ARGH! My driver's door handle broke.

[COBALT]

This was my afternoon:

I needed to cut some cement blocks and trim up the asphault in my driveway before the pavers come to finish my sewer line project, so I left work early, grabbed the truck, and ran to the equipment rental place to get a saw and a couple of blades.

I pull into the parking lot, and go to lock my door. Something's wierd with the button on the handle, so I push it, and it immediately breaks with the hardware falling into the inside of the door with a loud CLANG.

I should have taken this as a warning.

It takes me forever to get the saw, and the store lost the blocks I had on special order, so I waste 45 minutes waiting around. After forgetting to roll down my window I climb through the passenger side to get behind the wheel. I rush home (daylight is fading), and set up to make the cuts. Then I tried starting the saw.

It's a basic chainsaw engine. Choke, compression release, trigger with lock, and a rope you pull. EASY. The damn thing wouldn't start. I pulled on that thing forever.

Since the dude started it in the parking lot before handing it to me, I thought maybe I was being a dumb-ass and there was some hidden trick. I called the shop and explained how I was trying to start it, and of course he tells me I was doing everything right. Realizing I didn't have enough time to mess with the spark plug, etc. I decided to give it another try.

...so I hang up determined as ever. I give it a yank and it FIRES! But then it sputters and quits before I can open the choke, so I go to start it again, and the damn ROPE HANDLE BREAKS OFF IN MY HAND.

You could literally hear the steam comming off my head. I just dropped the handle next to the saw, and paced for a couple of minutes trying not to blow a fuse.

Luckily the rental place took the saw, and didn't charge me. By then it was dark. A full afternoon wasted.

Of course I forgot to roll down my window again, so when I went to go home I had to crawl in through the passenger side before I could go home....

What a day.