Carpentry

I am a competent carpenter, but not an expert. My Dad, and I have been helping my brother rebuild and refinish a hope chest that was in his girlfriend's family for several generations. It was in pretty bad shape. Its veneer top was cracked and splintered; someone had previously altered the feet by cutting them. Badly. And its hinge was weak.

So when my brother took this task, I'm not sure he was aware of how much work was required to bring it back. He has spent the majority of the time, striping the stain off, removing the old veneer, and sanding like crazy. He is now about ready to stain and seal with some polyurethane.

When he's finished he's going to present it as a Christmas gift to her. His attitude has been that he knows it won't be perfect, but no matter what she will be able to tell how much effort went into refinishing the piece, so she'll appreciate it.

Update: She loved it, and the work was well worth it.

Broken

I've been simultaneously upbeat and depressed about the holidays. I spent my money from a painting job on presents, mostly. I hope everyone likes them, but if they don't they can go fuck themselves. Merry Prickmas.

I still don't have my computer back. The person looking at it has a full time job, and computer repair isn't it. I don't want to be too pushy. Also I heard someone with a laptop, (who gave their PC to him to look at) also has a similar problem. He's trying to load new software, and see if a new battery will fix things.

[ On a side-note, I bought the Rockstar North game GTA: San Andreas for PS2, and the album Seether II. I was pleased with both. ]