what they do if they can't afford to hire someone or if someone isn't available to help. What a lonely feeling that must be. I have hired a technician to work on my computer and I didn't like that at all. It wasn't so much the cost, although that was crazy, but the fact that I had no idea what he was talking about. I could have been easily talked into anything and maybe I was. I don't like that feeling at all. No, I'll just do it myself. I have an entire internet to gather the information I need. If you really want to learn how to do something, you have to do it. Once you learn, no one else ever does it right. It's the curse of independence. It's the price I pay.