A hole story with pickles on the side.

I’ve always thought epiphany* was a neat word.  (*A sudden realization about the nature or meaning of something, often due to a trigger event.)

I’m embarrassed to report that it wasn’t until my early forties that I actually realized a pickle and a cucumber were the same vegetable.   It’s funny, I like pickles, but I detest cucumbers.  Is that strange?

That’s the side story, the real epiphany is how to drill a hole through a floor with wall-wall carpeting.

At some point in your life, you or a friend may want to run a telephone or computer cable between floors.  You may think, no big deal, grab the drill, and go… Here’s the thing though: drill through a carpet, the bit grabs multiple threads that will rip several inches along a seam… not a good thing, and your wife will be VERY UNHAPPY.

So here’s how to do it.  Take an exacto knife, and cut an X, each line should be about 3 inches long.  Then take a half used spool of electrical tape, lift and pull back the 4 “flaps” created by the X, then place the tape spool in middle.  It holds the flaps out of the way, and provides a nice little open area for you to work with, like the network surgeon you are.

Now you can drill through the floor without destroying the carpet… once the wire is run through, just remove the spool and flatten out the carpet.  You may need some glue, but probably not.

It’s as close to invisible as you’re likely to get.  Bonne chance!