Friday, June 5, 2009

Curses, foiled again!

A few days ago, I had something of an inspiration. A couple of the blogs I follow always have the cutest sewing projects, and it's been occurring to me that I'd like to learn to sew better so I can join in the fun. The problem is, if I have to drag the sewing machine in and out of the closet every time I use it, I'm never going to want to bother.

Then it hit me: I could totally do my own Craft Closet.

Over on Apartment Therapy, they've blogged about quite a few people who've turned closets into mini offices or craft rooms. Here's a particularly charming one:


Fortunately the closet I have in mind is not that funny shape-- and since we rent, I don't want to bother with built-ins that we won't be able to take with us when we move in a year. So I had it in mind to find a basic, inexpensive little desk on Craigslist and set it up in the closet.

Two days ago I found the perfect one! Plain flat top, not a lot of drawers to bother with in a closet, looked to be the right size, and only $20. So I quickly emailed the seller:

"Hi there! Is the desk you're offering for sale still available? If so, I wonder if you'd be able to give me the dimensions for it. Also, is it dismantle-able? (I have only a medium-small car in which to transport stuff, and if the legs can come off that would help quite a bit.) Thanks in advance for your reply!"

To which he replied:

"Yes, its dismountable, and its 3ft in length and 20inches in width, and 30 inches off the ground. Thanks."

YES! I was right, it was indeed the perfect size! Yesterday afternoon when I received the above, I responded with:

"Great! I would definitely be interested in buying it. Is there some time this weekend that my husband and I could come pick it up? (Do we need to bring any tools to dismantle it?)"

Pretty clear interest, right? I mean, I understand that Craigslist sellers do sometimes deal with people who back out of deals, but I'm basically asking, "When can I come and put money in your hand and take the desk away?"

The reply came:

"Would you be able to pick it up tomorrow? Or even Sat before 4pm? No need for tools, I got a screwdriver. If its easier just call me at [number]."

I got the message, then spoke with Jack about when we could go pick it up. Just as I was about to write back with specific details, I realized I had gotten another email in the interim:

"I want to apologize someone just bought the desk. But thanks for your interest."

What?!?? Dude, what the heck?!? I thought we had a deal here, I thought we had a partnership going!

I thought "When can I come pick it up" implied that I, you know, wanted to buy the thing, but evidently my language was not clear enough.

*shakes fist in fury*

The perfect desk still eludes me!

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