Dan Anderson: Welcome to Never-Never Land

Some accuse me of having a “negative personality,” and say I focus too much on my mistakes. I prefer to think I learn from those mistakes, and take their lessons seriously. Such as:

• Never speak, or even THINK, the phrase, “I’ll come back and tighten this later…” when installing oil drain plugs, oil filters or any other mechanical component.
• Never assume you can remove an oil drain plug, or screw on filter, faster than gravity moves oil. Especially hot oil.
• Never assume a hydraulic line is de-pressurized when loosening a threaded fitting.
• Never check with your finger the alignment of a bolt hole.
• Never weld while wearing sandals, even if you’re “just tacking it.”
• Never trust a farmer who says of his dog, “Oh, he won’t bite.”
• Be skeptical of a female who says, “Just wait in the car, I’ll only be a minute.”
• Never look at your thumb while swinging a hammer.
• Never trust a mechanic who says he doesn’t make mistakes.