I've just arrived home, which is my parents' house, apparently after work. In the living room, my college friend Angus greets me, and asks me to come take a look at his work. Apparently he's been doing some things for me around the house, in this case, moving my music studio from some other room into the "reading room", adjacent to my parents' bedroom.

I drop my backpack and go with him right away, in order to be encouraging about his work.

The room is much larger than in real life, but the same shape and orientation. Equipment fills the floor, chest-high. Speakers are mounted on the back wall, a little sloppily, but I think it'll sound good in the room. He shows me the drum set, mounted about head-height on the left wall. I say what a good idea this is, encouraging him like a child, because I've always thought drums should be on a riser, and it makes such good use of space.

I ask him about the recording interface, which is important to me, and he says he doesn't really know... he thinks it has to do with this one cable that goes from the main mixer to the recorder. The main mixer is just sitting on the floor, and he points out the cable. I know this won't work out - how can I deal with only one recording channel?

Everything seems a little unsatisfactory, and it seems to me that I just intended him to move the gear, and I would set it up. But I'm trying to be encouraging to him for the work that he has done. So I go over to the drum set, which is the most exciting part, intending to climb up on it and play a few bars. My rickety wooden ladder from home is nearby.

I try to climb up into the seat, but it keeps falling all over. It's really unstable. The base Angus designed is like a wood pole with a few crooked and poorly nailed supporting members, and the math just doesn't work out. I think if I can get up on it in a sitting position, it will be stable, but I can't even get there, and I keep knocking out wood parts in the process. He tries to help me, I try the ladder, nothing works out.

Oh well, I tell him, still trying to be encouraging, it's a great idea, it just needs a little work.

(I just went to the Toastmasters meeting earlier in the evening, and it while I was impressed with their goals, there was a lot to do to meet them, and some drummed-up encouragement was necessary.)