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Too Much Of A Goot Thing

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpchan/3057783850/

Because I am just barely middle-class economically, I shop at Ikea instead of Crate & Barrel. Which is just fine by me, because I’m frugal by nature and have a penchant for assembly and particleboard.

I also have a soft spot for cafeteria dining, which dates back to numerous family outings to the Hot Shoppes Cafeteria at Willowbrook Mall in the 70s.So it’s no wonder that Ikea is one of favorite stores. Cheap furniture? Pushing trays of food? I’m all over it.

But our recent move has meant three visits to these big blue wonders in just two weeks. (Brooklyn, Hicksville, and Paramus, for those of you keeping score.) Which also means three big plates of Swedish meatballs. Which also means…overload. It’s too much, even for a fan like myself.I’ll see you in 2009, my Swedish friend. Maybe late in 2009.

(Ikea, Paramus, NJ)

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Monday Is Cat Week: Last Looks

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpchan/3039364796/

Moving can be a pretty emotional experience. (Not for me, of course, because I am a bad-ass. I refer here to others.) After you’ve packed and emptied the place you called home, it’s hard not to be reminded of your mortality when you see all that empty space. Soon, someone else’s stuff will fill that void. Soon, someone else will call that place home.After ten years in Brooklyn, I sure will miss the place. My new home in Manhattan is a big step up in just about every way, but I’ll always have a soft spot for the people and places on the Q train. Do cats get wistful, too? Or is Marla just wondering where her litterbox went?

(Bklyn Blggng HQ)

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Macs Take Manhattan

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpchan/3018809789/

Our big move is preceded by a smaller move via Zipcar. My aging G5 and Jo’s beloved eMac get the white glove treatment, as will Marla the cat. Some things are just too precious to leave to the movers.

(New Bklyn Blggng HQ, Manhattan)

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Reverse 9/11 and The Endless Possibilities

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpchan/3006174805/

After 9/11, the world changed for Americans. If New York and Washington could be attacked so easily, just about anything was possible. Hurt, scared, and angry, it was easy to be persuaded that this new world of endless possibilities could only mean bad things for us. We acted accordingly, and with disasterous results.

After 11/4, the world has changed again for Americans. We see again the endless possibilities for this country and this planet. We’re still largely hurt and mostly scared, but I like to think we’re no longer angry and we’re sick of being scared. I like to think that instead of fearing the possibilities, we now will embrace them.

(Woorijip, West 32 St, Manhattan)

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Woo Hoo!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpchan/3004090900/

This is my last election as a Brooklyn resident, but I’m pretty sure that’s not why everyone is calling it a historic moment.

All joking aside, it felt great to pull the lever for Barack. Godspeed, my man.

(P.S. 92, Parkside Av, Brooklyn)