the IKEA experience

i have trouble finding words to describe it. the place absolutely floored me. it's so amazing. i remember catherine telling me about the apple retail stores. one can imagine the beauty of the IPOD and just extend it to an entire store. IKEA is not beautiful like the pristine, smooth, white aura that apple exudes, but it's incredible in all it's swedish glory (that is a good way to describe the IKEA glory, right? as swedish?)

i don't think i could say it about any other store, but going there for the first time is truly an experience. it's like how i want to go to the brooklyn bridge. or going to europe. or seeing the giant bronze buddha on lantao island in hong kong. if i had known what it was like, i would have put visit IKEA store on my list of things to do.

the store spoke to me in soothing, reasonable tones. not pushy, not demanding. you could live a neatly packaged IKEA existence. you could fill your home and your life with these cool little pieces of furniture. sit down. isn't that seat comfortable? look at that tv stand. wouldn't that go perfectly with the tv you're thinking of buying? wow, [trinket] (using brackets because i'm not sure if carrots will be read as html tags) is only $20! you spend that much on dinner, sometimes, maybe more. why not get it?

being inside bombarded me with feelings, but in a nonthreatening way. i wanted to own an apartment or a house. heck, anything with square footage that was mine to furnish would have suited me. i wanted to have kids so i could furnish their rooms in these incredibly cool ways. chalkboard clock? magnetized picture-holding whiteboard? leafy frond resembling soft-lit floor lamp? look at all the cool ways you could bunk your child's bed? everything was so goddamn cheap. and so goddamn neat. the store was goddamn everything.

and the place was designed so well. i had _fun_ walking through every square inch. those swedes... they know how to play with the mind, like jello. they must be masters of the human psyche, or at least the american consumer's. the place could not have been designed better. the layout, the showrooms, the checkout area, the playrooms for children strategically scattered throughout the store, the self service area and checkout, the garage, and so on. (what does ad infinitum mean? i wanted to use it there, but i don't know what it actually translates to)

the best part of the visit was pushing along the flatcart and hopping on for a ride. then almost falling off as i almost hit a wall, and looking over to see a 20-something year old girl riding her shopping cart. some things never change.

i can understand why the author of fight club (chuckk palynick or something?) went on an anti-IKEA life rant. i feel like ken could articulate what i'm feeling much better. he also loves the movie fight club, coincidentally. does he read this?

no more. this post is long enough.