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Jo mentioned that she wanted me to take down the plastic diffuser for the fluorescent light fixture in the hallway so that she could clean it..  Sounds easy right?

When I started to remove the diffuser, it became apparent that the light fixture was a bodge job.  The light fixture was an old surface mount unit that was repurposed (poorly) to be used in a suspended ceiling.  The old light fixture was wedged in place and just sitting on top of the diffuser.   The fixture itself had seen better days, the ballasts were starting to leek tar, the tube sockets were broken and the frame was bent.  The wiring that feed the fixture also had some serious problems.  Missing  box cover and cable clamps were the first sign of problems.  When I was inspecting the condition of the wiring the wire nuts fell off and the wires came apart.

Luckily the opening in suspended ceiling grid was a standard size (1' x 4') and I could purchase a new fixture to fit  After cleaning up the wiring issue, the new fixture was wiggled into place in the ceiling grid and wired in.

So it wasn't a 5 minute job as originally assumed, but at least now the fixture looks good, works good and is no longer a fire hazard.  I'd like to have a conversation with the person that originally installed the light fixture.