Left Lane

I am glad to be back on US soil. Let me just say the Italy trip did not go as I expected it to. Not smooth at all. Rocky. All the way.

Italy

During the trip, there were five folks from the over-55 crowd, including my parents. I have nothing against anyone over 55, but when it comes to sightseeing, getting their ass in gear is HARD! Nevermind trying to get over jet lag the first few days. Motivation to move faster was hard to come by in this group. Florence? Rome? Eh, we’ll think about it. Meanwhile, let us read till we go blind. Argh!

I shouldn’t complain though. I got to do some reading, which I NEVER do. I finally read the Da Vinci Code and enjoyed it. I am going through the prequel of sorts, Angels and Demons, also by Dan Brown, and it is a little faster paced and more intense. Da Vinci Code is historically intriguing while Angels and Demons blends the historical aspect with more sci-fi tones. Still not through it but overall a great read.

The trip helped me calm down but also fried my nerves. Coming back to Pittsburgh, to an apartment that is barely even mine, is a little unnerving. I still need to settle in the place. It is not home yet. I don’t even have a couch yet, so any attempt to entertain will be futile. The couch is another story.

The Couch

The couch. Also a nickname for my car. Not this time, however. When I purchased the rest of my furniture, including my wondrous mattress and bed frame, from IKEA, I also ordered a three-person dark brown leather couch, around which I decided I would decorate the living room. That, however, was apparently not meant to be. I got a call the next day from the Pittsburgh IKEA saying that they oversold the couch and could not ship it to me with the rest of my items. The guy told me it would probably be in within a week. He said to keep calling back for a delivery schedule.

So I did. The next day. This time their story had changed dramatically. No delivery plans, but now they had NO IDEA when this couch was going to come in. None. They asked their manager. No idea. They checked the computers. Nope. Screwed. I went away on vacation expecting them to at least have an idea when I got back 3 weeks later. Nope. So I returned the damn thing without even getting it. WTF. I am still searching for that elusive brown couch that should tie the whole room together.

Posted in Personal, Travel.