So Red. So Shiny.
I woke up eager to get my day started at about 9am on Tuesday morning. Today was the day I was going to go to IKEA to buy everything I would ever need forever for my room. I was going to get a table/desk, a mattress (to put on my free bed frame), and some kind of dresser/organizer to put my clothes and art stuff in.
I enjoyed a lazy morning first though. It was my first morning in my new apartment and I wanted to let the feeling linger a bit. Also I suppose I was still recovering from the busy weekend.
I got to IKEA later than I'd wanted--around 2pm. I hadn't eaten so I ordered a plate of their Swedish meatballs. They used to serve them with real, whole, red potatoes, but now they come with mashed potatoes which I'm sure saves them money, but I really liked the whole potatoes. They did give me the extra lingonberry sauce I requested though, and the whole thing was still quite tasty.
My first shopping stop was the As Is Section. I like this section because often you find just what you want, even if you didn't know you wanted it until you saw it. I saw what I wanted right away, but played it cool as I walked around and checked out other items first. I measured the width of a wardrobe, felt the firmness of a couch cushion my pressing down on the seat firmly and quickly twice with both hands, and browsed through the rack of rugs, all the while keeping one eye on my table. I casually walked by, and then took a closer look, as though I almost missed it, and was just checking it out with as much enthusiasm as checking the couch cushions. But inside I was dancing. I got out my measuring tape, and of course it was the perfect size; just big enough to work on, just small enough to fit in my room. The table top is a dark shiny metallic, and the table legs are a dull gray, but very sleek and stylish. I'm not going to admit how much it cost, because even at 33% off, it was still not exactly cheap. But it was perfect.
Still, I'm the kind of girl who likes to test fate, so I left it sitting there. After all, I had the entire showroom to browse through, and although it wasn't likely, it was possible that I'd find something I liked better. Plus, if my table was still there at the end of my shopping, then I'd know it was meant to be, and I like that feeling.
So then I started meandering. I looked at dressers and storage cabinets. One caught my eye. It was essentially a bookshelf that you could affix a swinging door too. Doors are good for me because I can hide my tendency toward the sloppy end of organization. I've also always liked having my clothes on shelves instead of tucked away in drawers. Stuff seems to get lost in drawers.
I had a few options for doors. I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that I spent 40 whole extra dollars to get a door that was... red... and shiny. I could have gotten a dark brown one or a cheap fake wood one for, yes, $40 less. But every time the angel on my shoulder steered me back to the cheaper browner doors, the little devil would stare at the dull brown color choices and get a little depressed and panicky until I was magnetically pulled back to the door that I eventually got. So red. So shiny. Besides, I kept thinking about the light blue walls and white trim of my room and how nicely the shiny red door would accent and activate the space. So after dressers and cabinets, it was on the mattresses.
First I saw the foam ones, but I was after latex. I laid down on the foam ones anyway, just to be thorough. Next were the spring mattresses which I skipped over entirely. I wanted something that can be easily portable, and you can't fold up a mattress with metal springs inside. Then the latex. It really is a comfortable mattress, but I wasn't prepared for the price. $279 for a full size, $299 for the queen. Sigh.
It had been a long day by then, and I've only got so much shopping in me. Since I was fading, and realizing that the main goal of the day was probably also fading from becoming a reality, I called my mom. She once again suggested the air mattress from Costco. I once again mentioned my concern that it wouldn't be very comfortable and possibly bad for my back. She said that I could always try it for a while and return it if I decide I don't like it. Since the air bed would be $100, I decided that I'd try it out. Can't hurt and maybe it would actually work out well.
I'd pretty much reached my limit, so I headed out of the showroom and through the marketplace. I was tempted by a few trivial items like a large palm tree and wall decals in the shape of picture frames, but I the only thing I got was a $5 frame that I can stretch my own canvas or other fabric onto. I'm a sucker for crafty things.
Lucky me, my shining metal table was indeed still in the As Is Section, so it came home with me along with the shiny red doored cabinet.
I bought myself an ice cream and some jarred lingonberry sauce.
The IKEA here is near the airport. It's kind of fun to be ducking large airplanes as they fly close over head. It's also near other stores. Notably, DSW Shoe Warehouse and Ross. I went into both stores. I bought a pair of shoes. Shocking, I know. They were dark blue. And patent leather. And ballet flats. But they fill a niche! I'll stand by my reasoning here. At least they weren't black. In Ross I also made a purchase: a short sleeved brown turtleneck that didn't choke me and looked cute. I'm still contemplating returning both items. I've been buying so much stuff lately, it makes me nervous.
After my shopping extravaganza, I met up with Steph to grab a few forgotten items I'd left at her apartment. Then Justin texted me that he and some friends were over at the County Cork playing darts. I made my way over there. Only they were playing some other board game, not darts. I ordered a fish sandwich and we eventually played a game of hearts. In one hand I tried to shoot the moon, but was foiled at the last minute.
I drove both Huai-Mei and Matt (a different Matt than from my last post) to their respective houses and then went to my own house. I slept on the guest bed again.
I enjoyed a lazy morning first though. It was my first morning in my new apartment and I wanted to let the feeling linger a bit. Also I suppose I was still recovering from the busy weekend.
I got to IKEA later than I'd wanted--around 2pm. I hadn't eaten so I ordered a plate of their Swedish meatballs. They used to serve them with real, whole, red potatoes, but now they come with mashed potatoes which I'm sure saves them money, but I really liked the whole potatoes. They did give me the extra lingonberry sauce I requested though, and the whole thing was still quite tasty.
My first shopping stop was the As Is Section. I like this section because often you find just what you want, even if you didn't know you wanted it until you saw it. I saw what I wanted right away, but played it cool as I walked around and checked out other items first. I measured the width of a wardrobe, felt the firmness of a couch cushion my pressing down on the seat firmly and quickly twice with both hands, and browsed through the rack of rugs, all the while keeping one eye on my table. I casually walked by, and then took a closer look, as though I almost missed it, and was just checking it out with as much enthusiasm as checking the couch cushions. But inside I was dancing. I got out my measuring tape, and of course it was the perfect size; just big enough to work on, just small enough to fit in my room. The table top is a dark shiny metallic, and the table legs are a dull gray, but very sleek and stylish. I'm not going to admit how much it cost, because even at 33% off, it was still not exactly cheap. But it was perfect.
Still, I'm the kind of girl who likes to test fate, so I left it sitting there. After all, I had the entire showroom to browse through, and although it wasn't likely, it was possible that I'd find something I liked better. Plus, if my table was still there at the end of my shopping, then I'd know it was meant to be, and I like that feeling.
So then I started meandering. I looked at dressers and storage cabinets. One caught my eye. It was essentially a bookshelf that you could affix a swinging door too. Doors are good for me because I can hide my tendency toward the sloppy end of organization. I've also always liked having my clothes on shelves instead of tucked away in drawers. Stuff seems to get lost in drawers.
I had a few options for doors. I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that I spent 40 whole extra dollars to get a door that was... red... and shiny. I could have gotten a dark brown one or a cheap fake wood one for, yes, $40 less. But every time the angel on my shoulder steered me back to the cheaper browner doors, the little devil would stare at the dull brown color choices and get a little depressed and panicky until I was magnetically pulled back to the door that I eventually got. So red. So shiny. Besides, I kept thinking about the light blue walls and white trim of my room and how nicely the shiny red door would accent and activate the space. So after dressers and cabinets, it was on the mattresses.
First I saw the foam ones, but I was after latex. I laid down on the foam ones anyway, just to be thorough. Next were the spring mattresses which I skipped over entirely. I wanted something that can be easily portable, and you can't fold up a mattress with metal springs inside. Then the latex. It really is a comfortable mattress, but I wasn't prepared for the price. $279 for a full size, $299 for the queen. Sigh.
It had been a long day by then, and I've only got so much shopping in me. Since I was fading, and realizing that the main goal of the day was probably also fading from becoming a reality, I called my mom. She once again suggested the air mattress from Costco. I once again mentioned my concern that it wouldn't be very comfortable and possibly bad for my back. She said that I could always try it for a while and return it if I decide I don't like it. Since the air bed would be $100, I decided that I'd try it out. Can't hurt and maybe it would actually work out well.
I'd pretty much reached my limit, so I headed out of the showroom and through the marketplace. I was tempted by a few trivial items like a large palm tree and wall decals in the shape of picture frames, but I the only thing I got was a $5 frame that I can stretch my own canvas or other fabric onto. I'm a sucker for crafty things.
Lucky me, my shining metal table was indeed still in the As Is Section, so it came home with me along with the shiny red doored cabinet.
I bought myself an ice cream and some jarred lingonberry sauce.
The IKEA here is near the airport. It's kind of fun to be ducking large airplanes as they fly close over head. It's also near other stores. Notably, DSW Shoe Warehouse and Ross. I went into both stores. I bought a pair of shoes. Shocking, I know. They were dark blue. And patent leather. And ballet flats. But they fill a niche! I'll stand by my reasoning here. At least they weren't black. In Ross I also made a purchase: a short sleeved brown turtleneck that didn't choke me and looked cute. I'm still contemplating returning both items. I've been buying so much stuff lately, it makes me nervous.
After my shopping extravaganza, I met up with Steph to grab a few forgotten items I'd left at her apartment. Then Justin texted me that he and some friends were over at the County Cork playing darts. I made my way over there. Only they were playing some other board game, not darts. I ordered a fish sandwich and we eventually played a game of hearts. In one hand I tried to shoot the moon, but was foiled at the last minute.
I drove both Huai-Mei and Matt (a different Matt than from my last post) to their respective houses and then went to my own house. I slept on the guest bed again.