Mark Johnson wrote:
My wife and I went to Ikea today. I agreed to let her buy a few things off
of my to do list; a dresser, shelving, curtains, etc. Things that have been
on my list for years, and are no closer to being started now than they were
when the list was made. Lately I've gotten to the point where my time is
more valuable than my self respect. What, with twin 4 year olds, a newborn,
a new job started earlier this year, and a part time teaching gig that just
started this week, I feel about as thin as the shavings from my favorite
Japanese hand plane. I miss my favorite Japanese hand plane...

I love Ikea. We walked through there like kids in a candy store. We are
both trained as architects (small "a", no licenses...), and love good design
almost as much as we love to ridicule bad design (really, that's not as
arrogant as it sounds...). Ikea is filled with both. Mostly, it's filled
with interesting solutions to the problem of Life. I look at unique,
pre-packaged furniture, and see a bright office filled with Designers,
pouring all of their creative energies into the Everyday. Spending endless
hours redrawing details in an attempt to maximize aesthetics, ergonimics,
and efficiency.

I'd bet that they have never even touched their own creations. If they did
I'm sure these Designers would be disgusted by the flimsy pressboard doors,
the sloppy fit of the prefab drawer sides. It's a stark contrast between
attention to detail and inattention to material.

I see the throngs of people pushing carts stacked full of prepackaged
uniqueness, patiently debating with their significant other over the merits
of an unfinished pinewood shelf, vs. a laminated paper shelf, vs. an exposed
edge plywood shelf. Most visitors seem to appreciate the design work and
the established prices, even as my wife and I discuss quality control or
cost-to-build for each item. Even the children are enthralled by the
experience, gleefully jumping on an endless row of mattresses or hiding in
the thin cloth of the curtain display.

We walked the meandering aisles of Ikea for nearly 4 hours, emerging from
the sensory deprivation of the Big Box shortly after dark, and well past
dinnertime. We quickly loaded our loot into the back of The Big Red
Minivan, grabbed some fast food, and headed for home. All told, we spent
$16.22 at Ikea today. We got a pair of plastic storage bins that just
happen to fit perfectly in the kids' toy storage shelving unit that I built
last year, and a few throw pillows that were on sale. That doesn't count 2
cups of coffee, 2 chocolate milk cartons, 1 piece of chocolate cake, and 1
ice cream cone shared by 4 of us. (The newborn opted out of all of the
treats, but did enjoy a few ounces from the ol' bottle.)

Having left for the store with the best intentions of making my life easier,
we have somehow added a few new ideas to my to do list. My wife has kindly
offered to review the list, to help me re-prioritize my assigned tasks. She
has even offered to minimize complaints if I were to actually spend some
time in the shop. Now that the twins are old enough to "help daddy" in the
shop (they know the difference between flat head and phillips, hammer and
mallet, dovetail and finger joint, and many other tools and terms that make
a father proud), all I would be missing is the pleasant conversation with my
wife and the excited but clumsy smile of our newborn.

Sometimes, I miss the sense of accomplishment that comes with a finished
project. Sometimes, I resent the sense of urgency that comes from an
oversized to do list. Sometimes, I feel too schizophrenic to know what to
do next. And sometimes, I try to look around as a simple observer, to
absorb what I can, and try not to worry about what else I'm supposed to be
doing. Like sleeping; right now I'm supposed to be sleeping.

-MJ
http://www.mjhkstudios.com/woodwork/Frameset.htm



I hit the IKEA store in Cinci yesterday. I had the same symptoms. I
think that I am grateful that my Father's Second Cousin's Uncle declined
his business partner's offer to be the Chief Financial Officer for IKEA
back when it was being formed in Sweden. He felt that the offerings were
junk. Go figure....

Dave N