Entry for 9th October, 2008 - 100 STIs - No.12

As part of my intermittent series - 100 STIs (100 Small but Tangible Improvements), I have at last got round to painting the kids’ playhouse. This has been a constant source of irritation to me over the past 2 months since we had the shed built.
When I have an unfinished DIY job waiting to be done, I feel guilty. And the guilt has a voice. It is the voice of my father, and he tells me how I do not take proper care of my stuff. He tells me – silently, in my head - that am wasteful and useless and a poor excuse for a man. He tells me that woodwork and car mechanics are more important skills for a man than the ability to compose the perfect iPod playlist.