Aw, shit! or You'll never guess what I did now.

So, I was waiting to post this until I had pictures, I figured the evidence would be appreciated, but as I just discovered that the battery pack for my digital camera has gone bad and I'm currently waiting for the dryer to finish so Hubby doesn't have to go to work pantless tomorrow, I figured, "Heck, what better time to post this story?"

Last weekend, after I spend a day feeling, well, quite sick, actually, we decided that it was finally time to put the air conditioner in the dining room window.

Now, if you've never installed a window air conditioner, there's a few things you need to know.
1) They're really friggin' heavy.
2) The bastards don't have anything resembling handles or a piece you should hold it by.
3) It's really, really awkward to put something out a window and then slam the window shut on it so it doesn't fall out.


If you've never seen my house, there's a few things you should know.
1) My dining room is on the 1st floor, but the window is still about 6 feet off the ground.
2) The sidewalk leading to the basement door runs along that side of the house.
3) The basement door is one of those outside slanted kind with steps under it.


If you have seen my house, you probably know where this is leading already.


Anyway, Carl wrestled the a/c unit up from the basement and then we proceeded with the suck-tastic job of actually putting it in the window. It went really well, sat right into the window frame, pulled the window, started adjusting the little accordion thingys on the sides to close up the extra space around it.

Then Carl noticed that lip on the window frame was on the wrong side of the thing on the bottom of the a/c. And here is the part where we should have communicated a little better.

I thought that I was only helping him guide the thing back into place. He thought I was actually holding on to it tight enough to support the weight. Then he let go.

And the air conditioner tore right out of my hands and FELL OUT THE WINDOW!

Now, remember the part about the slanted basement door? That door is right below that window. And for a brief moment, it was right below the falling air conditioner.

The good news is, when the a/c hit the door is bounced slightly and sort of rolled onto the sidewalk, no harm done. The bad news is, the door didn't fair so well.

The thing is, the door is, correction, was, old beadboard plywood. When the a/c hit, it cracked along one of the grooves, almost the whole length of the door.

And that's not even the best part. Replacing it is a pretty big project, not huge, but most of a day. The problem is, due to a coworker of mine being on vacation, Carl and I have not been home at the same time long enough to fix it yet.

Here is the best part. We've had 3 thunderstorms since the door broke. I never thought I'd be glad for that nasty old drain in my basement floor.