Girls and Tools

Ok, yes, I am a girl. I get that. But seriously!?!

I went into Home Depot to get some lumber for a project. I'm building storage over the garage door. I figured why not use the 2' of wasted space? I didn't see 2x2 in anything but an 8' length and I wanted 10' so I asked the guy in lumber. I honestly think that if he had called me sweetheart one more time I might have punched him, no kidding! To give you an idea: Imagine you were playing a drinking game where every second time he called me sweetheart you took a shot. ONLY every SECOND time. You would have gone to the ER with alcohol poisoning.

They only carry 8' (otherwise special order) so I did some quick math and figured out how to do this with 8' 2x2s and 10' 2x4s instead. I started to load what I wanted and he insisted he help me. According to him I had the wrong kind of cart. It will work for what I'm doing, it's a lumber cart. So he takes my cart and brings back a different one. I didn't grab that cart he brought because it's harder to steer. I liked the one I had, thanks. Then he starts grabbing warped boards and I just had to put them right back. Did he take the hint? No, sweetheart, he didn't. He tried to go get me a ladder. I don't need one, thanks. I'm almost 6' tall, I think I can reach (the boards were at chest height). He tried to get me a ladder again. When he finally gets that I don't want a ladder (I told him four times) he tells me "well don't let them hit you in the head". Um, I wasn't planning on it, but thanks for the advice...? And this whole time he's complaining that he is alone today, no one else in his department. So why is he following me everywhere!?

Now I need to get brackets. Leave me alone yet? No! And he tries to get me to buy crap that is wrong for my project because he can't find what I'm looking for. I know they make it so you can go away and I'll just look for it, ok?

I go over to buy screws and he tries to sell me 3" screws. No, I need 3.5". "Well, no, because drywall screws don't come that long". Fine, I'll buy deck screws but I still have to make it through a 2x4, drywall, and still get into the studs enough to matter. If I use 3" screws the whole thing may come crashing down when I put anything heavy up there and probably take out my garage door in the process. I'm pretty handy with tools but a garage door is beyond my ability to replace so I think I'll do it my way. Ok, sweetheart?

He also said that I could make this much simpler by making my openings in 2' increments. Yes, yes I could. But 34" is the width of 2 rubbermaids and a stud with a little wiggle room so that the rubbermaids slide easily. I am building this project with actually using the space effectively in mind. K? "Well, you could just slide one in behind the stud and then put the other one up." Yup, but then I have to take down two rubbermaids to get what I want and then put one back. That's two extra trips up the ladder instead of just building it right in the first place.
Oh yeah, and he also told me that I'm going to need a power drill for this and that I need to drill pilot holes. Really!?! I had NO idea, thank you SO much!

Then, after all of that... "Is your husband here to help you load this?". OMFG!!! Ok, either you actually think that I can't lift a 2x4 (heaviest thing I bought) or you are hitting on me. Either way, AAAAHHHHHH! Go away! So $100 and a whole lot of angry later I finally got my stuff home and got the project started. Why does this have to happen every time?