The word of the day today is "debacle".

This word generally covers a situation that has gone badly, or awry. A good example might be the typical home renovation experience.

If people have no aptitude or clue, the cardinal rule of home renovation is to only go so far as to draft up a plan, then consult seasoned professionals. This is why the phone was invented.

A debacle ensues when someone like myself considers repainting even just a tiny sliver of a mostly hidden wall.

And by debacle, I don't mean mishap. A mishap means leaving visible paint lines dripping down the wall, once it has all dried. A debacle includes the dripping paint lines, a soaked carpet directly under the wall, and a screwdriver that had no reason to be there in the first place sticking out of the drywall like a NASA astronaut's flag on the surface of the moon.

A debacle would also be a fair description of the end result achieved after trying to hang a cartop carrier in my garage.

Even though the little aluminum rack seemed completely weightless, every hole I drilled into the roof of my garage went straight through the ceiling, and into what I suspect was the open space above. Is that still considered attic if it's over a garage?? I never once considered trying to find a stud, and discovered after 10-20 holes that drywall is not the most solid thing you'll ever hang a hook from. No matter how many times I relocated the hooks, the damn carrier kept falling from the ceiling, and onto my car.

In retrospect, I should have moved it outside...

Again, the word of the day today is debacle.

Chow for now!!