Two months ago, when Mihir and I moved to Texas, we were confronted with an unfortunate catastrophe: our couches could not be maneuvered up the stairs and into our second-floor apartment. When I stepped into the apartment for the first time I knew almost immediately the full-sized couch wouldn't fit, but I was surprised when even the two-seater couldn't go around the curve. To this day, those two couches are stacked neatly in the garage, waiting for a new home. Luckily, we had a futon to fill the void, at least temporarily.
Almost immediately, we acquired some lovely rattan pieces from Pier 1. I think they remind Mihir of India--we even chose lovely Indian-inspired cushions. Luckily for us, South Asian decor is all the rage right now, so there was no shortage of cane-style furniture or Asian-inspired accessories. Luckily for retailers, popularity allows them to charge high prices.
We still needed an upholstered couch to complete the room. Fully aware of the tight fit up the staircase, we decided it would be wise to find a couch that A) could be disassembled at least long enough to come inside our apartment and B) looked nothing like a couch that could be disassembled. We found what we were looking for at IKEA, a ridiculously popular Swedish furniture chain. We went to the local IKEA, in Frisco, Texas, and there it was, the couch of our budget-conscious dreams: the EKTORP, available in about 12 colors. We chose Idemo light green. Ideally, you buy it, throw it in the back of your pickup truck, haul it home, drag it up the stairs, spend days putting it together, and voila! you have sophisticated furniture. Simple? Not quite. Mihir and I don't own a pickup truck (how very un-Texan of us!) so we had to order it. So order it, we did--SIX WEEKS AGO! It turns out IKEA isn't nearly as convenient when you don't have the proper mode of transportation. After many agitated phone calls and emails to find out the status of the missing couch, they told us it was "unaccounted for" (Translation: They lost it.) and they had to start from scratch with a whole new Idemo light green EKTORP sofa. I was MAD. To say the least. But finally, after all these weeks, the couch is here, fully assembled and gorgeous. I've taken a photograph of how the whole room turned out. It wasn't a conscious plan on my part, but I managed to put together a room with a very pleasing autumnal overtone. I find that comforting, since I do not believe a Texan autumn can hold a candle to what I've experienced in Michigan. We'll see about that. In the mean time, I'm just glad to have a couch!
In other news, Mihir is no longer traveling to Ohio every week for work. He has moved on to the lovely (if not lively) city of of Baltimore. I'll have opportunity to visit after the bar examination. I promise to tell you all about it.
When I'm not studying, I'm usually at the gym. When I'm not studying OR working out, I try to read a little non-law material. Lately I'm completely absorbed in a book entitled Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside by Katrina Firlik. Ms. Firlik is one of a scant 200 (!) female neurosurgeons in the country. I don't know how she found the time, but she has written a darned interesting book about the human brain and her rather mysterious medical specialization. It's good. So good, in fact, it inspired me to read AND work out at the same time. Not every book warrants being propped on the elliptical trainer while I pursue the Body Wonderful. ;-)
--Stephanie
