I tried to leave my house last night to go to Rachel’s for her annual Oscar party, but found I couldn’t open my front door.

I had been having trouble with the deadbolt, which I diagnosed as a reaction to the frigid temperatures. The doorknob itself had also been temperamental as the spring inside was slowly dying. Still, it usually at least let me open it after some jiggling.

No more. I twisted and pulled, but my door just wouldn’t open. I put a lot more jiggy into it and finally managed to wrench the thing open. I exited, locked up, and then discovered that my garage door wouldn’t open.

I found the key to manually pull it up, got out my car, and got on the road deciding I would deal with it all later.

As of this morning, the garage door still isn’t working and my front door is still being a jerk. I think the garage might just not have any power (part of the fun of living in a complex – not always knowing exactly what’s going on…). I have an assigned parking space (a highly valuable commodity in my complex), so I figured I’d wait out the garage situation for a few days since there’s no snow in the forecast.

The door, though, I could fix. I swung by Home Depot after work, got a new fixture in the ugly brass the HOA wants, and installed it when I got home:

I capitulated on the finish, but changed the style. Being the type to carry all the grocery bags on my arms at once rather than make multiple trips, I wanted the kind of handle I could turn without gripping. We’ll see if I get a letter of non-compliance tucked into my door.

And so I add another repair to my Homeowner Accomplishments list. I also remain glad that I’m at a job where I can do such a thing after work now instead of having to put it off until after the musical.