Those dreaded words: "Assembly required"

For my birthday I got a new entertainment center. I went to a furniture store in Raleigh and picked it out. It's Sauder, which means it comes in a box and you have to put it together. To me, this is both fun and daunting. I really like the end result, gazing upon my very own handiwork. But the process can be tedious.

The first night (yes, this was a two-evening project) I spent three hours assembling the main structure. I had to stop at the point where you hammer nails in the cardboard that goes on the back, because it was after 11 pm and I'm sure my downstairs neighbor would not have been pleased with me (the unit was lying face-down on the carpet). The next morning I finished putting on the back piece, and then started hooking up all the electronics. Another nightmare. I wish they would make an all-in-one TV with a built-in VCR, DVD player, DVD recorder, stereo receiver, tape player, CD player, CD burner, and TiVo. I would SO buy that TV. Of course, if one thing breaks, you're screwed. Anyway, everything is hooked up properly and the unit looks awesome! So much better than what I had before.

Before:

After: