I was inspired to write this post after reading Patrick and Noel’s recent posts on arriving in China. They each described a particular encounter after arriving in Beijing but with such different perspectives. I thought I would try the same with a recent event at our home.
The first thing you must do is read my wife’s post about her latest home improvement project. If you are too lazy to click the link, here’s a synopsis. Megan attempts to hang a curtain rod. During the attempt she manages to break the head off of 3 screws. Ironically, after breaking the first screw she called me at work and said she would stop working. But she didn’t stop. Let me interject here by saying I can understand why she broke the first screw. They are cheap screws and very soft, I discovered. In fact, I would have done the same had I attempted the install. Despite her questionable decision to press on with a second screw, I can also understand the desire to give it a go. After all, maybe the first time was a fluke. I do have a little trouble understanding the third attempt. I think that shearing the heads off of 2 screws would have caused me to re-evaluate the situation. It wasn’t working.
Now, before you think I am being harsh, let me point out that Megan has a history of trying to put things together unsuccessfully. Her own blog is evidence. That’s not really a character flaw. It’s just the way she is made. I can’t design amazing scrapbook pages or juggle kids while making dinner. She has poor perception of spatial relations. Worse things have happened. However, she has not completely given up on the possibility that she might be good at hardware assembly. It’s as if the deceptively simple pictorial instructions are mocking her.
When I got home after work, we had a good laugh about the broken screws. I managed to back them out of the wall with a pair of pliers. Megan told me “I just keep trying things like this because I don’t want to make more work for you. I do it out of love.” Well, if you love me so much maybe next time you can just wait for me to get home before you pick up a screwdriver.
My favorite part is “It’s as if the deceptively simple pictorial instructions are mocking her.” You hit the nail on the head! (where I would miss the nail, and not smash my thumb, but put a large hole in the wall.)
I just had to laugh about this! I never have been good at assembling things either. I usually can put in a screw or drive a nail (sort of if you don’t insist that it is very straight!), but assembling something requires intense concentration and elaborate instructions. Unfortunately, most instructions are translated from Chinese rather loosely, I think. They usually have a teensy picture that is supposed to mean something to you that I apparently cannot see. And I can’t even create wonderful scrapbook pages!! I have done my fair share of juggling kids while cooking, though.
Ha! Thats a great juxtaposition of two different posts! You guys crack me up!
Keep hammering them home, Derek. I love the hardware humor from your house!