Two weeks ago was perhaps the most stressful nail-bitting, stomach turning week of my life. Â I lost sleep, couldn’t eat (which is never a problem for me), and chewed off most of my nails. Â I had heard so many horror stories about loans falling through at the last minute, and was convinced that it was going to happen to me. Â It didn’t matter that my credit score qualifies me for a Black Amex Centurion Card (but my income does not), I knew I’d get a call at the last minute saying that there was a small problem and the bank wouldn’t be able to finance me.
But then, two days before closing I got an e-mail while in Ikea. Â Jen and I were picking out a new worktable for my office that will be used to lay out album spreads and prepare print orders for clients. Â We were fully approved, and the financing was in place. Â Whew. Â I shed a tear of joy right there in the office section of Ikea.
Not only was I a new homeowner, I was given the given the ultimate stress relieving puzzle in the world. Â If only I had the ability to pull wallpaper last week! Â I would have been so much nicer to be around!
Wallpaper removal is a never ending puzzle of paper, paste, and horrible 1970′s patterns. Â There are multiple levels to navigate through – from finding a corner to start pulling at, to sorting out the right diluent that effectively transfers through the top layer and penetrates into the paper backing and dissolves the glue underneath. Â When you do figure out the proper combination, sometimes you are rewarded with a full sheet of paper peeling off in your hands, and other times you only get a tattered one inch fragment of sticky wallpaper. Â
There are multiple levels to wallpaper removal, too. Â Like an archaeologist digging in ancient Rome, you may peel away the first layer to discover another hideous sub-level (and these sub levels have more secret levels underneath). Â And just when you think you have finished the room, you walk down the hall to another room full of puzzles.
It took me a week, but I have finally mastered the wallpaper puzzle. Â There are no more levels to combat. Â I am done.
There clearly is a direct one to one correlation between the amount of stress one goes through when buying a home, and the quantity and quality of wallpaper inside that same house, don’t you think?
