Happy tenth consecutive week note to me!
Amber and I had wanted to get the new IKEA PS lamp and it kept going out of stock repeatedly, so we bought our second-choice colour (which looks brilliant in our new living room, so excellent decision in hindsight) and set it up for pick up the day after we came back from Amsterdam. Was this convenient? No. Was it the only way to get this lamp? Yes. We ran a little late going to IKEA on Saturday afternoon after my haircut. We took the tram and then a cab, and to make up for that, brought the lamp back on public transport. As I stood holding the lamp at a bus stop, I got bit on my neck by a spider. Turned out to be nothing serious, but it did take a short course of antihistamines to rid me of a persistent burning and itching sensation. The rest of the weekend was about getting ready for the coming days because Amber was off for a quick work trip to Ghent.
I crammed in a really long work day on Monday, only to realise that I needed to wake up early the next day to prepare the house for a plumbing and heating maintenance visit. The visit happened smoothly, but I ended up with a migraine because of the lack of rest and sleep.
After long last, the metal shoe cabinet we had ordered for our entryway arrived. It wasn’t the easiest piece of furniture to build: the instructions were lacking, and thing didn’t just click. But Amber persevered, and we’re both very happy with how well it fits the space and the pop of colour it brings in the darkest spot of the apartment.
On Thursday, we took the Eurostar to London. I was going back to the city after almost fifteen years. My last time in the UK was for my MA graduation. A quick stopover at the hotel, and was I off to meet Elena. We spent the evening eating, talking and walking around. Socialising continued the next morning. I went to see Prachi. We were meeting IRL only for the first time, but we had so much to chat about. I would have loved to spend more time with her if I didn’t have a packed day. Due to a scheduling snafu in meeting Ishan, I ended up hanging out with Vaibhav instead, who I hadn’t seen, well, since I was last in the UK. Our meeting wasn’t planned, but I am so glad it happened! Friday night was Type&Faces. It was a friendly community event, and I got to see some familiar faces and talk about my book to a new group of folks.