Posts tagged ‘Butters’
Bad News Sucks
Bad news, bears. Bad news is never good; especially on a day when you don’t even want to think negative things.
So, to push away the bad thoughts and pull forward the good, I have lined up some jawsome clips to put a smile on my face. Check it out. Have a laugh. Crack a smile and think happy thoughts!
Ikea Saturday
I-k-k-k-kea! On the occasional Saturday afternoon when I find that I have nothing planned and that I am too lazy to participate in any productive activity, I wonder down to the local Ikea for an afternoon of entertainment. On my way to the furniture mega-store, I am reminded of a scene from Friends. The plot of the episode is entirely irrelevant, but Chandler [actor Matthew Perry] has a line that suits my Saturday outing: “I get my ya-yas from Ikea. You have to put them together yourself, but they cost a little bit less.” [Hit Minute 6:38 from Season 1part 1, ‘The one with all the poker’]
On the Saturdays in question, I definitely get my ‘ya-yas’ from Ikea. Now before minds start wandering unnecessarily into the darker corners of imagination, let me illuminate you.
First and foremost, Ikea is a veritable people-watching ground.
Throughout the three floors of this modded out warehouse is a myriad of bargain shoppers. A large portion of the group is in their twenties. This age group is a prime Ikea consumer. At a time when most individuals are scrapping by, what could be more uplifting than the prospect of personalizing a new studio apartment at about half the cost?
The second largest group of consumers on a Saturday afternoon are newly weds and young parents. Often these groups overlap with the twenty-somethings, but the newly weds and young parents each maintain their own Ikea category. Either complete with baby stroller or sans screaming child, this group of individuals is looking to furnish multiple rooms… fast. While the adults debate between the sturdiness of coffee tables, the mighty-mights hop from one floor display to the next playing pretend house.
Second, Ikea offers style inept individuals interior design visuals.
The Ikea showroom is an entire floor dedicated to displaying the products. Model rooms incorporate both furniture and accessories to create unique displays. Winding along the tile path are model rooms for every age. The design of each model has a clear pattern. Now, I am no style guru, but I can safely say that these designs are meant to inspire those of us who don’t know which colors look good together and which wood stains go with which fabrics. Taking notes based on the style numbers and color codes of each piece in a single model room, every patron is able to produce a chic layout for his or her own domicile.
Towards one corner of the showroom floor there is an entire apartment-like model that displays a kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, and walk-in closet. Have you ever read/seen From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler? Well, at one point during the book/movie two children stay overnight in the NYC Met. While I wandered through Ikea’s apartment model, I couldn’t help but imagine a similar scenario taking place in the Ikea.
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The down side of these model rooms and the decision to waste an afternoon in a mega-store is that Ikea subtly convinces me to purchase more than I intended to. This Saturday, for example, I just came to people-watch but ended up walking out with a lamp. ‘Oh, HAMBURGERS!’ So yeah, I got my entertainment ya-yas and a lamp from Ikea.
