Ikea Goes the Extra Mile

In the grand movement of my stuff, the screws for the legs of an Ikea table were lost in transit. Something so simple as four little screws are so essential to transcending a table from donation candidate to fully functional.

I hiked out to Ikea Emeryville today via bus and shuttle and, once arrived, took a number in their ominous service department, hoping for the best. Finally, when I had my turn at the counter, the woman looked up the part number and said they no longer make the legs. But she was nice enough to work with another floor person to find something similar. After an hour of searching the showroom they came back with for mismatched screws that they said should do the trick. I was thrilled with the care they put into helping me, and extra happy that they didn't even charge me for the parts.

When I got home I screwed in each table leg with the random selection of screws. They fit perfectly. Suddenly my place felt like home. I even cooked a real dinner and ate at the table instead of at the computer. Small steps in claiming my space.

Grooving with the Gals

Last night Hisun and I went dancing at Kitty's Bar in Emeryville, a small city located between Oakland and Berkeley - home to Pixar and Bayer. The scene was racially diverse - another benefit of the East Bay. Who knew there were fantastic dance clubs just around the corner? The scene was funky, hip and relaxed - far different from San Francisco which has a I'm-cool-don't-look-at-me-please-look-at-me vibe.

A group of us gals danced for three hours non-stop in the heat of the late San Francisco Bay Area summer. What fun to laugh, smile and go crazy with a bunch of women all in their late thirties, early forties. We took over that dance floor while the DJ encouraged us with 8o's dance tunes. Plus, we looked fantastic in our party frocks.

I felt so alive again. Dancing has always been something I've loved but rarely get to do. People gave me tons of compliments on my dancing style which made me feel even more confident. I sweated-out any last remnants of "yuck" I've been feeling for the past several weeks - a bit of a gross image but I was melting in the heat. This morning I have a fantastic feeling of calm. Even my face looks more relaxed.

There will be more dancing in my future as this place is minutes from my new apartment.