The battle between me and a desk

My apartment at college was fully furnished, so when I decided to move to Lewistown, all I had was bedding, suitcases full of clothes and cooking utensils (with the boxes of decorations and books.) I had to purchase everything else, and in an attempt to save money, I usually had to put those pieces together.
My three-shelved bookcase somehow came together in one piece, but my TV cart met the unfortunate fate of being partially put on backward. I did not realize that the unfinished edges were facing me on the left and right side until I sat on my new couch and looked directly at it. I felt mortified in front of my parents; a college graduate who doesn't even know the right and wrong edges, even with a manual. Not only that, but it is unfixable due to the multiple little holes in the other side that are holding the fake-wood cardboard backing in place. Good thing it was only $20.
The next piece of furniture I had the liberty of putting together was my desk. I looked high and low for a small white desk that would not have set a bomb off in my bank account. It also needed to be no longer than 39 or so inches to fit in the small space I had left in one of my rooms. This was a hard feat, but Kmart came to my rescue.
As soon as I got it into my apartment, I tried my best to put it together in an hour before work. The excitement took over me.
"Part A is attached to Part B with Part C, and the flat-head screws, the bolts, a little shaking, struggling, and a dab of super glue."
Clearly, this was my own interpretation of the instructions.
I found out from this "experiment" that I cannot hammer a nail straight, and if I want to try, my thumb might get caught in the middle.
The first half of assembly was going well. As I neared the end and had to attach, yet again, another piece of fake-wood cardboard backing, something went wrong.
I could not put the littlest nails in the right way.
Along one outer side of the shelf walls, the particle wood began to emerge as I pounded the nail in. There was no going back at this point. As I continued, and tried to put the nails in the top area of the desk, my fingers hit more often than the nails (this was because the desk was upside down, prior to the flip.)
As I flipped the desk, as the manual said, pop went one of the nails, right through the particle wood, and a small half-moon shape piece of white flew off. After the almost successful flip, all my myself, trying to keep Part A, B, C through F together, I searched for the super glue. There was no other way.
A little dab here and there, and voila! It was together, at least for the time being.
It has been more than a month, and I have not found the desk in a pile when I get home at night, even with my laptop and tons of papers piled on top. Sure, the pull-out keyboard drawer wobbles sometimes, but it's better than the legs giving out.
That was not the final problem with my particle-wood white desk. I have a file container that usually is an eyesore, and also so many supplies and letter writing tools that I bought a two-drawer container to put all the items. I wanted to place the drawers on top and the file container on the bottom of the shelving area for easy access to pull it when needed. Well, the drawers did not fit — by about a half an inch. So I made a plan to make my own holes to hold my white desk shelf.
To some people, a girl with a power tool is a scary thought. But following my dad's directions to use a drill bit (thank goodness he told me about that because I would have used a screwdriver), I made the holes, put the plastic shelf holders in, placed the white shelf down and, the drawers magically fit in!
My desk was finally complete, and now holds all the materials in a semi-organized manner.
Despite all the of abuse I gave the desk, it is a perfect little piece in my apartment that I desperately needed to try to keep myself organized.
Now if I could only get a proper desk chair.

— Bethany