That's Gneiss! #75 ~ Oops, we did it again
Sad, but true.
Those were the words in the subject line of an email I received from Michael the other day. Oh no, I thought - what could it be? Another funny headline from the Bradford Telegraph & Argus?
No - it was something much more dire - a shopping list for IKEA; just a few more things he needed for his pedal building lab. I admitted I could use a bit more for my room, so we decided to buck up and just do it. Yesterday was the only available day for the next three weeks, so we made our plan and off we went.
The traffic was slooooowww along the way, but we eventually arrived.
The first thing I had to do was wait in line to use the bathroom - yay!
Once that business was taken care of I looked at the store map and figured out how to get to the home organization section quickly. I found exactly what I wanted, and from there it was just a short trip to the self-service area. Again, we found exactly what we needed lickety-split. Everything we came for in under 15 minutes!
And then… the checkout lines.
We slowly made our way to the front of the store, where the two long lines split into several more lines. There were fewer checkstands open than closed, just a tad annoying on a busy Saturday afternoon. We made our best guess when it was time to select one line, and of course the line we chose was a slow one.
Of course it was.
It was fascinating watching the other people waiting in line. Some compulsively put the objects along the way into their carts, while others took turns wandering away, only to return with more items to purchase. The father of the family in front of us made several trips to and fro, returning with something new each time. We did not diverge from our plan, did not leave our carts. DO NOT STRAY. It’s dangerous.
It appeared that somebody gave up hope and abandoned their scissors, just before reaching the end of waiting in line. A cart so full it could not hold two small pairs of scissors? A parent losing hope as their young child collapsed in a total meltdown? I told Michael they should have complimentary granola bars ahead of the checkouts for the people that are about to perish. It would probably be a good investment, as energized people can put more into their carts and carry heavier bags through the store!
At last we were free of the store, and made our way to lunch - the second part of our plan. No desperate stops at Burger King to cram something - anything - into our gullets. No siree, this time we ate well.
Should you ever find yourself even in the vicinity of the Renton IKEA, you must stop to eat at the Himalayan Cafe. Get the buffet, and you won’t be sorry! Not pictured are the delicious dessert items on offer - mango mousse and gulab jamun.
Maybe we do need to go back to IKEA again… just so we can eat here.
The past week has been pretty excellent all around. We learned that the closing date for the sale of our house has been moved up to the 12th - next Friday! It seems like that has been taking forever, but now it’s imminent. One thing that’s been lingering is the removal of the piano - we had tried to arrange for a removal service to come and pick it up, but that just hadn’t panned out. Yesterday morning out of the blue I was contacted by somebody that had run across my post on FB marketplace (which I had totally forgotten about). By the end of the day she had met up with our real estate agent and the piano was gone! How odd and lucky is that?
I finally got my weather station uploading to the internet, after realizing I was using the wrong app to make the connection. Haha, jokes on me. 🙄 Weather Underground recently implemented a major “upgrade” to their site, and now it’s total crap. The Ambient dashboard linked above is much better. What this means of course is that I can now keep track of the daily high.low temperatures! Finally. I’m not comparing with the official station at SeaTac, as I cannot for the life of me find a reliable source for the data from Paine Field. It will be interesting to see how different it is across that distance.
Last but not least, I’ll share two more photos from Nolan and Mia’s trip. If you’d like to see the rest, you can do so here: SE Asia Best. Plenty of plants, insects, strange sights, and delicious food to be seen.
Have a wonderful week!
Tidbits
When nature strikes back - Bald Eagle edition
When nature strikes back - South African teamwork edition
When nature strikes back - we’re all doomed edition
The Great 78 Project - thousands of 78s and cylinder recordings for your listening pleasure, including the 1953 gem I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
Journal of Geek Studies - where science and geek culture meet
I really want this game called Wingspan
Making: organizing my craft room further with new shelves - the end is in sight!
Recently Eaten: We have decided that Friday is going to be our regular night to eat dinner out. Michael works hard cooking all week, and likes to take a break. This week we ate at Scuttlebutt, which is becoming a favorite for a quick dinner out. Before heading there, we went to the Scuttlebutt Taproom and met up with my dog-walking friend for a beer. WE DID SOMETHING SOCIAL.
Reading: I am slowly working my way through the same books - Becoming, Uprooted, and Words and Music. I have added Puckoon to the mix.
Video of the Week
So sublime…
Question of the Week
Just hit reply to send your answer, and I’ll share it next week. Always anonymous!
If you could only use three condiments for the rest of your life, what would they be?
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Last week I asked if you have a special getaway place, and what makes it special.
We just revisited Saltwater State Park (Discovery Pass required), where the razor clams spit little fountains up from beneath the sand, and Dash Point State Park, which has some nice trails. Both put you within close distance to Tacoma, which I love for its architecture, museum, really great booktstores (Kings!), and antique stores (Sanford & Sons especially).
I follow Alma Mater on social media but have never been, but it's high on my list of eventual visit.I'm looking forward to the McMenamin's Elks Temple Restoration, which is set to open in late April. Their projects are a welcome means of making architectural history relevant--and the cocktails are decent, too.
(Big fan of Tacoma, since so many Seattleites like to be provincial about the place).
My special place is the beach usually. A few four years ago I switched small glasses of liquid for larger-swimmable ones and my answer to the questions “what is your favorite drink?”, has someone stayed the same. My favorite drink was bourbon and now it’s the ocean but either way my favorite is the one I’m in. Pool, pond. Pond is good for me. But I prefer an Ocean. Hold the hooch. Thanks!
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