Home furnishings

The second day of class was better than the first for two reasons:

1. I learned something valuable from a classmate.
2. It was considerably shorter.

I could rant on about the inadequacies of the instructor but when he said, “I have a PhD in Mathematics” I immediately understood what the problem was. Not to knock the math people—you know I love you!—but it explained why he was starting with the algebra. It made more sense to him that way. The algebra was his way in to the material. Unfortunately, it wasn’t mine.

The big excitement of the day was a trip to Ikea. The course was in College Park quite near the College Park Ikea—so as soon as class was over, off I went.

I have a love-hate relationship with Ikea. Most of my new furniture is from Ikea yet I find the process of shopping there maddening and overwhelming. I’m crazy about the food but I could do without the serpentine layout and annoying crowds.

Turns out a mid-week afternoon is the perfect time to shop. The place was empty! How awesome for me. I slowly toured around but found myself feeling dizzy and light-headed. I’d eaten a decent lunch so I didn’t know why I was feeling ill but I stopped for Ikea early dinner anyway. Ah, then I felt much better.

I started to get overwhelmed as I shopped for the main items that brought me there: table lamps. My bedroom lamp is broken and I needed a spot or work light to use with my new light box. In the end, I bought three lamps—I got an extra “mood lighting” lamp for the bedroom. Even though my bedroom is more a place for yarn, clothing and book storage, I haven’t given up all hope that someday I may want to create a “mood” in there. The sum total for all three lamps was about $38, which is a damn good price, especially since I think these lamps will stand the test of time.

However, my total Ikea bill (not including dinner) was about $150. I mean, it’s not really worth the trouble of trekking out there unless you anticipate spending at least $100—but what else did I buy?

• Good, framed full-length mirror (I had none!)
• Hanging pocket thing for toys—I will use for yarn
• Frozen swedish meatballs (I had something else for Ikea dinner)
• Cream sauce for meatballs
• Chocolate bar
• Ikea bag (only 59 cents!)
• Espresso maker (total impulse buy)
• Plastic containers for food (only semi-necessary)
• Eco-friendly light bulbs for lamps

I’m not usually the best consumer but I did a pretty good job this time. I was fleetingly tempted by the leather sofas—a great deal and very comfy. But that would be a foolish impulse buy. The sad thing is that what I really wanted—some non-ugly boxes to use for clothing that I keep on shelves in my bedroom—were nowhere to be found. Guess I’ll figure out the solution to that storage problem some other time.

Grateful for: Ikea.