Chez le suèdois (French for Ikea)

I'd been thinking about some shelves from Ikea (in a charcoal black to go with everything) but hesitating over getting there, bringing them back, assembling, etc. etc., when I saw a notice in the laundry room of a moving-out sale.

Two Ikea Billy bookcases.

I called, I saw, they conquered.

Today, Jamie, the tenant who is moving, and I, moved them down to my apartment. In fairness, Jamie did most of the moving/lifting, for which I am eternally grateful. My old table (long banquet table) was consigned to the balcony to wait for Martha who is taking it off my hands. I'd tried folding the legs but they wouldn't budge. Jamie managed to fold them with a single blow. He told me he used to be a caterer so he knew these tables; I told him I used to be a food writer, and of course it turned out that we knew a lot of the same people in the foodie business. But I digress.

I spent the next few hours sorting and putting things away. The result was organization and space, blessed space. I can work with the mess because when I'm working, I'm focused and I don't notice it. The problem has been the rest of the time; when I'm not working. And it used to drag me down a bit.

No more. Now, when I'm not working, my eyes don't get assaulted every time I look there. Quite the opposite.