Measure Twice...

So, several weeks ago, I made to lower the blinds on my front living room window at dusk. I pulled the cord, but instead of releasing the blinds, the whole thing came crashing down. After a few shellshocked moments-- I was still holding the cord in my hand--I picked the tangled mess up off the floor and examined it. THe housing is cracked and most of the slats are chipped. I managed to get it jammed back into the frame, but you can't raise or lower the blinds or even open the slats wider. Therefore, it needs to be replaced.

So before a recent shopping trip,I asked a certain someone who shall remain nameless to measure my window for me while I was otherwise occupied with preparations. Standing in front of the blinds at (boo... hiss) Walmart, I questioned the measurements the unnamed person had taken, because my windows don't seem particularly unusual, but none of the blinds in the store would have fit. However, the unnamed person insisted that the measurements were right, or very, very close-- possibly off by 1/2 inch, but no more. So, I bought the closest size, anticipating that I would need to mount them on the inside frame of the window, possibly resorting to the use of a shim to ensure that they would fit.

Today, I attempted to mount the blinds and discovered that they are FAR too big. Now they have to go back. Which means another (shudder) trip to Walmart.

Damn you, Unnamed Person! Do we need to have lessons on how to measure a window?