So here I am ..... sitting on the beige carpeted floor, of an otherwise empty drawing room..... except for an unframed Van Gogh's Sunflowers and a Renoir's Dancer staring back at me from the far end of the room. I just got done with the unpacking of the little stuff that I had with me.
There's still more to come.
Like the bed and dining table which I picked up yesterday at Ikea, (for those who haven't still made a visit there, Ikea is the one-stop shop for furniture, some say a little on the cheaper side.) among a lot other things and then stared in disbelief at the bill I had notched up. Believe me, for first-time shoppers, I did all the mistakes that one can make. I picked up table-lamps without getting bulbs, I got shower curtains without the rings, and yet I did manage to pick up a lot many of the other useful but not necessary things like the Academy award type ballet dancers in black and scented candles, and the little stubs which you attach at the bottom of dining table chairs.
So its fun :) definitely fun and very interesting too. And a little scary. And if I haven't actually named all the emotions, its also a lot of making you feel happy and a little bit sad at the same time. After I saw Ikea's bill yesterday, for a long time on the drive back I kept wondering what HAD I got........ and whether it was at all worth it....... and the cliched last but definitely not the least.....if I could return all the stuff I got in the worst case that nothing fit :).
Ofcourse, Ikea itself deserves a paragraph. We went in at 11:30 and came out at 5:30 p.m. Ikea is arranged into all the possible sections of a house ....from dining to drawing to bathrooms to workplaces. Each part is equipped with all the essential things you could want or think of. All combined, its a place you would definitely want to go to if you are setting up house. But then, to make decisions about dining tables, sofas, fhutons (sofa cum beds), beds ........all on the same day was a little over the head for me. Which is why, I have landed up with a bed and a dining table set ....... but no sofa, no microwave, no tv or tv stand, no bookcases and no chest of drawers or dressers. :) Another thing which I did not realize I could not do without....... are spoons. Unfortunately I realized this only after I had poured milk and sugar on my cereals. I am not sure about lunch yet. It will require some exploring. :)
The we that I have been referring to happens to be "Raja" and ofcourse, me. There are some times in life when you need good samaritans in life and they appear out of nowhere. I can probably safely say, that if Raja had not shown me around the whole of Seattle, I wouldn't be sitting here where I am in an cozy apartment ..... and I wouldn't have any furniture for quite sometime. Believe me, Ikea requires patience, having done it once for yourself, it is really a pain to patiently go through it again for a friend, their indecisions, their "I think white looks good" and a 5 minute later "No, I think I am going back for the beige." and another 5 mins later reversal of decisions again....... I guess you get the picture. I don't know about others but I wouldn't have managed this episode of my life without friends like these and I am more than glad they are around.
In the evening, I came back home along the piers. This has been my favorite walk of all times. But I have always been there during the day, and walking along it at night, with all the lights of the boats, the eateries beside the bay and the houses on the opposite is so beautiful, I don't think I will ever forget it. Especially since, the admirable location of the Marriott looking over the bay, and all the houses along Alaskan way commanding the same view ...... leave you wishing how it would be to spend a day in those houses.... forget spending a day , I would love to stay there forever. But then as was pointed out, I might not value such a view if I could see it everyday in passing. My apartment happens to be 2 blocks from the bay, but it doesn't have a view. So I live close enough, but will still be seeing the bay only once in a while. Having everything and then not quite something :). Wishing , envious :) and just dreaming.
While I was unpacking, I kept saving all the plastic bags and packing...... what if I need them when I move again. Then I realized that's not going to be anytime soon. And then it sunk in that this is what I am going to call "home" for sometime now. :) Cool !!
1 comment:
Its so funny reading ur post..I had very very similar experiences and did the same thing when I moved and Ikea WAS where i went. Not once , not twice, but several times and exactly for the same reasons...i would return home and think..Uh oh!! I forgot to get that..and then I would go again the next day...no matter how much I planned and researched and made lists there was always something better and then I would buy something else...also it helped that ikea had a home delivery since I wouldn't have managed to get all of those stuff into my place without any help..furniture shopping may not be a guy's fav pastime but I must admit I din't feel that bored at ikea..and I don't think there's a store where we can get good stuff at those prices...It also fun to watch other ppl shop..although thinking in posterity and looking at the stuff at other friends' houses..I think it would have been prudent to pay a little more and get better stuff at other furniture stores..things which were more "aligned" to my taste ..but at that time, as a student just out of college ...price was of prime importance..but thanks to the company's relocation cost..It was OK I guess
anyway I am happy that u r gradually settling down and hoping to hear more about ur experience..I can definitely relate to it..and know that u r not the only one..(-:
btw from ur choice of van gogh and renoir it seems u r fan of impressionist paintings..so who's your favourite impressionist painter?
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