IKEA
Yesterday we made a pilgrimage to IKEA. It really is a pilgrimage when you consider it takes us almost 2 hours to get there. But more than mere distance earns it that acclaim. We go with a purpose. We go to receive that which we cannot get elsewhere. We go with money and leave with none. Mark considers Ikea to be the Disneyworld of retail. He loves the fact that you get to stop and eat at a cafeteria halfway through the store. It is the only store I know of where you get only one catalog given to you (if you are lucky) and you have to save it for an entire year, because there is no way they will give you another one. And the amazing thing is, people really do keep and treasure their catalogs. The one I have now is thumb-worn and has post-it notes marking ideas I want to incorporate.
In an attempt to utilize all the available space in our new (smaller) apartment that we will be moving to, I have designed a 20-foot wall of shelves and storage cabinets for our living room. It began with a floorplan for each room, careful measurements of current furniture, and dreams for better organization. A well-ordered home is a happy home. Well, for me anyway. And that’s where Ikea comes in. Shelves are wonderful… but shelves with doors are even better because closed doors hide a multitude of sins. Packrat sins, that is. Yes, I must confess, Mark and I are a mixed couple. He is the packrat; I am the eradicator. He loves piles; I prefer order (and don’t even TRY to tell me that the piles are organized).
Leaving Ikea is not as easy as coming. We had 3 (count ‘em, three!) U-carts full of boxes, shelves, cupboards, etc. Fortunately, this time we brought two vehicles. One a pickup truck. Last time we made the pilgrimage we put a cello, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, a 6-foot butcher-block kitchen island, and numerous small items we “couldn’t resist” in our Hyundai Accent! We should have taken pictures or made a commercial. [Note: for the real story on that car photo, just click on the picture.]
But my new favorite thing about Ikea is that it is now one of my neumonics for Greek… _oikia_ means “house.” Close enough.
So all this is to say that I’m looking forward to our new home, and the reality of it is starting to sink in. We even got our new checks today with the new address. I guess this means no turning back.
June 29th, 2004 at 9:17 am
But … but … piles are organized.
I need a wife who will eradicate—not because I need someone to push me, but purely because I don’t need any help in acquiring more stuff!
July 1st, 2004 at 12:54 pm
dear karyn,
wish i could have been there to witness the ikea pilgrimage and “packaging”. ’tis one of my favorite places to visit as well. as for the piles… a recovering packrat like myself agrees that the piles are not in and of themselves organized, but instead they are pre-organized… mostly they just need to go where they’re going and i just haven’t gotten around to it yet. surprisingly, i’ve been making short work of mine and david’s piles… but that too comes with my moving to a new place as well. sentimentality seems to be my biggest hang up for eradication. one memory or another links a particular article to myself or an important date and i have trouble getting rid of it. i find that focusing on the fact that nothing really will last from this earth except for maybe the memory itself, and that ‘things’ in general will be more ‘real’ on the other side, helps me move one step closer to sending it to the GW!