TL,DR: My early Christmas present to myself is not going to be so early anymore. Also, ow.
In the middle of this nice blog post by Suzanne about bookish gifts, I was struck by the bookcase her husband got her to hold her TBR books. There's an awkward space next to where I sit in the living room where such a case would fit nicely, and who doesn't need more shelf space? I considered it for a while, and ended up buying it on sale.
It arrived on Saturday, and fortunately I knew it would be some assembly required:
The good news is that it feels like it's going to be very sturdy. The bad news is, that's because the shelves each connect with 2 screws that have to be strongly hex-wrenched in, and I am finding it very, very hard on my hands (reminder: I have arthritis, and while my hands are functional, they aren't as strong as they used to be).
On Sunday, I connected the first piece to the second, and then the second to the third, and that was enough for my hands.
On Tuesday after work, I connected another shelf, and then later in the evening, did another. And on Wednesday morning, my hands ached. It looks like this is going to be a shelf-a-day endeavor. At least for the main part: a screwdriver was also included, so there may be less wrenching and more screwing later on. So to speak. We'll see if it's any easier on my hands.
It might not take until Christmas, but I'm looking at a week or 10 days, based on the number of pieces. Maybe two weeks.
Ouch! I'm feeling the arthritis in my hands, especially in my right thumb joint. I can barely hold my water bottle. :( Can't wait to see the whole bookcase put together! (in your own time)
ReplyDeleteI guess fortunately for me, the pain is a good reminder that slowing down isn't such a bad thing!
DeleteI am glad you are taking it slow! Sounds like it will be worth it in the end. I am excited to see it!
ReplyDeleteSo am I!
DeleteI don't have arthritis (yet!), but I still like to take these kinds of tasks day by day. Sometimes all that twisting hurts my wrist! I'm so excited to see the final result, though!
ReplyDeleteI really want to finish it! I guess the bright side of this being such a busy time of year is that I don't have a lot of time to dwell on how long it's taking. Much.
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