I started out by going to my local smoke shop. I was disappointed when they were sold out of my brand of choice. I never like a day that starts badly because they often end that way. I headed for home and I thought that if I went straight home I wouldn’t have anything to do, so I stopped at Walmart to get my walking done for the day and pick up some Doctor Pepper for later in the day. I strolled around the store, looking for nothing in particular. I always peruse through electronics and the nearby build your own furniture section of the store. I had been looking for a new desk chair for two years since my last one finally broke beyond repair. There was a nice one I had been eyeing for more than a month, but I couldn’t pull the trigger on a $180 desk chair. I’m strange, when I feel something is overpriced I refuse to purchase it. I noticed they had another chair for $150, which is a considerable sum for me these days. I relented and put it in my cart and headed to the checkout. There I was pleasantly surprised when the scanner flashed and the price was actually $89! That made me very happy. Things get shifted and often the actual price is not what the sticker on the shelf says it is. I found that out several times and the item was actually higher than the price on the shelf.
I drove home and eagerly set to assembling my chair. The assembly instructions were written by someone in China and are never easy to follow due to language differences. I dutifully followed those instructions. One thing to know is that things made in China do not have or do not ensure exacting tolerances. Often the drilled holes don't line up exactly, so when trying to fasten a micro threaded bolt through two holes that do not line up perfectly is a challenge, a challenge I had in several places. One of the first steps was to attach the castor wheels to the base of the chair. Four of the five went in with all the strength I could muster, but the last one evaded me. I couldn’t get it to go in. I kept trying to no avail. I studied the castor and realized the small metal collapsible washer that holds the castor wheel was not as finely made as the other four. It was not as circular and had a tiny extended end on the washer. I had to get it in that hole or take the chair back. I was tired after expending so much energy on that. I needed to rest and during work time, my rest time meant cracking open a fresh cold beer. I was particularly tired so I had to have a second beer before my strength returned. I got back to my task and was not having any luck. I got somewhat angry and put everything I could muster into one last thrust. I finally got the castor into its base and smashed my baby finger in the process. The finger turned black and swelled up like an autumn pumpkin. That made the rest of the assembly more difficult. My finger is still swollen today. I did however get a two man job done by myself using arms, hands, legs and even holding a flashlight in my mouth to align two holes up so I could bolt them together. By the end of day I was sore and tired. Overall I am happy with my chair.
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