The Hits Just Keep On Coming

I was so happy that we finally got our water turned back on that I took a long leisurely shower and even left the faucet running while brushing my teeth. It was nice to be 'civilized' again. But it didn't last long. Earlier tonight somebody crashed into a pole down at the end of our street, knocking me off the internet and cutting off all cable tv to our entire neighborhood.

So I had to get up and leave my square-headed girlfriend alone for several hours, which wasn't actually a bad thing. It gave me a perfect excuse to get busy putting together that huge workstation/tower I bought last week.

Well, I started assembling the thing, but I swear the directions were written by morons. So many of the steps were out of order that it made no sense whatsoever, and even made it more difficult to put together. I got so frustrated after two hours that I finally gave up for the evening. Luckily, the hardest part is behind me, and I figure just another half hour or so of concentrated effort will get me across the finish line. But if I'd stuck with it straight through, I doubtless would've killed somebody with a screwdriver.

The problem wasn't with the directions as much as it was with the design--it's a cool looking tower when it's all finished, but in order to build it, you need two or three sets of hands and maybe some industrial clamps. It's just a complete pain in the ass--a maze of free-standing parts that have to all click together at once, or the whole thing topples. And it toppled several times. And it's not a lightweight piece of furniture, either. It weighs a ton. And a ton of uncooperative particle board and veneer was just about enough to put me over the edge tonight. Not only that, but the screws needed to attach metal to wood are always in an inaccessable spot--you rip your knuckles on other screws and bolts when trying to make mechanical connections in the order designated by the instruction manual. I swear it'd be easier to rewire an old British sports car with no tools but a coat hanger and a roll of duct tape.

I finally gave up, figuring that I'd finish up tomorrow morning. I'm fairly certain that I used my daily allotment of swear words, anyways.

After throwing in the towel, I sat back down at the computer to see if the internet was available. It was--the cable is back on, the tv works, and the water is flowing. But I'm guessing that our electricity will probably go out tomorrow.

Mikey