Profiles in Crap

I ordered a cheap rolling desk from Target today to replace this.



This 'counter' - another craptastic PO DIY job - sits in the kitchen corner. I attempted to remove it when I was ripping out the kitchen carpet (yes...the KITCHEN carpet - a green, filthy horror stained with cat piss and god only knows what else) by unscrewing all the metal supports from the walls and removing two legs. Imagine my dismay when I discovered that it was also glued to the wall. The original intent was to dispose of it in our long-gone dumpster, but it proved too difficult and we had too many other things to worry about at the time.

(Here's a reminder of how filthy the kitchen carpet was..this is a picture of it sitting in the dining room, rolled up and ready to be disposed of.



Note the contrast between the somewhat stained parts and the pure brown parts. There's a lingering, immovable stain on the concrete in the kitchen from the pure brown parts. I've no idea what it is, but it is impossible to clean.)

Much to my chagrin, the ghetto counter has been very useful over the last month. As you can see, it is in use as a phone and laptop stand. (We have very, very little counterspace in the kitchen.) However, in the last month the glue holding the counter top to the backsplash has come loose and the table is only being held up by its one remaining leg and by its leaning against the backsplash in the corner. It wobbled fiercesomely yesterday when the cat jumped up on it, so I consider it bordering on dangerous to keep around and in use (it's quite heavy despite being only particleboard with a laminate top). It also once gave me a rip in a new pair of pants when the cheap wood trim on the front came loose and left a nail exposed, so I'm quite hostile towards it anyway.

I really hate furniture with wheels, but I think they give the above desk a neutral sort of look that means it won't be too out of place in a kitchen...and I can put my cookbooks (as soon as I figure out where they're packed) on the shelves on the side.