That's Gneiss! #69 ~ In which we survive IKEA with our marriage intact
Yesterday I visited IKEA in person for the first time in about 20 years. Friends, it is most likely that I will never go back again. After a relatively short drive (I love our new location), we arrived at the behemoth and were amazed at the number of cars in the parking lot. The size of the place made Costco look like a quaint corner store.
We were hungry when we arrived, so thought we’d grab a quick bite in the cafe. Oh my - is that the line for food?!!
Never mind.
We moved on into an area that turned out to be just showrooms - all the swell ideas for things you could do with IKEA products. Think of it as live Pinterest. People were milling around like sheep, and the maps were confusing. If you really want to get ideas for all the amazing things you can do, I suggest browsing the Ideas section of the IKEA website from the comfort of your own home, in your pajamas with a big glass of wine. Unless of course you enjoy being a sheep.
Fortunately we are quick thinkers, and realized that this was not the area where we wanted to be - back downstairs to find the items on our shopping lists.
Folks, we were prepared - we had our shopping lists in hand and on phone, and were ready to grab what we needed and go. The only trouble was finding it. As I mentioned, the maps provided along the way were slightly confusing at first. This is not the actual map (I was too busy to take any more pictures in the store), but you get the drift - or flow. The intention is that most shoppers will follow the traffic flow from section to section, from beginning to end - filling their bags and carts with all the delightful items they see along the way.
We are not most shoppers.
A linear map depicting a gigantic warehouse is not the terribly intuitive if you only want to visit a couple of areas rather than spend the rest of your life in the store. The beginning of our journey was a bit stressful, and we realized that rather than try to find the smaller things we wanted (OMG, my drawer organizers are way back up on the second floor in #4 Workspaces? FORGET THAT) it would be much easier to order them online. We did find a couple of Michael’s items, including this rug to keep his chair from scratching the floor by his computer desk.
On to area 21, the Self-Serve Furniture section! At last, a system we could understand - aisles and bays.
We found what we were after, waited in a line that wasn’t too horrible (why are so many people buying houseplants?), and got back to the car.
Total time spent, including packing the car = 1.5 hours. Are we good or what?
We ate lunch at Burger King.
Life will be normal again someday.
Nolan and Mia had a small inconvenience in their travels - Mia’s phone was stolen in Laos. It appears not to have put a damper on their trip, and they got a replacement phone when they got back to Vietnam. There haven’t been a lot of photos, but they did send these to Mia’s mom (I stole them off of FB). Nolan mentioned they took a gondola up Fansipan, the highest mountain in Vietnam, and it’s possible that is where they were taken.
Tidbits
Have you forgotten how to read? I can relate…
You should open an Etsy shop! Or maybe you should just enjoy your creative pursuits and not worry about the hustle. (via Kim Werker)
Beautiful river basin maps - I could look at them all day. The Continental Divide is striking on the North American map.
Meanwhile in Iceland - who knew?
W. E. B. Du Bois’ Hand-Drawn Infographics of African-American Life (1900)
Missing: three unused toothbrushes in original packaging; one bottle each red wine and white whine vinegar - inexplicable!
Recently eaten: we’ve started exploring more of the restaurants in Everett. We at at Scuttlebutt Brewing Co. on the last night of my vacation to celebrate successfully getting everything out of the old house (and moving the trailer). The entire time we went on about how much better it was than the only choice in Oak Harbor, Flyers. Last night we ate at an Asian fusion restaurant called Terracotta Red Bistro. It was SO GOOD. I wanted a drink after the day at IKEA, and had the delicious Asian Pear Martini. Our meals were both excellent - the Curry Red for Michael, and the Roasted Pineapple Chicken for me. Again, nothing this good in Oak Harbor. We were lucky to get seats at the bar, and are adjusting to life in the city - reservations may be required at some places! Lack of parking kept us from our first choice, Thai Gusto - there was a hockey game across the street at the arena. The restaurant looked sadly empty as we drove by. We also realized that Terracotta Red is within walking distance from our house - summer afternoon drinks, anyone? It’s so good to be out in the real world!
Making: not much as of yet - but the purchase of the shelves for my craft room will bring me one step closer. I’m itching to start carving stamps again!
Reading: I’M BAAACK! Several books on the go, depending on where I am in the house. Slowly making my way through Words and Music by Paul Morley. This book is hard to describe, but if you’re into music at all, you will love it. Back to Matter (Culture #8) by Iain M. Banks. No, I have not read 1-7, and it doesn’t really matter. It’s a long book, and I’m having a hard time getting back into it after a reading break but things are picking up again. I started The Toll by Cherie Priest. I picked up the ARC at the ALA Midwinter conference, and am excited to dive into her new work. In a discussion with a coworker the other day, we were talking about plane reads - Priest’s Southern gothic horror books are perfect travel reading. Unless of course you’re traveling to a swampy area in the south - you may want to choose something else. Finally, I’m reading (not just looking at) How to Make Hand-Drawn Maps: A Creative Guide with Tips, Tricks, and Projects by Helen Cann. Among other things, I want to draw a map of our new yard as I figure out what all of the plants are.
Videos of the Week
Enjoy!
Question of the Week
Just hit reply to send your answer, and I’ll share it next week. Always anonymous!
Cover songs - are there any you particularly love? Any you hate?
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Last week I asked what you were reading. Lots of great suggestions (and one you might want to avoid).
Murder of the Bride fifth in a cozy mystery series by C.S. Challinor. Delightful, witty, with a passable plot.
*****
Hey, please ignore my previous book response (Murder of the Bride by Challinor). I couldn’t finish it! Instead, here’s a much more promising title….
The Last by Hanna Jameson. It’s set in a post-nuclear war Switzerland, and told from the perspective of an American trapped at a hotel in the wilderness with other survivors. Part mystery, part apocalyptic novel, completely compelling. Countries started dropping nuclear bombs on each other because of the American president. The first city hit was D.C. Talk about hitting close to home! Hopefully, this one will finish as strong as it began.
Currently reading The Last Temptation of Christ. As an atheist with Jewish heritage, I find it bizarre, but the messages of universal love and socialism still resonate and underscore just how un-Christian some Christians are. Also, I was getting pissed off every time the author talks about them eating corn -- that's a New World crop! Then I found out that "corn" is essentially a mistranslation in the King James version. One of many.
Just started Libraries in the Ancient World. It came out in 2001 and I'm only just getting around to reading it, but it strikes me that many of the book curses (or tablet curses) are very familiar in the "do not use bacon as a bookmark" variety:
"He who breaks this tablet or puts it in water or rubs it until you cannot recognize it [and] cannot make it to be understood, may Ashur, Sin, Shamash, Adad and Ishtar, Bel, Nergal, Ishtar of Ninevah, Ishtar of Arbela, Ishtar of Bit Kidmurri, the gods of heaven and earth and the gods of Assyria, may all these curse him with a curse that cannot be relieved, terrible and merciless, as long as he lives, may they let his name, his seed, be carried off from the land, may they put his flesh in a dog’s mouth”
I've got a stack going at the moment:
Squid Empire: The Rise and Fall of the Cephalopods by Danna Staaf
Living with Thunder: Exploring the Geologic Past, Present, and Future of the Pacific Northwest by Ellen Morris Bishop
Visible Bones: Journeys across Time in the Columbia River Country by Jack Nisbet
The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi
I just got Tiger Country, the first and only novel by the great New Mexico nature writer Stephen Bodio. Need to get through a couple of the above so I can start it.
Right now I'm reading The Godfather. We recently revisited the movies, as one does every five years or so, and realizing I never read the book I determined to do so. It was the first book I checked out with my new library card, so I suppose it's special in that sense. Seventy five pages in and I must say at this juncture (and in this rare case) the movie is better than the book!
From the closest weather station until I get mine set up:
Current Temperature: 44 F (7 C)
Current Humidity: 77%
Wind Gusts: 18 mph
Precipitation: 0.08 in
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