08/25/03’s illustrious band:

On the Skids

Brought to you by the makers of Stonehenge, the pyramids, and other large prehistoric structures.

As a single, female Media Sensation without a lot of upper-body strength, I sometimes find myself facing the daunting task of moving heavy objects by myself. Such was the case this weekend, when I decided I wanted to move a shelving unit from the garage into my home office. (Yes, the unit was in the garage rather than in the house for a reason, but it’ll do until I decide to spend money on something better.) So I had to find a way to get it inside.

A smart person would probably have hailed the nearest neighbor and gotten some help in exchange for a glass of iced tea. A stubborn person like me would find a way to do it herself, and I did. The shelf unit was too heavy to lift, so I knew I’d have to drag it. However, the terrain was too rough and the unit too rickety for a simple push/shove routine. I needed two smooth surfaces to work with.

My garage came complete with several long 1x6s, so I laid one out on the walkway between the shelving unit and the front door. I laid the unit on its flat side on the plank and pushed it to the end. I laid a second plank in front of the other and kept pushing. The first plank, once freed up, became a ramp up the front steps and into the living room, et voila! The shelving unit is now indoors on the carpet, where I can slide it the rest of the way into the office as soon as the recently shampooed carpet dries.

So there’s my life lesson for the weekend: If you find yourself on the skids, unable to get anywhere, try getting onto a real set of skids like my planks. Tip your problem onto its side, lay out a series of short, smooth paths for yourself and see if that doesn’t get you where you’re going.

And if it doesn’t, come on over to my house for a break and a tall, cool iced tea. I still have a desk that needs moving.

E-mail the Media Sensation: jugglernaut@hotmail.com

Visit the BND archives at http://jugglernaut.blogspot.com.