I went on Hotwire.com at 3:00 this morning and booked a Budget car rental at the Tampa Airport instead of letting my friend come with his truck to help me move. I had been looking at furniture ideas online and came across some tables on IKEA’s web site that I thought I could use for work space, but when I saw the $100 they wanted for shipping, I decided to spend a bit less by driving out to the IKEA in Orlando to get what I needed to start the apartment. I eventually paid the additional $4 to be bumped up from an “economy” car to a late-model Chrysler PT Cruiser, which has a lot more cargo space with the seats folded down. It took four or five trips between the house and Plant City, but I got everything moved that I wanted to move, and left a lot behind. I tried to separate out anything I received from the soon-to-be-former in-laws and spouse, except for a few items, so nobody could say I took advantage of anyone.

I ended up making two trips to IKEA in Orlando. The first was for two 39-inch-long Vika Amon table tops in white with matching Vika Curry legs to use as workspace for the computer equipment and extra space to be able to lay things out that I’m working on—a total of about 6½ feet of workspace, along with a cable tray to attach underneath to keep my computer and equipment cables out of the way of my feet. I also bought an inexpensive set of bowls and dishes (I’ve become amazed how easily these ceramic bowls clean up!). On the second trip I bought two narrow Lerberg metal shelving units in dark gray, a set of document trays in the same color, and a keyboard drawer to attach under the computer side of the table to create more workspace on that side. I also bought a few of their 59¢ large blue shopping bags—I figured they would come in handy for carrying things up the stairs to my apartment on the upper floor.

My work area is now set up, with a few pieces of equipment (my shredder and the laser printer) yet to put in their places, but I still have a big pile of stuff to sort through on the other side of the living area and two bags of clothes in the bedroom to sort through—since I didn’t have moving boxes, I grabbed the roll of large contractor trash bags I had and just threw stuff into those. I’m sleeping on a featherbed spread out on the floor in the bedroom, which is actually more comfortable than you might think, until I have the money to go back to IKEA for a proper bed.

IKEA is an interesting store to visit. The customer starts out by picking up a brochure and a small pencil to make notes before taking the escalator up to the Showroom where they can see everything in use and try things out. If a customer sees something s/he likes, s/he writes down the aisle and bin number of the item on the back of the brochure as a reminder. From the Showroom, one then goes downstairs to the Marketplace where one can buy the smaller items for the home, then onward to the self-service furniture area, which is basically a giant warehouse, where one uses the aisle and bin numbers they wrote down to find the location where their desired items are available to put in their cart or on their large-item cart. From there, it’s off to the registers, most of which are self-service stations with the typical counter scanner plus handheld barcode scanners so one doesn’t have remove the large stuff out of the cart. They charge 5¢ per plastic bag that a customer uses to bag their purchases, in order to keep down their use and “help the environment,” but they also offer much larger shopping bags (and I do mean large) for 59¢ apiece that one can reuse many times over. There is also a bistro (fast-food joint), a full restaurant, and a staffed child care/play area where parents can leave their kids (kids have to be potty-trained and meet certain height requirements to stay in the staffed play area) while they shop along with other kid-friendly activity stations scattered through the store. The prices are very reasonable, much lower than a typical furniture store, and it’s easy to mix and match items and parts of items to come up with your own unique design. If you are looking for more classical furniture, though, with more classic design, this isn’t the place for you. We’re talking Swedish design here—modern, highly geometric design with strong lines and shapes and edges. You also had better be ready for a night of construction—you have to put the stuff together (they offer assembly services, for a fee); nothing comes preassembled. One does get simple instructions with each individual item, and for items that need a special or unique tool like an Allen wrench instead of a flat or Phillips-head screwdriver that one already has, that tool is included in the item’s hardware package (for example, the shelving units needed a hex driver, and each unit came with one; the table legs that used Phillips screws assumed you already had an appropriate screwdriver in your own tool box).

So, I’m fully moved in, sorting out the pile of items, getting settled in to start looking for work again this week.