patndoris TechnoGeek

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Visualize Friday night: When party goers are headed out for the night, I'm lugging two boxes of flooring left over from my previous projects up the steps. For such a small room, two boxes ought to cover it just fine. Of course, I'm ready to do it right then and I'd forgotten it really should be at the same temperature as the rest of the house. Having been stored in my garage for almost 8 months, it was a wee bit frozen...but that was surely OK. So I rapidly and dare I say (almost) expertly go about laying the floor, moving the existing computer desk (fully loaded with PC scanner and printer) out of the way as I go. Imagine one of those little puzzles you may have had as a child where you move the numbers about trying to get them in order...well that was me! I'm using my paint stirrer as a straight edge, as I've managed to pack away my ruler with all the other stuff moved out of the room. But still, I triumph! And I don't even slice any of my fingers off with the knife I'm using! Progress is swift...uh...up until I run out of flooring...3 feet from the edge of the room. I go to bed praying the home improvement store has not decided to discontinue it.

Saturday: Morning comes and before heading out to the store - assembly of the new desk seems like a good idea. Parts are carefully removed from the box and the base is put together in the living room. Just on a whim...better be sure it's going to fit through the door. Well low and behold! If I take the door off the hinges it will! So the base alone is carefully maneuvered through the door (still on it's hinges) on it's side and placed on the (not yet completed) floor. Oh joy - two things to work around later to finish the flooring. Now in a small room, building the new desk with the old one in there's going to be a challenge. But hey - I've come this far.... So I go slice the tape, on the box leaned up against the wall - you know (grin) - the one with the pretty glass top in it. As I start to open it...I'm greeted with the tinkling waterfall of a billion tiny little bells....oh, I mean shards of shattered glass...falling all over the carpet in a seemingly unending cascade. Of course, customer service is closed until Monday so the base of the new desk and the entire old one will have to live amicably for a few days.

This throws a wee bit of a wrench into the plans to get the storage cabinet and chair...as there's not enough room for all that furniture. So I head out to the home improvement store to get a couple (dozen) things. Flooring is still in stock, and my calculations on 1/4 round molding turn out to be on the mark - less than 6" left when complete! So the rest of the day isn't a total loss.

New glass arrives (in one piece) on Friday. Not bad since it had to ship from California. Assembly begins once again. But why doesn't the glass fit down snugly on the brackets? There's way too much space to try and bolt it on. Hmmm...seems like the front isn't level with the back....oh crap....those round things were supposed to go on the bottom of the legs (wondered what the heck they were for!)...BEFORE the screw went in from the bottom and the casters were installed. Careful not to break the glass the desk gets turned over and minor surgery is done to correct the oversight. Desk assembly continues smoothly after just that slight mishap. I brought home the chair with me so things are moving along much more nicely now.

Saturday: Use someones pickup truck and get storage cabinet. Oh sure! We can get the 36" wide x 78" high 18 gauge steel monster in the house without using the hand truck. It only has to go up 3 steps outside and 9 more inside - then down a hall and into the room. Let me tell you - first, though not terribly heavy those things are really bulky. Second - the bottom edge where the steel is unfinished - can slice through skin like a Ginsu knife. Finally, steel may be strong, but it bends if you try to lift the cabinet from the open bottom. And backing up the steps while you try to move the beast is a bit tiring. None the less it was in and all filled up in no time. All the junk (er - important stuff I had been saving) fit in beautifully (after no less than 20 trips up and down the 14 steps to the family room to bring all the stuff back upstairs.)

Saturday afternoon: 12-1/2 year old male offspring comfortably ensconced at his new desk, in his nifty new highly ergonomic and fully adjustable office chair, back online and loving life. Job done!

I wish the picture was a little better - camera phone is adequate for quick shots but you really can't tell what a pretty shade the walls are...."Spring Mist" a light greenish-blue and you can't see the floor, which is natural oak color. But I think you get the idea - the ugly wallpaper and junk are gone and it looks relatively decent all things considered.