August 1 is my friend Lella's birthday ( buon compleanno! ), the start of my birthday month, the home stretch to my favorite season, and a challenge month to write daily. I've just returned from IKEA, the only one in Massachusetts and it's near my sister's home. I only went for a piece of fabric to make a cover for a chandelier chain, but of course came home with all kinds of nonsense. Shopping with my son, we started in the cafeteria so he wouldn't be hungry along the long, winding aisles.
I have shopped and eaten at several IKEAs in France, and they offer wine and beer to enjoy with your gravlax. The marketing model that controls all big box stores and makes them look identical worked its magic on me, and I searched in vain for the vino. I even asked the bemused line cooks for it! I forgot what country I was in!
A soul-crushing trip to IKEA Paris-Nord left me weak as a limp noodle in March. It is no small feat to get out there without a car and come back with anything heavier than a lampshade. I did negotiate next day (Sunday!) delivery of a couch and many other items, but it wasn't easy, and I finally uttered the dreaded, "only in France," to the clerk. But I got it done for my home design commission. I was fortified by red wine and meatballs.
I have shopped and eaten at several IKEAs in France, and they offer wine and beer to enjoy with your gravlax. The marketing model that controls all big box stores and makes them look identical worked its magic on me, and I searched in vain for the vino. I even asked the bemused line cooks for it! I forgot what country I was in!
A soul-crushing trip to IKEA Paris-Nord left me weak as a limp noodle in March. It is no small feat to get out there without a car and come back with anything heavier than a lampshade. I did negotiate next day (Sunday!) delivery of a couch and many other items, but it wasn't easy, and I finally uttered the dreaded, "only in France," to the clerk. But I got it done for my home design commission. I was fortified by red wine and meatballs.
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| Paris 9eme After Home Staging |
