Fire In The Hole

For the second time this week, I feel God-like for having created a basic force of nature. Sunday evening I said "Let there be light!," and there was light. Tonight (following three trips to three different hardware stores before finding the right hose to connect the gas), I said "Let there be fire!" and, lo, fire did appear. As a benevolent God, I'll share my bounty of propers with the Swedish dieties at Ikea for their role in these feats.

Tasks like these represent the conclusion to a kitchen remodeling effort that Brooke and I launched more than a month ago. The condo we've been in since last fall came with a kitchen that was, to be kind, dated and horribly designed. It featured a hodgepodge of cabinetry, filthy linoleum tile and deteriorating walls. We knew all this when we got the place but have been eager to change it ever since.

To pay for this endeavor we sold Brooke's car, which took less than 24 hours on Craigslist and quickly promoted my car to our car. After playing with blocks at Ikea's kitchen department, we placed our order and were soon blessed with invaluable help from my dad and uncle with some demolition and electrical assistance. Once the walls were bare, an extremely reliable contractor (an oxymoron, I know) who came recommended from a neighbor did most of the hard work putting us back together again. Five stressful weeks of eating fast food and doing dishes in the bathroom sink later, we almost have a kitchen again. Actually with the stove hooked up tonight, we're fully functional ... all that's left is painting the walls, ceiling and trim. And, of course, putting the rest of the place back together.

For now, though, I'm relaxing in the A/C with a frosty beverage. The newly-resurrected Schlitz in a bottle, in fact ... so it's only a matter of time before I'm using the aforementioned powers to conjure some wind.