For the last 42 years, the same light fixture has hung in the entryway of my apartment. An interior designer with seriously questionable judgment picked it out for my grandmother in 1966 (along with the avocado colored half table and a beaded curtain to divide the kitchen from the dining room). By the time I came along, it was truly dated, dirty and generally not in the world’s greatest shape. It was also a hazard to anyone over six feet tall, as the tip dangled down to forehead height.

Scott is a fairly tall guy, so he was constantly avoiding the light fixture. About a month ago, we started seriously considering replacing it (along with the one over the dining room table) and then last weekend, I decided to just go ahead and buy a new one. I searched around and found one that was inoffensively modern and place the order. It arrived Wednesday and Scott decided to put it up right then and there.

Using my eight-year-old 16-in-one screwdriver, he took the old one down.

Soon we were left with a hole in the ceiling. Lucky for us, the bits used to connect and install light fixtures 42 years ago are essentially identical to the ones that are used now, so everything fit perfectly.

And here we have Scott, standing under the new light fixture, which hangs far out of head hitting range. Here’s hoping that this is the first of many apartment improvements we’ll make.