There is a running joke that men can’t follow directions… no, that’s not really it… Not can’t but won’t. The bad thing is when men are faced with a task that is generally associated as a “man project”, the directions actually promote the stereotype. An intricate task with minimal information. A few pictures, as if that were all that we needed, because Lord knows we aren’t going to spend our time actually reading anything.
I took on the challenge of replacing my stereo in my car. I’ve done it before, so I knew it was not an 
insurmountable task. I prepared myself, checked out videos, researched forums, and made sure that I would be successful. I even looked at the directions beforehand to make sure there were directions… last thing I wanted to end up with was a hole in my console.
Now, I admit, I didn’t have to look at much in pulling the stereo out (no, I’m not being a stereotypical man… the videos I watched multiple times helped 🙂 ). However, it does seem to be much easier to dismantle something than it does to build. That’s probably true in so many areas of life… love, relationships, goals… whatever they are, break easier than they fix, and end much more simply than they continue. Percentage-wise, I probably spent 20% of my time dismantling the original stereo, and 80% putting in the new one. 
I was feeling pretty confident. Probably too confident. Holding on to the success I have had in the past, I figured it would be a cake walk. Still, I kept the directions, what little there were, close. 
Wires… so many wires… taking the console off was easy. Even removing the actual stereo unit came out without incident. Dealing with the wires, however, that was another story. If there was anything that the directions focused on, thank God, it was the wires. The problem was that on one connector, there were too many wires, and on another, there weren’t enough, and the directions only spoke of some, not all of the wires… what was I to do now? Roll the dice? Trust that the extra hanging wires were really not needed? Well, I had no choice… I could only continue to follow the directions in front of me, and hope for the best.
The new unit went in ok, or so I thought. Another problem arose, because the apparatus to hold the actual stereo had more pieces than I needed, and, you guessed it, no instructions on how to handle all the pieces. This was a serious man project challenge. I would love to say I got it right the first time, but it took a few (ok, a lot) attempts to figure out what I didn’t need. That’s ok, right? I have nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon than to try and try again to get something to work…
Finally, I got it all in, secured, and after a big scare because of a small blown fuse, it is now working. 
Took much longer than I planned, but it was worth it. Yeah, sure I could have taken it to some professional to put it in, but I wouldn’t have had the joy of figuring out the mystery of man project directions :-). I’m not always as good with my hands, say, as my son the repair tech, but every now and then it’s fun doing a stereotypically (no pun intended) “man project”
Notable Notables
One thing I learned growing up with a strong mother, is that there really is nothing men can do that women can’t. For proof, check out Estrella Azul, who is awesome at creating, fixing, and generally all things with her hands (not to mention being a great writer!)
I’ll be assembling a computer desk soon, and I’ll probably have a lot of frustrations (mostly because the directions are always hard to read). I’ve assembled furniture before, but usually by myself. This time, my hubby will be helping. It will be interesting to see if we can do it without getting into an argument! 😛
This was great, very entertaining. And you were right. Women can do things like this! 🙂
it’s amazing that whoever designed “the directions” gets away with such lack of information. 🙂 good luck on the desk (and on no arguments too 🙂 )
I know, right? And Jeff and I haven’t argued yet–not in the almost ten years we’ve been married. I think furniture assembly would be a good test for us. 😉
Ha! Funny 🙂 . Just remember that when you start the project (it should the first part of any instructions 🙂
That looks like fun (for the first few tries). You are such a patient guy, Kenneth, and I’m not only saying this(!), because a truly stereotypical man would’ve just given up and turned to a professional.
Thank you for the mention! You are so sweet, and have just made my start of the week the best imaginable! <3
Most people find it intimidating that I'd jump on any given opportunity to use a nail gun, power drill, help fix a car, tile my own kitchen counter; they'd only give me credit for artistic handmade projects.
I think it's one of the best things for kids to grow up with a strong mother and you are lucky to have her!
Oh, and I'm writing this down now — "However, it does seem to be much easier to dismantle something than it does to build. That’s probably true in so many areas of life… love, relationships, goals… whatever they are, break easier than they fix, and end much more simply than they continue."
Estrella, it was pretty fun, even the challenging parts (and thank you for calling me patient and not stubborn 🙂 )
You were the first person I thought of when I was writing this (well, first outside of my mom, who is awesome! You are too 🙂 ).