You know, for someone who is active in technology, I am not very good with tools. I can handle stuff I know (like replacing a hard drive in a machine), but cannot change the oil in my car.
So, when my daughter managed to break-off the pull cord for the ceiling fan so that it was no longer outside of the fan, my first inclination was to just replace the whole unit (which would also involve calling an electrician, as 220 is no friend of mine). However, I soon realized that made no sense, and took the thing apart.
As it turns out, the fix was just a $3.99 device, and it took 15 minutes to fix it.
Well, it took two hours, as I had to drive to the store, get the part, bring it home, break it, drive back to the store, get the second part, and then install that.
But, it was well worth it!