[Elecraft] One of my stupid mistakes

[HSHERRIFF at sc.rr.com]

Ok, I had just graduated "electronics" trade school. You know, 20 
months of intense training in everything from component identification 
to superhet receiver theory, to radar fundamentals. It was in 1970 
just before I entered the military.

I was visiting my parents home in Florida on a humid summer day. My 
parent's new TV was making some strange "arcing" sounds coming from 
around the picture tube high voltage lead. Yep, the humidity was 
making it easy for the voltage to "jump" to the chassis. Well, my Dad 
was reclining in his favorite recliner, watching me take the back off 
the TV. I borrowed a screwdriver (an oil impregnated wooden handled 
kind) from him. My technical expertise said, "just move the HV lead 
away from the chassis where it is arcing". So, that is what I started 
to do, with the set on, so I could monitor my efforts. Naturally, the 
screwdriver conducted the 15+ thousand volts to ME. The next thing I 
remember was him laughing at me after I picked myself up from the 
other side of the room....... saying, "yep, you are going to make one 
heck of a technician".

73 Harlan KI4IDA