On IQ, Shocks and Stars.

I needed to replace an old electrical extension lead yesterday (it was all to do with the fan heater which had burst into flames the previous night and which I mentioned on this blog.) Since the length of extension I needed wasn’t a regular one which you can buy complete, I bought the required amount of cable and set about re-wiring the plug at one end and the socket box at the other. I started with the socket box.

Having opened it and unscrewed the cables from the posts, there was a sudden flash and a loud bang which took me quite by surprise. It didn’t take me long to work out why. The other end of the cable was still plugged into the mains and I was holding the thin rubbery coating on exposed live wires. The two copper connections had obviously touched and short-circuited. Fortunately, I wasn’t touching the copper bits or else they would have short-circuited through me. I should have taken the plug out first, shouldn’t I?

So you see, this is the problem with having a high IQ. You tend to forget minor, insignificant things like turning the electricity off first. I was telling Mel tonight about the various times in my life when I got electric shocks or came very close to it. She was very kind and said: ‘Well, you’ve always been a bit adventurous, haven’t you?’

That isn’t it at all. If I can’t blame my high IQ, I reckon it must be due to my being a Sagittarian.