So like I mentioned, Snookums and Alex and I went on an IKEA excursion Saturday. Alex wanted a poster frame, and Snookums and I were looking for bookcases. (My book collection spilled out of my closet some time ago.) I’d never been to an IKEA before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Holy cow… It was a madhouse. I think everyone in North London was there. It had its own parking garage, two restaurants, and a child-care area. It was insane. We were caught up in consumer frenzy. We ended up getting two excellent cheap bookcases (ours is the 3rd pictured), Alex’s frame, eight wineglasses, martini glasses, a garlic press, a chest of drawers, ice cube trays, four candle holders, and numerous kitchen utensils. The real fun, however, was getting our haul home. How we managed to cram all of it and me into the back of Alex’s little Peugeot I’ll never know.
 
I’d forgotten how much fun it was to go shopping in a big place with lots of choice. Most shops in the UK are rather small and you’re in and out within ten minutes. I miss the Meijer and Sam’s Club experience, where you walk around acres of consumer paradise and emerge with all kinds of stuff you never knew you needed. Is that weird? I guess you don’t realize what you’ll miss til it’s gone.