Wednesday, August 27, 2008

The Chair that (almost) Ate Me


It’s a big bruiser, isn’t it? I bought it three years and eight months ago. I have sat in it many hours a day, every day, except when out of town.


Before that, I sat in an even more massive (if that’s possible) leatherette recliner for six months in New Orleans. Little by little, my will to do anything ebbed away.


Or perhaps, my will flowed back as I worked odd jobs on my laptop, web surfed, and frittered away perfectly good time on non-productive tasks. It’s always so hard to figure out what is the start and finish of something?


I’ve yearned for years for an expensive Scandinavian modern recliner with a footstool, instead of a kick-out panel. These are so far beyond my level of frugality, such a chair was aught by an impossible dream.


Now, with craigslist, patience, and a bit of luck, it is possible to find most anything at a steep discount. This sexy northern import became mine about 85% off retail, albeit in (excellent) used condition. I feel as if the whole world has opened up around me and that I am no longer suffocating in tons of upholstered padding.


Still, I’ve a fond spot for that big boy that has been my pal for so long. It’s a shame I do not have a place where I can tuck it away. Perhaps I should get rid of the dining room table. It’s only use is as a place to pile junk. You may have noted, from the background in the photos, I am not exactly Martha Stewart.


But who else gives you headlines like Bearded Lady Shops at Wal-Mart or Attack of the Killer Barbie Dolls?


I doubt that it was ever possible to get anything you want at Alice’s Restaurant – long closed now. But the Arlo Guthrie song is still a good tune, part of the musical Hall of Fame of the era. You probably can find the memorabilia, though, on craigslist.com.

1 comment:

Sylvia K said...

I love your new chair! And I love Craigslist! That's where my son got my big, flat screen computer monitor, my big screen TV and my MP3! That's about the only place we shop -- well, I hang out regularly at Value Village and Goodwill, flashing my senior card and shaking my gray hair.