The Lock on the Back Door

The lock on the back door has been a source of frustration for months. First it was difficult to open. Then there were days when it was impossible to open, I had to put down everything in my arms to work at it...unsuccessfully...then go around to the front door to get it in. Finally it became impossible to close it without the key.
I have been complaining for months. My husband said that we actually had a new lock still in the package in the basement. Weeks later, he decided to put the lock on.
My husband is a very intelligent man, but he does not enjoy handyman projects. He is extremely perfectionistic, and if anything goes wrong or doesn't line up correctly, he gets upset. Of course, this means that he always gets upset with projects, because Murphy's Law runs rampant in the world.
So, he got the new lock out of the package and got far enough to decide that something was "too long." He was convinced that he couldn't do it, and we would end up with a door which couldn't be locked. He refused to continue unless I knew of someone he could call for help. I was busy with something else at that point, and sort of ignored the fact that he gave up.
Fast forward another month...I didn't go to work today and planned to spend the day cleaning. However, this morning the lock problem occurred to me....well, that would be because the new lock was out of the package and laying in pieces on the kitchen counter that I was trying to straighten up.
Hmmm....why not do this myself?
When I was in high school and we took aptitude tests, the guidance counselor told me with a chuckle that I had wiped out all the guys in the class in the portion of the test on mechanics. He joked that I should be a garage mechanic. That was about 1961. If I were growing up today, the combination of that and my 99th percentile math ability would probably result in the recommendation that I consider mechanical engineering. However, when I was in high school, I was even told that I had to take typing instead of mechanical drawing, because it was more useful to girls. In any event, I was pretty confident of my ability to change the lock on the back door.
My husband was right....there were two screws that were too long. But, the directions indicated that this might be true, and stated that there were break off points on the screws. I didn't have the physical strength to break them off, even with a pliers. But, I went to the basement, put the screws in the vise, and sawed them off to the correct length with a hacksaw.
When my husband came home, the new lock was on and the new key was at his place at the table. He asked if I'd found someone to put it on. I told him that the person in my high school class with the highest aptitude in mechanics had done it. I added that he shouldn't feel bad about that. He laughed and said that he didn't.
Lucky, my husband and I enjoy each others strong suits. He is currently outside mowing the lawn.