37 days. That’s how long it took me to replace this bathroom fan. Not because I’m not handy at DIY, but because bathroom fans are a pain in the ass. There is no standard. The duct faces right on some of them and left on others. Some of them have the electrical knockout on the same side as the duct. Others have it on the opposite side. Finding a fan that has the mounting bracket, electrical knockouts, and duct all in exactly the right place for your particular application is like finding a magical unicorn.

And if you are lucky enough to find one that works in your bathroom, don’t start celebrating. You’re not out of the woods yet. You still need to find a grill that covers the hole left by the old fan. As you can see, I haven’t succeeded there yet, but we have a light and a fan again for the first time in over a month, so I’m calling it a win and moving on with my life. Does everything have to be this difficult?

I’ve always relied on DIY out of necessity. I’ve never had enough money to pay others to do things for me. I still can’t afford to hire anyone to work on my house, but I don’t want to DIY either. I also don’t want to hustle more to be able to afford to pay others to do things for me. So, I’m stuck, spending my time doing shit I don’t want to do.

While fighting with this stupid fan this morning, debating whether to tag in an electrician, I was thinking about how money makes everything a luxury. Don’t want to mow your own lawn? Pay someone to do it for you. Enjoy lawn care? Spend the time and money to DIY and make your lawn look like a country club. I guess what I’m saying is that choices are a luxury, and nothing reminds me of the poor ones I’ve made, like not having any now.