A Soda Against The Collapse

This time tomorrow we’ll be on the plane to Heathrow, so we’re doing the last loads of laundry, dusting off the suitcases, and mending the bed which collapsed under us at 2am last night.

I actually slept through it – a combination of age, a Pavement gig the previous evening (review to come) and Nyquil (or Wal-Quil, Walgreen’s flattering imitation). Cassie had to shake me to wake me up, and she asked if the bed had collapsed. Things did look a bit skewiff, so we got up and checked under the bed, and sure enough, the centre bar which runs up the middle of the bed was resting on the floor at one end. What had happened was that the extra fold-down legs which held the centre bar up had folded up, and all the weight was on the bracket which held the bar to the headboard. This bracket was held on which six surprisingly short screws, and these just ripped out, and our downstairs neighbor got a nice wakeup bang.

We had some choices: mend the bed there and then; go upstairs and sleep on the air mattress we have for guests (mains powered – it’s awesome); or complete the disassembly of the bed and sleep on the mattress on the floor. We tried to fix it by putting the screws back, but the holes were all ripped out, so they wouldn’t stay in. Not good. We went for the mattress-on-the-floor solution. Just as I was drifting off to sleep, I said, “bolts”as a way to fix it, then fell asleep.

We haven’t  had this bed long, but because it was a display model which we got for half price, it isn’t covered under warranty. I’m not sure that this is reasonable wear and tear, and it may be a result of incorrect assembly by the delivery men, but we don’t have time to wait around. So this morning we called around for handypeople, tool rental, friends and so on. The problem is that I could fix it easily, but I don’t have any tools except for a couple of screwdrivers and a hammer. I had accrued a nice set of tools in the UK, but gave them away when I left.

Luckily Cassie’s old high school friend Taylor is very handy, lives in SF, and is very happy to help out. So we met him for breakfast down in the Castro near his office, and borrowed a power drill. Cliff’s Variety furnished the hardware, and I’ve just finished bolting the bracket back to the headboard. I’m not taking any chances with feeble short screws.

So in return for his kind deed, let me recommend to you…

Taylor’s Tonics

“America’s Most Innovative Soda Kitchen”

Taylor started Northern Unified Brewing quite a few years ago, selling chai herbs, concentrate, and other niche items. He then branched out into artesan craft-brewed sodas, starting with the delicious Chai Cola, then  recently adding three other varieties: a low-calorie version of the original product; Maté Mojito, a blend of mint and lime which is great on its own and awesome with rum; and Cola Azteca, a mocha spiced cola, which is a whole new flavour experience.

All the drinks are available around the city and beyond – Taylor is always trying to get it into grocery stores and corner shops. Natural food giant Whole Foods has them all at eye level in their drinks aisle, so things are looking, and tasting, good.

You can get a free Taylor’s Tonics bottle opener keyring by following these instructions. Follow them on Facebook, basically. And look out for the crazy Taylor’s Tonics Tricycle at an alternative desert gathering near you!

Thanks, T.

Disclaimer: This was not a paid advertisement except that Taylor lent us his power drill, has helped out with lots of stuff in the past, and is an all-round good egg.