Dive Bar: Day 1

There's something therapeutic and fulfilling - working with your hands - constructing a form from nondescript pieces into a finished product whose essence is defined by the "sum of its parts." Creativity is the ability to rearrange pre existing thoughts, words, ideas, hardware, etc. into a new form whose meaning, quality and relevant worth is deeply and perpetually existential.

Fulfillment undoubtedly comes from positive reinforcement, but this recognition is only one component as true gratification comes from viewing your creation as the sole form in a formless world. There is no relativity to bring comparative meaning that too often robs us of a job well done, only the satisfaction that we - using our invaluable finite time - brought a new form into existence. Perhaps the most significant component of creative fulfillment comes from the acknowledgement that living beings can take away something positive from interaction with your creation.

There are no new ideas, just rearrangements of previously existing components. (Don't doubt me. I'll take you down to the molecular level if I have to).
Whether it's having a child, painting a canvas or building a house, find meaning through existentialism and your fulfillment will be far more significant.

Sahar and I built these bookshelves from an idea we saw on Apartment Therapy using plumbing supplies and wood boards. Simple in construction, but building something far more structurally sound, aesthetically pleasing and spatially effective than anything that can be purchased is a great accomplishment for two creative and carpentry beginners.

To keep the ball rolling with this new hobby, Sahar came up with the idea to turn an old dresser into a dry bar. We hope to accomplish one distinct goal from this project (aside from helping Aids patients by purchasing our dresser from Brown Elephant and all that existential fulfillment): To have a credible refuge for our moral-bending debauchery.

There is nothing sophisticated about playing full-beer flippy cup in a cold garage, drinking Tabasco-saturated cuervo shots, smoking on the roof, letting the cat out on the roof, trying to get the cat off the roof, falling off the roof and waking up the next morning in some shrubs after pissing myself. Now to clarify, I never actually did this, but had I performed these shenanigans with, next to and/or on my homemade bar, I'd go from this guy:



To these guys:


(This coincidentally is a tribute to my friend Brain).

Since Sahar and I have no former carpentry experience except Mr. Prusman's 7th Grade Shops class, we will only be using our critical thinking skills. So we're not quite sure how it will turn out, but I can promise you this: YOUR BEER IS GUARANTEED NOT TO SLIDE OFF THE TOP.

This will be the crux of our rehabbed dresser bar. I'm hoping this isn't lead paint.

Sahar attempting to scrape off years of other people's memories (and what I hope isn't lead paint). I'm sure you'll be fine Sahar. This is about where we left after Day 1 and were having the following thoughts:

• Why did we start this?
• I'm bored.
• Can we hire an illegal and/or just buy a bar from Ikea?
• Do we have beer?
• Thank Jebus, we do have beer.
• We have tequila too?! I quit. It's going to be a fun night.