The Quarterly Grain Report

The Triumph of Man Over Futon

Futon assembly. Not as easy as one might think. Not even as easy as three might think. The key to a successful putting-together of a convertible sofa/bed is teamwork. I, along with two of my chums, functioned about as well as a team can be expected to, with directions that looked like they were removed from a gross anatomy textbook. It's almost as if transparencies diagramming all the major organ systems in the human body were placed on top of each other and photocopied. Then written in French. But as a great man once said: Directions are just someone else's opinion.

So after all the j-bolts were fully attached to the side and rear panels, and the left and right mechanisms were secured with their respective c-screws (and yes, the mechanisms responsible for the transformation from couch to cot were indeed called the left and right mechanisms), we all stepped back and marveled at what our hands had created. It was magnificent. A structure that would surely stand the test of time, and allow for generations to enjoy not only a slightly less comfortable sofa, but a slightly less comfortable bed as well. A regular renaissance piece of furniture.

posted by Arthur Croft Yates @ 8:08 PM