What to do?: Results, Part 1.

Well, heh.

Remember how a-twitter I was last Friday about having nearly three full days off, trying to figure out the millions of things I could get done around the house during what seemed like a huge amount of free time? Right. As I predicted, not as much as ambitiously hoped. Heh, ah well, so be it.

I ended up not doing anything that I mentioned the other day. Yeah, I went all rascally off-list again. But that's ok, these other things needed doing as well.

'Member I mentioned our front door and the oh-so-lovely security door? That was also an off-list day. Anyway, so the door closer on the security door seemingly gave out so anytime we opened the door, the thing Slammed shut. Yes, capital s. Driving me nutso. I couldn't take it anymore so I picked up two new door closers as the back door is all slammy too.

So there's the old closer. Ya know, nothing fancy, a door closer.

Turns out the one I got was pretty well darn near the exact same thing.

The difference being with this new one, there is a plate that secures to the door frame, protecting it from the closer. Or something. Somehow. Or so the package said. Well, whatever, a plate can't be a bad thing, right? I do wish they hadn't put the directions on the back of the packaging as no matter how hard I tried not to rip it, I ripped it.

So then I notice there's a little diagram on the side of the new canister part showing how to speed up or slow down the door by tightening or loosening a screw.

Huh.

Duh.

Did not know that. It was then that I wondered, huh, maybe all I needed to do was adjust the darn screw and not get a whole new thingie. Ah well, if the flipper touched it, it was bound to break anyway.

It didn't take all that long to install, though I did need to drill a new hole in the security door itself as the length of the new closer did not match the old one. That meant going downstairs and back up several times until I had the correct type and size drill bit. Heh, nothing's ever easy as pie. Though making a pie is not easy. Ahhh, pffft, you know what I mean! :)

New closer. Looks amazingly similar to the old closer, doesn't it?

After a few adjustments of the speed screw, it was good to go. Instead of replacing the back door closer, I got smart, merely adjusting that screw; huh, whaddya know, it was much better. Palm, forehead.

At that point I was suddenly pooped, just wiped out tired so I opted not to go the overexertion route that I'm so prone to do lest I hurt myself or end up with a cold or something. Sorta opted, anyway. That'll be Part 2. But it was funny when Mike got home yesterday (yes, he worked on Labor Day, sad face), he said, "huh, weird how the door starts working now."

In other news, I did manage to get the chair from the Craigslist guy. Sometimes buying things off of there is quite the hassle and you meet some difficult people.

He was one of the special ones. He was impossible to get a hold of, he kept changing the time he was available (2-6, no wait, after 4...no, between 5-6. No, I mean 5:15. Did I say 5:15? I meant 5:30), and then he decided had a real masterpiece on his hands worth gobs of money. Originally the ad said $30 but on Sunday he raised the price to $40.

I casually mentioned the price increase to him yesterday, asking nicely if I could give him $30 since that's what he listed it for...No!, he said adamantly, all angry-like as if I kicked his cat. Something blah blah about all this stuff going to some kind of auction, he just saw similar chairs at the Broadway Antique Market for like $350 each, so no, $40. I'm standing there thinking to myself $350 for a chair like this even in mint mint mint condition is a real stretch of the imagination there buddy, who do you think you're trying to fool? Losing a smidge of patience I asked, "$35? Can I give you $35?" "No," he said, as if I had then spat on his grandmother's grave. "Not unless you buy something else, like here, this wrought iron chandelier for $85. No, $40."

I paused, irritated at his attitude. Fine. Fine, fine, ok, whatever. Here's your $40. "Pretty uncool to raise the price after I inquired about the chair three days ago and you responded but whatever," I wish I had said. It is still a great deal but never a $350 chair.

I had asked Mike to meet me there in case the chair was up five flights of stairs or super heavy or unruly or in case the guy was a rabid serial killer but as the guy was in a rush it seemed, he loaded the chair into the car for me. That's when I discovered the bottom of the chair all covered in spider web balls. Yuuucckkkyyy.

Oh, and the smell as I was driving home. Mmm.

We left the chair in the garage to hopefully air out a bit. It was a combo smell, not entirely sure what it is, but musty is big part of it. I hope this wasn't a raw deal, this chair. I was thinking about reupholstering it myself though in person the fuzzy fabric is mighty spiffy and only just lightly dirty, but if the stink doesn't go away it may end up at a cleaner of some sort, or maybe a professional's hands, or back on Craigslist. We'll see.

I did feel bad asking Mike to meet me there as I knew all he wanted to do was just go home and then the deal was done before he arrived so I offered to buy him a swanky dinner at Superdawg right around the corner from Craigslist dude as neither of us have been to this old Chicago institution. We had no idea it's a drive-in so that was kinda fun.