Hopeless Geek

So, we're building a bookshelf. We got about 60 sq. ft. of plywood and built a very nice bookshelf out of it. Sanded it down, put some frill on it and generally made a very nice bookshelf for about $200 (wood + materials, including some power tools).

This is all good so far. However, the last touch is to stain the wood, and that cannot be done indoors (well, technically neither can sanding, but we're daredevils). So while I was at work she moved the bookshelf out to the balcony and started at it. This is, of course, after checking the forecast and seeing that there was no rain for the next few days.

So I get a message that we need more stain and some supplies so I go to Home Depot to get said items and come home and start some staining of my own. Mid-way, I get a call from her saying it's raining at her work and to get a tarp and cover the bookshelf. Lo, I look to the sky and 70% of it is covered in a very dark cloud. One cloud.

So I run down to Home Depot and spend $40 on a tarp and rope and run back and open it all up. It's tightly folded. Very tightly. So I try to unfold it on a small balcony with a 6' by 8' bookshelf taking up a diagonal space on it. I tried to toss some parts over and some around and so on, but most wasn't unfolding. In all, I spent about 30 minutes unfolding it. Then I discovered that I had the short side on the long side of the bookshelf and then had to move it around -- on the balcony, with the bookshelf in the middle and one foot of clearance on any given side.

Once done, with the right sides on the right sides, I took the 100 ft. of nylon rope and started threading it through the various holes on the bottom and by this time I'm hot, sweating, and under the tarp breathing stain fumes. I think I saw a parrot. Anyway, so about halfway through the threading I give the hell up and just do the rest all sloppy-like and seal the bottom up and do some finishing touches to it. Looks great.

Then I look up. The other side of the sky is dark now. It passed south of me.

Hooray.

At least it's supposed to rain sometime this week. Now I'm almost rooting for it so I can use the damn tarp.