She Who Waits

This morning I decided to put the new grill together. I wanted to try it out before DH got home, not to mention have it all set up without his help. A bit of milspouse ego, if you will.

I tried to drag the huge, heavy box up the steps from the garage to the kitchen - not happening. No biggie, I just opened it and took the various pieces out and carried them into the kitchen, dragging the main part of the grill up the steps on its cardboard cushion.

I unwrapped everything, checking to make sure all of the parts were there. Check, good to go.

I grabbed my trusty instruction manual (because I'm not a man and am fully capable of reading and following instructions) and sat down on the floor to get started.

Step #1 - Put caster wheels on bottom shelf/base. Use the included caster wrench to tighten.

Easy enough, right? I screwed the wheels onto the base one at a time, with the final being the front left. I twist, apply pressure, twist some more. It isn't budging. I grab a knife and scrape out some of the paint between the threads. Twist, apply pressure, twist some more. Nada. I put some thread tape on, thinking maybe it was just a smidgen too small. Twist, apply pressure, twist some more.

I called a few people to see if they could think of something I was missing. No suggestions. It simply shouldn't be this hard to put a threaded bolt into a threaded hole. I mean, really.

I gave up. An hour after I started, I called Char-Broil and they are shipping me a new bottom shelf. It should be here within a week. It is the pivotal piece in putting the grill together because everything attaches to it. Translation: my kitchen is decorated with grill pieces until the replacement arrives.

Only I would get a defective piece needed for step number one of assembly. Only me.

Oh, did I mention that Char-Broil thought it would be a good idea to put the labeled hardware (over 50 screws and washers of varying sizes) in a blister pack. Once you take off the cardboard back, the hardware is in a plastic divider which should keep them all neatly separated. That is, if you can get the back off without dumping everything. Which I didn't do.