Food Coma or Food Poisoning?

That last photo of me is pre-disaster. We went out for a fantastic dual birthday dinner of me and Sam and hours later I was, well, reliving the food if you know what I mean. Three days later and I'm still barely on solids and now have some kind of cold or flu. Is this how 41 hits you? Double-fisted punches.

The good news is that I'm back in Oakland and tomorrow I receive a delivery of new furniture from Ikea thanks to the generous underwriting of my grandmothers, parents, sibs and sibs-in-laws. Is this yet another sign that I'm settling into Oakland for the long haul?

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.

All My Stuff in One Place

I'm all moved in and it only took about three hours to load everything in and then another three to unpack. All my stuff that was in storage in Houston is now unpacked and there are approximately seven Giant boxes to take to Good Will. After those are gone I'm sorting through my books and getting them down to the most valuable arts books.

The two men I hired yesterday as day laborers did a spectacular job moving everything carefully. Nothing was broken. Many missing bits and pieces however from the consolidation of my stuff in Houston storage. Much went off to Good Will out there. But that's OK. I didn't miss it before and don't miss it now. It is so good to have all my things on one place instead of having them in storage. I'm shocked by how much paper I've been carrying around and how many knickknacks.

Off to IKEA tomorrow to beg for some missing screws and to pick up some other bits and pieces.

Matt and Me

Here we are posing for Rachel.

Ikea Lunch

Matt and Rachel in the Ike a Cafe.

Geffrye Museum a Hidden Treasure

Today we discovered a hidden treasure the Geffrye Museum in East London. They were hosting a fantastic ceramics sale and we purchased some cool pieces.

More about the museum. It displays examples of middle class housing and decor from 1600 to present. I think they should do an exhibition on the impact of Ikea on middle class decor. Image to the right is their keyhole logo. Clever.

Most impressive was the building. "It is set in elegant 18th century almshouses with a contemporary wing surrounded by attractive gardens, which include an award-winning walled herb garden and a series of period gardens." states the website. Apparently an almshouse is a poor house.

What I liked was that it was an old space made new. The property has a large yard for picnics and herb gardens for wandering. Plus, a fab restaurant overlooking the gardens. This photo is of a lovely porch with a beautiful painted mural, seats inviting you to sit and a garden library for perusing.