it's awfully nice to be told that even though i've barely played the sarangi i brought back from india 14 years ago in that expanse of time, i'm not really a beginner.
the teacher uses a slightly different hold on the bow than i'm used to, which will take some retraining on my part. also, time to build up the cuticles again - on a sarangi, the strings are not held down like a violin but pressed against from the side; my new teacher is okay with using the nail, the cuticle or the finger just above the nail but i was trained to use the cuticle. after almost an hour of playing, my left hand was vibrating slightly and my cuticles were definitely sore.
and of course, i need to practice practice.
the teacher also gives suzuki-style lessons on guitar and violin for young children; i'm taking boo with me in a couple of weeks to see if he's interested in picking something up.
Friday, September 29, 2006
jeepers i've been busy
so this has been my week:
sunday - work
monday - clean house, get estimate on replacing basement windows, get call to work on wed & thurs, take kid to playground. catch something sinusy.
tuesday - try to get over sinus thing, continue cleaning house, get another estimate on windows
wednesday - work
thursday - work, see doctor for sinus thing (including getting snipped at by reception for being five minutes late, which was due to printer freezing up computer while trying to print out directions to office plus arguing with kid that yes we really need to go, then waiting an hour for my appointment anyway), do volunteer laundry for kid's classroom
today - sarangi lesson. actually found someone in the area who teaches this! call chosen company to start process on basement windows. might check out home improvement show at convention center, although we're trying to finish basement on the cheap and these shows always roll out the top-shelf stuff.
saturday - work, maybe attend indian dance performance afterwards if the kid is interested.
sunday - off, but feel guilty about not doing anything about high holy days. although i'm exempt from fasting this year anyway, woohoo pregnancy.
i'm flipping tired. next week i have another insane week of two days volunteering with school's library, two weekdays of work plus working both saturday and sunday. i am clinging on to a nonscheduled thursday like it's nobody's business. (don't know when i'll be able to schedule sarangi lesson, though.)
also, the exploding plastic board has been nigh-incomprehensible to me for about a week.
sunday - work
monday - clean house, get estimate on replacing basement windows, get call to work on wed & thurs, take kid to playground. catch something sinusy.
tuesday - try to get over sinus thing, continue cleaning house, get another estimate on windows
wednesday - work
thursday - work, see doctor for sinus thing (including getting snipped at by reception for being five minutes late, which was due to printer freezing up computer while trying to print out directions to office plus arguing with kid that yes we really need to go, then waiting an hour for my appointment anyway), do volunteer laundry for kid's classroom
today - sarangi lesson. actually found someone in the area who teaches this! call chosen company to start process on basement windows. might check out home improvement show at convention center, although we're trying to finish basement on the cheap and these shows always roll out the top-shelf stuff.
saturday - work, maybe attend indian dance performance afterwards if the kid is interested.
sunday - off, but feel guilty about not doing anything about high holy days. although i'm exempt from fasting this year anyway, woohoo pregnancy.
i'm flipping tired. next week i have another insane week of two days volunteering with school's library, two weekdays of work plus working both saturday and sunday. i am clinging on to a nonscheduled thursday like it's nobody's business. (don't know when i'll be able to schedule sarangi lesson, though.)
also, the exploding plastic board has been nigh-incomprehensible to me for about a week.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
important parenting milestone
my son has his first whoopee cushion.
in fact, he chose this over (yet another) toy train.
right now he is attempting to prank his grandparents over the phone with it.
in fact, he chose this over (yet another) toy train.
right now he is attempting to prank his grandparents over the phone with it.
target managed to do it
yes, tarjhay has made my shitlist for having a stupid, stupid policy.
last week was their 'baby sale', so i went in to get a carseat/stroller combo and a pack and play. once in the store, i chose a different carseat/stroller combo than i originally intended to buy - it was less bulky, less gender-specfic, and about $40 cheaper than the other set - without being on sale. and yes, i will say i was cheerfully helped by a couple of associates - the combo wouldn't fit in a shopping cart, so they loaded a flat cart for me (combo is also unwieldy when you have a huge belly), wheeled it up to the register, and helped me put it in my car.
i remember seeing something odd about the listing on the combo i purchased, so i brought it up on target's website a couple of days later. and then i see that the combo i've paid $99 for is now $69. i fire up the printer, document the new price, and head over to the store.
that's when i get told that it is not at $69 at the store, it's still $99, so i can't have a price adjustment.
problem in my view is that the website says "$69.99," and right underneath that says "also in stores." both in nice red text. nothing indicating that this is a web-only special. excuse of target store supervisor and person from 1-877 number: "prices may vary by location," in much smaller print a good distance from the price. also, i would only be entitled to a price adjustment if the item was in the weekly printed flyer, which this wasn't. (does this mean if the physical item in the store had a lower price than last week, but wasn't in the circular, no price adjustment??)
target, don't be stupid. don't encourage your customers to use your website for product research and then not match prices on items available online and instores. it sets up your customers to be disappointed, it sets your store associates for confrontations on a pretty dumb policy, and in general it just leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
last week was their 'baby sale', so i went in to get a carseat/stroller combo and a pack and play. once in the store, i chose a different carseat/stroller combo than i originally intended to buy - it was less bulky, less gender-specfic, and about $40 cheaper than the other set - without being on sale. and yes, i will say i was cheerfully helped by a couple of associates - the combo wouldn't fit in a shopping cart, so they loaded a flat cart for me (combo is also unwieldy when you have a huge belly), wheeled it up to the register, and helped me put it in my car.
i remember seeing something odd about the listing on the combo i purchased, so i brought it up on target's website a couple of days later. and then i see that the combo i've paid $99 for is now $69. i fire up the printer, document the new price, and head over to the store.
that's when i get told that it is not at $69 at the store, it's still $99, so i can't have a price adjustment.
problem in my view is that the website says "$69.99," and right underneath that says "also in stores." both in nice red text. nothing indicating that this is a web-only special. excuse of target store supervisor and person from 1-877 number: "prices may vary by location," in much smaller print a good distance from the price. also, i would only be entitled to a price adjustment if the item was in the weekly printed flyer, which this wasn't. (does this mean if the physical item in the store had a lower price than last week, but wasn't in the circular, no price adjustment??)
target, don't be stupid. don't encourage your customers to use your website for product research and then not match prices on items available online and instores. it sets up your customers to be disappointed, it sets your store associates for confrontations on a pretty dumb policy, and in general it just leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
i am in big, big trouble
yesterday when picking the kid up from kindergarten, i was holding the 3-month-old brother of one of his classmates while the baby's mom was carrying something into the school.
"mom! you had the baby while i was in school!"
um, no honey, this is your friend's little brother. the baby is still in my belly. (oh, to have delivery go that fast....)
"i want her to come out right now."
um, no honey, you don't, because she'd be very sick if she did.
"mom, you cannot hold other babies until beatrice comes out."
sigh.
a little less fussy today, in fact we had a delightful post-school visit to the science museum and then to the grocery store ("what if they don't have alphabet noodles? then we'll have to twist the noodles into letters by hand!"), then home to make alphabet soup and cheesy bread. boo decided it was not just dinner but a surprise party for daddy.
"mom! you had the baby while i was in school!"
um, no honey, this is your friend's little brother. the baby is still in my belly. (oh, to have delivery go that fast....)
"i want her to come out right now."
um, no honey, you don't, because she'd be very sick if she did.
"mom, you cannot hold other babies until beatrice comes out."
sigh.
a little less fussy today, in fact we had a delightful post-school visit to the science museum and then to the grocery store ("what if they don't have alphabet noodles? then we'll have to twist the noodles into letters by hand!"), then home to make alphabet soup and cheesy bread. boo decided it was not just dinner but a surprise party for daddy.
Monday, September 18, 2006
first things first
here's boo on his first day of school:
he doesn't look it, but he's excited and in a good mood. i'm the one holding back tears. he's been enjoying his days in kindergarten, but since he's only been to a few one-week programs this summer he's not quite getting the concept that he'll be going for several months.
the first couple of days he came back tired and wanted to come home right afterwards, have a snack, and stay quiet. toward the end of the week he was ready to go on some adventures after school.
next week 'the mommies' will start having coffee together, so hopefully after-school playdates may be arranged. we're also considering starting him on an allowance system, as he otherwise asks for new toys on a pretty ridiculously frequent basis and we'd like him to get to connect this more with behavior and 'earning'. maybe the other families are doing something similar.
other bits: i've had two days of training at my new job, and my first day behind the desk will be this upcoming sunday. so far it looks good. i've already splurged on two pairs of comfy shoes and a nice (readable!) watch; the sum of which is more than i'll probably earn in a month. so who needs an allowance, really?
i've had a hard time making jewelry i'm happy with lately. i gave myself last week off but will get back to it this week.
he doesn't look it, but he's excited and in a good mood. i'm the one holding back tears. he's been enjoying his days in kindergarten, but since he's only been to a few one-week programs this summer he's not quite getting the concept that he'll be going for several months.
the first couple of days he came back tired and wanted to come home right afterwards, have a snack, and stay quiet. toward the end of the week he was ready to go on some adventures after school.
next week 'the mommies' will start having coffee together, so hopefully after-school playdates may be arranged. we're also considering starting him on an allowance system, as he otherwise asks for new toys on a pretty ridiculously frequent basis and we'd like him to get to connect this more with behavior and 'earning'. maybe the other families are doing something similar.
other bits: i've had two days of training at my new job, and my first day behind the desk will be this upcoming sunday. so far it looks good. i've already splurged on two pairs of comfy shoes and a nice (readable!) watch; the sum of which is more than i'll probably earn in a month. so who needs an allowance, really?
i've had a hard time making jewelry i'm happy with lately. i gave myself last week off but will get back to it this week.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
busy busy week
the kid started kindergarten this week. i started a new job. in fact, getting ready to go back to job right now. more later!
Thursday, September 07, 2006
another customer service shout-out
hey kids, are you like me? do you like office supplies and things that make you feel organized?
well, i'm starting an on-call position next week in which i could be working regular or children's reference at two branches, on a sporadic schedule. so it was time to get a datebook.
thanks to outblushoutblush, a nifty site i visit daily for eyecandy, i found rusell and hazel. outblush had listed a little magnetic bird that sits on your desk and keeps paperclips in order. when i visted the site, i saw the r&h specializes in datebooks and planners in put-together kits. franklin covey for the chic, per se.
so i ordered a (surprise) orange minidate book and smartset, and some pockets to fit in the binder. got the confirmation email right away, and noted the bit about 'you will receive another email when your order is in transit. meanwhile, you can check on the status of your order at.... (long url).' small problem with the status check: r&h uses yahoo's shopping platform, and if you're not logged into a yahoo account when you place the order, it can't go back and find the status. and after a week, no in-transit email arrived, so this morning i called r&h to enquire.
friendly person on phone couldn't see a shipping status for my order and conferred with colleague. they suspected their fulfillment company hadn't sent it out because they were printing the 2007/2008 calendar tags and were going to start sending orders with the new tags shortly. oh, i said, i was hoping to get this soon because i'm starting a new job next week. they promptly offered to send my order with the 2006/7 tags, refund the shipping, and get it to me by monday. i'm happy with that.
about fifteen minutes later my phone rings. it's r&h, they have found my order and tracked it, and it should be arriving today - which it did.
nice packaging! sleek and simple like apple's. all products banded together, fronted by a thank you note, and wrapped in a sheet of tissue paper. i just spent a few delightful moments filling out calendar pages until the end of the year.
c'mon, if you read my blog you're likely to be as big a geek as i am about nifty office supplies.
well, i'm starting an on-call position next week in which i could be working regular or children's reference at two branches, on a sporadic schedule. so it was time to get a datebook.
thanks to outblushoutblush, a nifty site i visit daily for eyecandy, i found rusell and hazel. outblush had listed a little magnetic bird that sits on your desk and keeps paperclips in order. when i visted the site, i saw the r&h specializes in datebooks and planners in put-together kits. franklin covey for the chic, per se.
so i ordered a (surprise) orange minidate book and smartset, and some pockets to fit in the binder. got the confirmation email right away, and noted the bit about 'you will receive another email when your order is in transit. meanwhile, you can check on the status of your order at.... (long url).' small problem with the status check: r&h uses yahoo's shopping platform, and if you're not logged into a yahoo account when you place the order, it can't go back and find the status. and after a week, no in-transit email arrived, so this morning i called r&h to enquire.
friendly person on phone couldn't see a shipping status for my order and conferred with colleague. they suspected their fulfillment company hadn't sent it out because they were printing the 2007/2008 calendar tags and were going to start sending orders with the new tags shortly. oh, i said, i was hoping to get this soon because i'm starting a new job next week. they promptly offered to send my order with the 2006/7 tags, refund the shipping, and get it to me by monday. i'm happy with that.
about fifteen minutes later my phone rings. it's r&h, they have found my order and tracked it, and it should be arriving today - which it did.
nice packaging! sleek and simple like apple's. all products banded together, fronted by a thank you note, and wrapped in a sheet of tissue paper. i just spent a few delightful moments filling out calendar pages until the end of the year.
c'mon, if you read my blog you're likely to be as big a geek as i am about nifty office supplies.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Oh Qwest
I remember on my mac
DSL dead - no getting it back
shadows of a LAN,
the wifi is no-go
trying to reboot
the light stays off so
calling Qwest, expect delay
said they'd send a guy on Labor Day
thought it was a lie like Comcast would give me
I never realized how happy you'd make me
oh Qwest
well you came and you fixed without faking
even on Labor Day oh Qwest,
well you tested and found the bad cabling
and rerouted today, oh Qwest
Comcast would have wasted time
And claimed that all the fault was mine
caught up in bad customer service
frustration in my mind but you did right by us
oh Qwest,
well you came and you fixed without wasting
and you even came early oh Qwest,
well you stopped my DSL from shaking
and I need you today.....
Qwest, after many times of being blown off by Comcast when I've had tech issues, you not only:
1) admitted the problem was with our line, and not our doing
2) had a repair tech available on a holiday
3) had a tech who showed up early
4) had a tech who solved the problem that day, and replaced our phone jack just because it was old - not because it was the problem
Qwest, THIS ONE'S FOR YOU, WHEREVER YOU ARRRRRE.....
You earned a Golden Barry!
DSL dead - no getting it back
shadows of a LAN,
the wifi is no-go
trying to reboot
the light stays off so
calling Qwest, expect delay
said they'd send a guy on Labor Day
thought it was a lie like Comcast would give me
I never realized how happy you'd make me
oh Qwest
well you came and you fixed without faking
even on Labor Day oh Qwest,
well you tested and found the bad cabling
and rerouted today, oh Qwest
Comcast would have wasted time
And claimed that all the fault was mine
caught up in bad customer service
frustration in my mind but you did right by us
oh Qwest,
well you came and you fixed without wasting
and you even came early oh Qwest,
well you stopped my DSL from shaking
and I need you today.....
Qwest, after many times of being blown off by Comcast when I've had tech issues, you not only:
1) admitted the problem was with our line, and not our doing
2) had a repair tech available on a holiday
3) had a tech who showed up early
4) had a tech who solved the problem that day, and replaced our phone jack just because it was old - not because it was the problem
Qwest, THIS ONE'S FOR YOU, WHEREVER YOU ARRRRRE.....
You earned a Golden Barry!
Friday, September 01, 2006
little impressive thing, or one more mac-fan post
i just saw something nifty. i was syncing my mac mini and my cell phone so that my mac had the phone's current contacts list, as it's likely that boodad and i will be changing to local numbers on our phones this weekend or sometime soon. syncing via bluetooth is a pretty nice feature. anyway, i noticed that the little sync progress panel showed the correct model of my phone - not just a generic cell phone icon.
no, i don't know if windows does the same thing, as none of our windows boxes has bluetooth. but anyway.
now i'm off to sync my iPod with iCal.... iYiyiyiyi.
no, i don't know if windows does the same thing, as none of our windows boxes has bluetooth. but anyway.
now i'm off to sync my iPod with iCal.... iYiyiyiyi.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
subtle, eh?
okay, so sometimes i like to chew gum. inner 12-year-old, freudian whatevers, yadda yadda. usually i like orbit's citrusmint, since it's got a nice slim package and tastes kinda like orange tictacs. but i saw this new brand at the grocery today and decided to give it a try.
haven't busted it open yet, but the package... um... well, looks like condoms. two people confirmed this right off the bat without prompting. and while searching for an image of the package, i found this lovely ad that's apparently in print. what is this, manly gum? will the next ad be about safe pleasurable oral gratification?
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
not getting into it
after about 2 months of waiting, christopher moore's 'a dirty job' finally came off my request list and into my library bag. (yes, i am geeky enough to have a bag reserved for library items. it has pictures of dick and jane all over it.)
i'm over 150 pages into it, but i'm not sure i'm *into* it. i like the humor in it, but that's all that is keeping my interest. the plot isn't grabbing me. this is my first moore book, and i've read reviews of this and other titles that made it seem like he'd be a more satisfying read than this. instead, it's reading kinda like a gimmick, like (dodges tomato-projectiles) a lemony snicket for grownups.
i have a 30-page rule, in which i give a book thirty pages to warrant interest in reading more. this is certainly past this point, and i'm over a third through it now. i also know that if i change my mind and decide i do want to finish it, but it goes back to the library in the meanwhile, it's a long time before i'll be able to check it out again. that's about the only compelling reason to continue at this point. no, there is no rule that says if i read more than 30 pages, i must finish the book.
one of the blurbs on the book jacket compares moore to tom robbins. i've been through all the tom robbins books, up until last year's 'wild ducks flying backwards'. maybe i just don't need any moore... erm, more.
i'm over 150 pages into it, but i'm not sure i'm *into* it. i like the humor in it, but that's all that is keeping my interest. the plot isn't grabbing me. this is my first moore book, and i've read reviews of this and other titles that made it seem like he'd be a more satisfying read than this. instead, it's reading kinda like a gimmick, like (dodges tomato-projectiles) a lemony snicket for grownups.
i have a 30-page rule, in which i give a book thirty pages to warrant interest in reading more. this is certainly past this point, and i'm over a third through it now. i also know that if i change my mind and decide i do want to finish it, but it goes back to the library in the meanwhile, it's a long time before i'll be able to check it out again. that's about the only compelling reason to continue at this point. no, there is no rule that says if i read more than 30 pages, i must finish the book.
one of the blurbs on the book jacket compares moore to tom robbins. i've been through all the tom robbins books, up until last year's 'wild ducks flying backwards'. maybe i just don't need any moore... erm, more.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
SPLAT!
i just ended the 'reference test' part of a two-stage interview by not noticing that my foot had fallen asleep, getting out of my chair, and falling down in front of the recruitment manager.
wonder if that is an omen.
wonder if that is an omen.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
magnus mills = genius
i've just finished reading my third book by magnus mills, and i intend to track down his other works. so far i've read 'the scheme for full employment', 'explorers of the new century', and 'three to see the king.'
these are short works, perhaps novellas would be more accurate, but they're all exceedingly good. he has a black sense of humor - i am tempted to say it reminds me of jonathan swift, but it's been ages since i read swift. makes me want to pick up some swift, too, to see how much influence was there.
these are short works, perhaps novellas would be more accurate, but they're all exceedingly good. he has a black sense of humor - i am tempted to say it reminds me of jonathan swift, but it's been ages since i read swift. makes me want to pick up some swift, too, to see how much influence was there.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
i want you to want me
yesterday i got called for interviews with two (count 'em, two) library systems.
Monday, August 14, 2006
one of *those* parents
my friend marty, a schoolteacher in dallas, recently accused me of being one of *those* parents. and well, time to face facts: i probably am.
i applied to switch boo to a new magnet school today. this school is changing from a middle school to K-8, with focuses (focii?) on arts and science & technology. i spoke with the vice principal today, toured the space, asked about the curriculum and library, and asked about the plans for the program in following years. there are some very interesting interdisciplinary and interage programs, plus a partnership with Portland State University for science instruction.
frankly, there are two compelling reasons to make the switch: the school that he's enrolled in as his 'neighborhood school' is pretty far from home - more than twice the distance from this school. it's also (albeit improving) "strong" school with an emphasis on reading. that sounds nice, but the snarky side of me suspects that schools focus on reading when the parents of their students aren't doing it at home. not a problem for a librarian's kid, eh?
the veep also told me about afterschool enrichment programs, such as music, dance, art and additonal science sessions. this is a plus, as i had already been researching music and language classes for him. (he wants to learn spanish. no, hindi. no, spanish, no, hindi.)
soooo.... yep, marty, i'm one of *them*. i might even put the kid in a one-week afternoon soccer camp next week, making me a *soccer mom*. it's a program with british coaches, though, so do i technically qualify as a footie mum?
and in the not-quite-breaking-news department: second ultrasound today confirms it's a girl. wheeee! however, boodad and i finally figured out what the boy name would have been. and no, there will be no #3 to try it out.
i applied to switch boo to a new magnet school today. this school is changing from a middle school to K-8, with focuses (focii?) on arts and science & technology. i spoke with the vice principal today, toured the space, asked about the curriculum and library, and asked about the plans for the program in following years. there are some very interesting interdisciplinary and interage programs, plus a partnership with Portland State University for science instruction.
frankly, there are two compelling reasons to make the switch: the school that he's enrolled in as his 'neighborhood school' is pretty far from home - more than twice the distance from this school. it's also (albeit improving) "strong" school with an emphasis on reading. that sounds nice, but the snarky side of me suspects that schools focus on reading when the parents of their students aren't doing it at home. not a problem for a librarian's kid, eh?
the veep also told me about afterschool enrichment programs, such as music, dance, art and additonal science sessions. this is a plus, as i had already been researching music and language classes for him. (he wants to learn spanish. no, hindi. no, spanish, no, hindi.)
soooo.... yep, marty, i'm one of *them*. i might even put the kid in a one-week afternoon soccer camp next week, making me a *soccer mom*. it's a program with british coaches, though, so do i technically qualify as a footie mum?
and in the not-quite-breaking-news department: second ultrasound today confirms it's a girl. wheeee! however, boodad and i finally figured out what the boy name would have been. and no, there will be no #3 to try it out.
the new sesame street muppet blows.
Abby Cadabby is the new Sesame Street muppet.
She's been on for eight minutes and I want to strangle her, and whoever designed her. For starters: she has flat eyes, rendering her expressionless. She's also got a more annoying voice than Elmo, if that's possible.
I really love Sesame Street and the Muppet Workshop, but this is ridiculous. It's Disney-esque. I'm several yards away from my bedroom, where the TV is on, and all I can hear is *twinkle!* *twinkle!* sound effects.
Supposedly this is Sesame's way of providing a strong female role?
At least Nathan's Sesame-watching days will be coming to an end in a few weeks.
Also, I feel sorry for any kid named Abby, because you know this is what they'll be called from here on out.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
library thang!
it's not a job, it's a lifestyle.
the doohickey on the left is from librarything.com. pretty nifty. found it by glancing at fellow mad-skillz librarian jblend's blog.
the doohickey on the left is from librarything.com. pretty nifty. found it by glancing at fellow mad-skillz librarian jblend's blog.
Friday, August 11, 2006
apparently, it's furniture day
today the order from dania arrived.
this was kind of a sticky wicket, as i had ordered it when boo and i had gone in to check out the store last week. there were dining chairs that i really liked and found comfortable, and a nifty boo-bed that had drawers and cabinet space underneath.
slight mistake - forgot to tell boodad about it. so he pipes up with, "sure, let's go back to the store this weekend and check out the dining chairs and bed before we order it." which would have been okay, since the furniture wasn't arriving until the following friday, and if he hated it i could cancel the order before anything came to the house. but of course, us being us, we didn't get around to it last weekend. hmmm.
went to knitting thursday night, intending to 'fess up afterwards. meanwhile, boodad had been looking through the bank records and noticed a rather large purchase at dania. oops. 'fessing time was upon me.
this morning the chairs and bed arrive. i didn't expect the chairs to require assembly. but i'm more nonplussed that the bed's assembly, which i was anticipating, wasn't part of the delivery. but heck, i have mastered many an allen wrench courtesy the big swedish wonderland; i can surely handle this.
i put together two chairs, leaving two in the box in case boodad wanted to return them. then set upstairs to tackle the bed.
unpacked everything. put all the screws, nuts, doohickeys and whatamathings in order. laid out the pieces according to diagram. started malleting, screwdriving and wrenching my darndest, paying extra attention to the directions as i'm slightly baby-brained at the moment and prone to missing details. read twice, screw once, to slightly amend this old house's proverb.
i get the core of the underbed together, and then i have to flip it to put the big side panels on. and that's when i hear a *crack*. there is a piece running the length of the bed, but only about 2" high, and made out of MDF that is supposed to be a crucial supporting piece. yes, soooo crucial that the danish wonderlords only pegged it to the core section - it doesn't get screwed into place until the side panels go on. flipping the core - and yes, i did try to see if things could be aligned without flipping first, and no they couldn't - caused the MDF to split at all five pegged points.
i tried glueing the points back, and then realized there was still no way to get all the connecting points on the side panels and the core to fit together correctly. at this point i think my kid may have picked up some bad vocab from me.
so tomorrow, boodad will indeed get to see the inside of dania, as we intend to return this hulk of MDF. as he put it, a couple of jumps from nathan and it would all be over.
later in the evening, there is a knock on my front door. it is the woman who lives two doors down. that house, and the one next to us, have quieted recently after a period of... ummm... seemingly large and loud amounts of commercial traffic, presumably pharmaceutical. she tells me that she is moving out of portland this weekend, selling her house, and needs to get rid of furniture, would we be interested? there are lots of 'i made mistakes but now these people are gone and i want to move on with my life' kinds of comments. ai yi. anyway, i go over, mainly to be polite, and also figuring that i would be saying no. however, she has a dresser set that isn't bad at all - and happens to be the kind of thing i've been looking for to replace our not-enough-storage pieces of bedroom furniture. (unfortunately for boo, this is my bedroom, not his.) so i ask boodad, he's okay with it, we settle on a price and the pieces are brought over.
to be honest, the only thing i don't like are the pulls, and one is missing. so i'm looking online at some nice 4" cup-shaped pulls, and i'm realizing that buying them - at least from restoration hardware (yeah, yeah, i will wind up at lowe's like a normal person, don't worry) - may cost as much as the whole set costs us. oops, again, but i'm in no rush to do this right now anyway.
boo has crashed on one of the futons downstairs. poor little guy. it was hard for him to see mommy and daddy getting new stuff in their bedroom while the bed he really wanted is in a not-quite-together heap in the middle of his room.
this was kind of a sticky wicket, as i had ordered it when boo and i had gone in to check out the store last week. there were dining chairs that i really liked and found comfortable, and a nifty boo-bed that had drawers and cabinet space underneath.
slight mistake - forgot to tell boodad about it. so he pipes up with, "sure, let's go back to the store this weekend and check out the dining chairs and bed before we order it." which would have been okay, since the furniture wasn't arriving until the following friday, and if he hated it i could cancel the order before anything came to the house. but of course, us being us, we didn't get around to it last weekend. hmmm.
went to knitting thursday night, intending to 'fess up afterwards. meanwhile, boodad had been looking through the bank records and noticed a rather large purchase at dania. oops. 'fessing time was upon me.
this morning the chairs and bed arrive. i didn't expect the chairs to require assembly. but i'm more nonplussed that the bed's assembly, which i was anticipating, wasn't part of the delivery. but heck, i have mastered many an allen wrench courtesy the big swedish wonderland; i can surely handle this.
i put together two chairs, leaving two in the box in case boodad wanted to return them. then set upstairs to tackle the bed.
unpacked everything. put all the screws, nuts, doohickeys and whatamathings in order. laid out the pieces according to diagram. started malleting, screwdriving and wrenching my darndest, paying extra attention to the directions as i'm slightly baby-brained at the moment and prone to missing details. read twice, screw once, to slightly amend this old house's proverb.
i get the core of the underbed together, and then i have to flip it to put the big side panels on. and that's when i hear a *crack*. there is a piece running the length of the bed, but only about 2" high, and made out of MDF that is supposed to be a crucial supporting piece. yes, soooo crucial that the danish wonderlords only pegged it to the core section - it doesn't get screwed into place until the side panels go on. flipping the core - and yes, i did try to see if things could be aligned without flipping first, and no they couldn't - caused the MDF to split at all five pegged points.
i tried glueing the points back, and then realized there was still no way to get all the connecting points on the side panels and the core to fit together correctly. at this point i think my kid may have picked up some bad vocab from me.
so tomorrow, boodad will indeed get to see the inside of dania, as we intend to return this hulk of MDF. as he put it, a couple of jumps from nathan and it would all be over.
later in the evening, there is a knock on my front door. it is the woman who lives two doors down. that house, and the one next to us, have quieted recently after a period of... ummm... seemingly large and loud amounts of commercial traffic, presumably pharmaceutical. she tells me that she is moving out of portland this weekend, selling her house, and needs to get rid of furniture, would we be interested? there are lots of 'i made mistakes but now these people are gone and i want to move on with my life' kinds of comments. ai yi. anyway, i go over, mainly to be polite, and also figuring that i would be saying no. however, she has a dresser set that isn't bad at all - and happens to be the kind of thing i've been looking for to replace our not-enough-storage pieces of bedroom furniture. (unfortunately for boo, this is my bedroom, not his.) so i ask boodad, he's okay with it, we settle on a price and the pieces are brought over.
to be honest, the only thing i don't like are the pulls, and one is missing. so i'm looking online at some nice 4" cup-shaped pulls, and i'm realizing that buying them - at least from restoration hardware (yeah, yeah, i will wind up at lowe's like a normal person, don't worry) - may cost as much as the whole set costs us. oops, again, but i'm in no rush to do this right now anyway.
boo has crashed on one of the futons downstairs. poor little guy. it was hard for him to see mommy and daddy getting new stuff in their bedroom while the bed he really wanted is in a not-quite-together heap in the middle of his room.
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