Mitsubishi Repair: brake lights, blown fuse, pain in the butt

Question
i have a '96 Mits. Galant S.  the brake lights abruptly stopped working last night.  the riding lights work fine, the bulbs appear fine, & the fuses for the headlights, taillights, and brake lights are all fine.  the only related problem i had recently was about 1 week ago the riding lights went out.  it was a blown fuse.  there have been no recent installations that involve the lighting systems.  please help!

Answer
deadpan,
Bulbs are pretty cheap.  I recommend first replacing the bulb and see if that fixes the problem.  If it doesn't, you can be absolute sure to look else where.

There are cables leading from your brake pedal (which are connected into a harness underneath your steering column) all the way back to your brake lights.  If there is a short in one of the wires, or a problem with the harness, that can cause your problem.  If you are familiar with working with a voltmeter, or know someone that is, you can have them check the wiring to see if the lights are actually receiving 12 volts from the harness all the way back to the brake lights.  It's a small pain in the butt to do yourself if you're not familiar, but a LOT cheaper than having a mechanic check it for you.  That is best way to check and find the cause of your brake light failure.
Good luck!