I drove home under a yellowing sky, jaundiced clouds huddled together to form a menacing canopy. It even smells like rain. I love the way the air feels right before a storm - hurried, distracted, fluid. I wish I could bottle the feeling of the wind coming through my open car windows and enveloping my face in cool dampness. It makes me feel fast and new.

The changing weather inspired me to stop at the hardware store for sandpaper and wood filler. Didn't I promise myself I would only spend one day on the couch crying? A clerk helped me find tack cloth, I paid for my things, and continued home.
    
The cats watched me carry my first project outside, an ugly dark end table I bought at a thrift store for $12. I want my next furniture project - Theseus's nightstand - to come out nice, so this end table will serve as my practice run.

As I sanded, I imagined myself a famed furniture craftsman, creating wooden masterpieces for my adoring and breathless customers. They run their hands over the clean lines and intricate designs, and weep. I simply must have that end table in my house. Name any price, I will pay it! And I smile humbly and accept their checks.

...This project actually going to take longer than I thought. In an hour, under an increasingly evil sky, I only managed to sand smooth the top surface of the table. I'm never going to make any money doing this. Tomorrow I'll try to do the legs; maybe I'll get to start painting on Wednesday? I don't even know what color it will be yet.

My words are beginning to bore me. I think it's time to set this aside for today. Besides, I can hear the first raindrops pinging the outside of the air conditioner in our bedroom. All things considered, it's going to be a good night.

- Antiope




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