One thing Jessica and I have in common is this ability to come up with a comeback in the moment. The thing is that the desire to say the lines in inappropriate settings is difficult to resist. Jess is trying her best not to get out of hand, but this is one of her most favorite things in life. I actually had another line I wanted to use on this page but it would have required more page to make it land correctly, so I just let it go for now.

Mom ordered a new mailbox and I replaced the old one with it today. People kept jamming packages int the old one so hard that even I struggled to get them back out, so she got one larger than the typical shipping boxes they use for most things. I can only imagine that we’ll just end up with boxes the next size up jammed in the box now, but that remains to be seen. I put large, clearly readable, numbers on each side of the box. The old ones were smaller and also gold, so it was actually fairly hard to read them. Hopefully the new font will curtail some of the misplacement of our mail. The post also has the numbers on it, but it’s like they are invisible to some people.
When I went to do this task I found the tool cabinet in such a state that I couldn’t find any of the tools I needed. The chuck is missing for the drill, which is also an ancient corded drill, so I would have to have strung an extension cord all the way to the mailbox. Since I couldn’t find the chuck I couldn’t change the bit though, so I just didn’t bother. I found a small, rechargeable, screwdriver that mom had purchased at some point. It looked so meager that I didn’t have much hope for it being able to speed up the process. To my surprise it had enough torque for all but one of the screws holding the old box to the post. I got the last one out with a regular screwdriver, which took as long as all the other screws combined. I have not idea what gave this last screw such staying power, but it was a worthy adversary. After that I used my dremmel to drill guide holes for the new box. It’s not a super effective drill since it isn’t really designed to be one but it works well enough for simple tasks. Still, I now know that the house needs a decent cordless drill. I don’t mind the old corded one, but not having to deal with the extra steps would be better. I have a vague memory of owning a cordless drill at one point, but if I ever really did I have no idea what became of it. In fairness I have no idea how I ended up with my Dremmel either. I tend not to remember details about things I’m not super interested in. It’s actually kind of bugging me now because I remember using a drill at all of my old jobs that didn’t belong to the employer… Did I lose my drill? Did I ever have a drill? I simply can’t remember. I’ve been using that Dremmel for as long as I can remember and the battery is so good I’ve only charged it maybe ten times in twenty years. The quality of that battery is impressive.
It’s not like we need tools all the time, but I do actually know how to repair a lot of minor things around the house, so it would be good to have tools handy. I used to have an old tool set… Maybe it’s in my truck. I haven’t looked in its toolbox in years. I bet that’s where all my other tools are. I kept some tools in the truck all the time for emergencies. I can’t even remember the last time I thought about that either. I’ve always used smaller tools for everyday use which I keep in my tackle box.
I’m really stuck on this drill question. I have a vague memory of owning a drill. Did my brain just make it up? I can’t believe I can’t remember for sure.

Well, I can’t waste my time on that question right now. I hope your week starts off nice. I’ll be back on Wednesday with more comic. Until then, Mario Golf: Advance Tour.

14 Comments

Chucks are for amateurs; do it by hand, you coward! Just kidding, but you actually can do it by hand, one of the few things I retain from my dad trying to teach me to be as mechanically-inclined as him.

yep, an Allen key in the hole as leverage and a flathead screwdriver to put in a notch and then lever it open. Good old days :)

If you do ever find the chuck key the best thing to do with it is to permanently tie it to the power cord on the end of a 10″ leather cord. 10″ is about right for being able to use it without being long enough to be a pain.
(Don’t use a wire or chain, I’ve seen that done and it’s not pretty what happens if the wire slips into a gap when it’s not plugged in properly.)

I should really just run a tool library from my shed as I have so many things that have only been used once or twice, but the admin…

Also, no use for you on the other side of an ocean, but I wanted to say hi and send “yer Maw” all the best from Scotland.

I do actually refer to my parents as Maw & Paw, fighting stereotypes isn’t a hot button issue for me!

Love her face in the first panel.

…dammit, Mike, I really can’t support you after that one. You can’t just walk into this sort of thing on your own and expect sympathy.

I would start doing it on purpose, just to bait her.

precisely!!

As for the mailbox adventure, the best tool for any job is the one that works. If the Dremel pulls it off, congratulations; you found the right tool

I have a heavy duty corded drill. When you need it, you need it. On the other hand an inexpensive cordless drill will do 99% of the stuff and most of them have a keyless chuck. Dremels go more for speed than torque but if you are willing to work at it you can do a lot of things.

With the right people, stupid innuendo talk is so much fun. The ‘right people’ being, those who know you’re just engaging in wordplay, for fun, not because you genuinely want to do any of that with them (or anyone!). Jess is definitely ‘right people’, as is Nina, and probably Carol too. Thomas? Hard to tell – he might play along a bit but get to overthinking whether you mean it or not.

I’m feeling concern for her ears. Looks like they’re about to catch fire! Haha

Really great job with the facial expressions here, love it.

I would recommend Ryobi, because its relatively inexpensive, and they have a very extensive line of tools that all take the same battery. They’ve actually kept the same battery geometry when they went to lithium, so the new batteries work on 20 year old 18v tools- that you might find at a pawn shop or garage sale cheap.
If you just want good, relatively light, and lots of choices, m12 Milwaukee 12v tools are good. But not cheap.

3048 Don’t Mind It On My Account.

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