Thursday, August 16, 2007

Of Patience and Pie

Today has been an unusually frustrating day. I don’t often let many things bother me, but for some reason every little thing did. When I’m frustrated or angry, I hide. Tuck my tail and just dig into a little nook to cry in.

This summer my job has been varied. I’ve taught Sunday classes and led the music, as well as assisting all the new volunteers each week. Along with that, during the week we’ve been remodeling all of our classrooms. I’ve been busy recruiting volunteers to do a lot of painting and organization work and making sure a lot of things get done. Our bigger classrooms I’ve only done a little here and there on like making more huge curtains for the Theatre, but mostly I’ve been upholstering diner booths.

For a very low amount, we were able to purchase a whole restaurant’s worth of booths from a local place who wanted to redecorate. They all needed to be recovered as the fabric was worn, unattractive and smoke-filled.

I started out with a regular heavy-duty staple gun. A few years ago a reupholstered a very nice living room easy chair and ottoman so I was familiar with the basics of the upholstery work as well as the gun. Fortunately, we had volunteers do most of the un-upholstering. I was getting carpal tunnel from pulling staples!

The blisters didn’t take long to appear. I tried new positions of holding the staple gun, different methods of shooting it to ease the pressure, but the work was going very slowly.

Then there arose a real problem. It’s always a numbers situation. I carefully counted how many booths we had (20), how many of each piece I needed to cover (14, 17, 17), how many more pieces needed cutting (9, 9, 6) and how many more needed to be brought in from storage (just a few). Another staff member was kindly cutting out the rest of the pattern pieces that I would later use to cover the benches. But she cut using the largest numbers. This resulted in running out of fabric. I don't blame her, it was an honest mistake. And frankly, I find myself finding that situation pretty funny.

So, I ordered more fabric. Then realized I would need more due to the cut and ordered more. Rushed the shipping even. Both rolls arrived today and I got to work. This morning I believed I only needed to cover 8 more pieces and would have plenty of fabric to work with. No worries.

Then the stapler jammed. A chunk of the plastic flew off. I couldn’t get more than one staple out without it jamming. I wasted several rows of staples. I got angry.

I started putting the booths together. Previously, I had been just covering and piling the pieces as I went and figured when they were all covered I would put them together. There’s a pretty simple system to getting everything pounded in, screwed tight and sitting correctly. When the screws aren’t stripped. When the pieces are all there. When the lights aren’t shutting off automatically every hour as I’m holding a power drill.

After putting together as many as I could, I recounted. I need 5 more pieces from storage still when I thought I had them all. Which means I actually have 10 more pieces to recover. Plus, I am going to end up sewing a couple pieces together to make them wide enough to cover the pieces I need.

I suppose after typing this whole thing out it doesn’t sound as frustrating as it was when I was experiencing the anger. I think with the lights shutting off, the stapler jamming and more pieces left to be done all together just left me feeling unproductive. Yet I look around the room and see many finished booths sitting patiently to be installed along the walls.

If you read all this and think now I’m just a big whiner, sorry ‘bout that. Geez, if you read all this, you get a prize or something anyway. I guess that’s why we journal our thoughts, isn’t it? Get it all out and maybe you’ll feel better afterwards.

Oh, and I made a pie. It was really yummy.

10 comments:

Hillary said...

Not a whiner. That sounds agaonizingly irritating. And DID you feel better getting it all out? Ranting is cathartic. So is pie. Mmmmm!

Anonymous said...

but we so appreciate every staple.

you rock!

Stacey said...

I would have whined a bit, too. Sounds like a LOT of work! :)

Oh, and that pie is fabulous.

Unknown said...

Thanks Dan...that helps! :) I did get a new staple gun tonight and am ready to get the job finished Sunday afternoon!

No more whining...just get the job done.

Jean said...

You are amazing.

Vacation is around the corner.

Is that a blueberry pie I see? :)

Cheeky said...

Anne--oh my gosh! Sounds like soooo much work--good for you for hanging in there. I just LAUGHED as I got to the end of this post and the "oh yeah, I made a pie" was just like thrown in there--you are funny.

I can't wait to come see the new booths and sit in one and I will know how much work they took and I will appreciate those booths for you. I think everyone else who goes to ABC should also go look at Anne's labors and appreciate the booths on her behalf.

Carbon said...

I think all staple guns are supposed to give people problems. I've had mine jam many, many times. I'm thinking about burying it forever.


great job on the Pie!

Buffy said...

You don't know from whining until you've heard me. Big hugs!!

Oh, and the pie looks gorgeous.

I should really learn to cook.

Unknown said...

Thanks for all the sweet comments...sure does make me feel a lot better!! :)

Talena said...

But the pie looks like it should have fixed everything all on its own.

Sorry for your bad day, Anne. Being preggo makes every emotion that much more experienced, too. :-(