Don't fix it if it ain't broke - and if it is, buy a new one

The moving saga continues:

Friday, November 18

This was a day to consider broke stuff. My livingroom floor lamp didn't seem to survive the move but it was old and I was going to buy a new one anyway - just not so soon. Junk furnishings from the old apartment was scheduled to be picked up on the 23rd so I had to break down and pack up the lamp in the car and haul it back to the old place so it could be chucked with the rest of the old stuff. You know, I had no idea that a zillion old dead moths were stuck up in the glass shade of that lamp until I was unscrewing the pole and dumped it all out in my hair.

One hairwash later...

We called the moving company to tell them the freezer door wasn't hanging correctly and were told Kitchen Guy would come by in the afternoon to fix it. A few hours of unpacking passed and moving company called again to say Kitchen Guy was running late on another move but he'd be there.

And he showed up at 9am the next day.

Saturday, November 19

Being as I'd seen Kitchen Guy in action I know he would have been to my place to fix the freezer door on Friday afternoon if it had been at all possible. Him showing up on Saturday morning was just fine with me and after some unscrewing, shaking, adjusting and a generous tip given, my freezer door was functioning once more.

Saturday was my day to run the roads. I first had to go to my MIL's to pick up my computers and monitors. B has been afraid that they'd be broken in the move so he wanted me to personally handle their transport. Had I known how freaking heavy and cumbersome they'd end up being I'd have taken my chance with the movers (and their insurance). I returned to my MIL's a few hours later to pick her up so we could go together to the hardware store so I could get a shower curtain rod, shower curtain, tub mat, tub organizer, toilet paper holder stand and a floor lamp and afterwards I drove my MIL to the cemetary because it was the weekend where everyone visits their dead relatives. Hardware purchases delivered to home, I then did some grocery shopping back in my old neighborhood, store chosen mostly because it has free parking and I know where everything in the store is located. Home again and after eating supper I tackled putting together the floor lamp. I evidently missed the part of the directions where it says "This is one heavy SOB. You need to either have two people to help hold it all while you screw together various parts of the pole or you need to be an octopus.".

Be it known that I only have two hands and I managed to assemble that lamp. Touch me, I rock!

Sunday, November 20

Sunday saw me hanging the shower curtain rod and the shower curtain itself, assembling the chrome toilet paper holder stand (with toilet brush holder included!) and after more unpacking I decided to put together the computers.

Now let me say that I've put together my fair share of computers. I owned two when I lived in America and since moving to Germany we've bought five computers and I assembled each and every one of them. And I'm here to say that I didn't do a dang thing wrong.

But I couldn't get B's computer to work to save my soul. I could hear it booting but I couldn't get a signal to the monitor. I suspected a problem with the monitor so I removed his and put on my monitor. Still no signal. We figured we had a problem with the graphic card. But it's still under warranty and since I had to return the defective telephone table I'd bought a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to do it all at the same time.

And amazingly enough I found the receipts for both the computer and the telephone table. I can't find my salt and pepper shakers but I found those two receipts!

Sunday night saw me going to bed dead tired. Now imagine my shit hemorrhage panic when I got into bed and I heard a snapping crack of wood. Imagine my head banging frustration when I saw the front panel of my pine cracked in half along the grain. Imagine how much I was not going to get back in that bed when I saw that it's cracked along the area where the slat support is attached.

I now have some extremely expensive kindling wood.

Monday, November 21

Computer was delivered for service ("Should be done in four or five days!"), telephone table was exchanged and now it was time to buy a new bed. I went to the same store where I'd bought my kitchen and where I bought my new livingroom sofa and chair (that I have yet to get a delivery date for) and I found a salesman.

"Herr Salesman, I need a bed. I need a sturdy bed. My pine bed broke. I fear falling. I can't sleep in a bed that may collapse under me. Look at me. Find me a bed that will hold me securely. I mean it, look at me and find a bed that will hold my ass-stuck-in-the-bathtub body.".

Five hundred euro and a seven week delivery date later I had purchased a new bed.

I am now convinced that I am single handedly driving the economy of Magdeburg.

The rest of the week has been running more smoothly - except for the fact that I drag my matteress onto the floor every night so I can sleep without fear of crashing to the floor. And the computer problem? No idea. They called Thursday afternoon and said everything was fine - they didn't have a problem with a thing. I picked up the computer on Friday, put it all together again and had no problem either.

Good thing I'm driving the local economy because I look like a complete ass to the computer service department of my local MediaMarkt.