(no subject)

Hi! I did not fall off a mountain, although driving through Saratoga traffic came to a halt. When i looked in my rear view mirror i saw the shocked face of the driver of a big pickup as she slammed on the brakes. Almost a week later and the moment is still at the top of my memory.

Monday we revisited the couch of cheap lumber. Christine had talked to a handyman to fix it just so we'd have a place for her sister. The handyman looked at it and also wrote it off. He too thought it looked like lumber used in pallets. Good thing he didn't fix it, as when i ripped off more of the cover in indignation, i found another major beam splitting. I've found the website where i bought it: "All of their products are constructed from plantation-grown imported hardwood to ensure sustainable use of timber." Ha ha. This is softwood, not hardwood. I wrote the manufacturer on Tuesday, the vendor today, and will move to posting a complaint on the seller's website.

We had a day at Ikea and bought a smaller and much more inexpensive couch. We picked up a new hassock cover, and i have a hassock in the office that i stack things on and in. I forgot to buy the shelving to replace the hassock, so i was back at Ikea after work yesterday. I discovered a taller version of the same shelving already assembled in the "as is" department. Cool! I spent all my free time yesterday getting all my clutter on the shelves, and then, as we watched some mysteries, sorted through papers and ruthlessly disposed of as much as i could. Despite the high barrier the new shelving makes at the edge of my desk (i've built my own cube!), the consolidation it makes of a number of storage options actually makes my work area feel more open.

Anyhow, dealing with the couch and couch replacement fall-out has basically been this week. More to come, with getting the old couch out for pick up and assembling the new couch.