You think you had a bad day???

[Joana]

You think you had a bad day?? Well- check mine out.....this is actually funny if it hadn't been so exhausting!

As you all know I am leaving to Playa soon. For a bit longer. So right now I am in the phase were you don't have enough time and are constantly under pressure. Every minute counts.
Into this scenario came today...........
While I am gone my appartment will be painted by a friend. I also have a book problem (read: I can't throw any books away, I LOVE books- so I have too many. In fact some of my childrens books are still here.....), meaning I needed a new bookshelf.
So my Mum and I had planned to go to a paint-shop first today for me to pick paint and then go to IKEA....fair enough. Off we went at eleven. I thought I was going to be back by three thus also not taking the code card for the stereo in the car.......and just got home now, seven hours later.

Here goes- paint shop went well, picked a light "sand" tone for my appartment. Check
Went to IKEA. Now- the first BAD idea was to go to IKEA on a Friday........as folks get off of work early, so it gets crowded there.
The bookshelf I need is the twin of MY bookshelf. Nowhere to be found.
Go to the info- told me that they don't have it in THIS store- but in the other one, on the other side of Hamburg. Asked them if they can order it for me from them (it has to be sent to my house anyhow). Nope, can't.
AND it is going out of stock, only four left in the other shop. And it will not be produced anymore. Right.
Asked where the other shop was- got shown a map that was soso, but Mom said she knows where.
So we drove once across the city during rush hour- already a bad idea......and then had to take a bit of Autobahn (highway) according to Mom.
Within two seconds we're in a stop and go traffic jam that lasted one and a half hours- only to find out AFTER all that time that Mom did not know the right way.... or in other words: we'd taken a wrong turn and IKEA was somewhere else.
So on the next possible exit we could take we turned to go back into Hamburg. To get into the next stop and go. This one lasted TWO hours.............we gave up the thought of IKEA entirely by then.
So after three and a half hours of watching the backlights of the cars in front of us in total silence we left the highway- without a bookshelf.
And then I return home, wanted to look up on their homepage where we'd gone wrong.....and guess what??
I can order that damn thing ONLINE!!!!!!

So I spent the whole day in one huge traffic jam.....for nothing.
And that although TIME is the one thing I don't have.

Just in case your day was a bummer- maybe now it doesn't seem all that bad anymore.

[Ginger]

don't you HATE it when that happens? I do stuff like that alllll the time. At least you could order it and didn't have to go all the way back to the other store tomorrow to find they were all sold out.

When we go to Ikea, we always go early in the week, never on the weekend, and we make it like a field trip, complete with lunch.

wow..is traffic always that bad in Hamburg?? I can't imagine. People actually commute everyday and sit in traffic like that??

[myhappyplace2]

But you got to spend the day with your mother, and those days are going to be precious when you a missing her while in PLaya. So not really a bad day just un productive in buying a bookcase. Maybe you can donate some of your books to a shelter for others to enjoy, then you won't even need a bookcase

[Chilepepper]

Close your eyes and repeat after me . . . .
I only have 20 days to go . . . . I only have 20 days to go . . 20 days is all I have . . . .. I could feel bad for you, but I don't.YOU are going to Playa. I am stuck in Wisconsin!
There, now don't you feel better? Cheers!

[bizzokiki]

Originally Posted by Joana

I can order that damn thing ONLINE!!!!!!

OK, once you sat and thought about it, you are right, that's kinda funny, but I would have been going crazy and throwing out some f-bombs in that traffic!

[sctx]

see why I don't own any books???

[Heather]

Joana, it could always be worse. Like, for example, if you lived in a country COMPLETELY DEVOID of Ikea.

[Susie Q Roo]

Originally Posted by Heather

Joana, it could always be worse. Like, for example, if you lived in a country COMPLETELY DEVOID of Ikea.

No kidding! (Sorry you had a bad day, Joana!)

[Gulliver]

Originally Posted by Heather

Joana, it could always be worse. Like, for example, if you lived in a country COMPLETELY DEVOID of Ikea.

I will trade you all of our Ikea's AND the Gulf of Mexico for the Caribbean.

[Heather]

Originally Posted by Gulliver

I will trade you all of our Ikea's AND the Gulf of Mexico for the Caribbean.

Hmm...do I get a US salary, too??

On second thought, never mind! I'm quite happy here!!

[Mexivoof]

Originally Posted by Heather

Joana, it could always be worse. Like, for example, if you lived in a country COMPLETELY DEVOID of Ikea.

They should have stayed in Sweden. I was at the one in Schaumburg once. What an experience. I'd rather look for a snowthrower in Playa.

[Joana]

wow..is traffic always that bad in Hamburg?? I can't imagine. People actually commute everyday and sit in traffic like that??

It is only this bad during rush hours..... now on the way OUT this was unexpected- and it was due to some construction being done and the effing inability of folks to follow the idea of the "zipper" to ensure traffic flow......which is one pet peeve of mine: if there are signs miles away telling you to prepare to get into a certain lane why in the world do people never learn?
The way back IN was a classic as we have a tunnel here that goes under the river which has always been like getting a thread through a needle.
Interesting phenomenon here is that they have four tunnels each way- and in my entire life I have NEVER seen all four on one side open. To make it even weirder fact is that often you will find a lane in a tunnel closed for traffic for no apparent reason? That really got my goat today- after standing in stupid traffic for two hours we enter that tunnel to find one lane closed for no apparent reason and for the life of me I do not understand why they couldn't open it up for rush hour.........
Fact is that there are certain times a day where it gets really bad traffic wise- and unfortunately we got stuck in one of those today.

But you got to spend the day with your mother,

It was funny actually because after the first two hours we just sat there in silence.....no more stories to tell. A sight to behold: two women silent.

There, now don't you feel better?

Believe me- those 20 days will be the longest of my life- and I have a hunch there will be tears of relief when on the plane.

but I would have been going crazy and throwing out some f-bombs in that traffic!

Believe me- I did. But after an hour I was to exhausted to go on....and out of creative swearwords.

see why I don't own any books???

Certainly a clever move!!

Like, for example, if you lived in a country COMPLETELY DEVOID of Ikea.

True.

There are two things I would miss about IKEA- the funny names of the furniture and the weird "Even if I didn't mean to buy anything I carry out a bag of stuff I never thought I needed and actually don't need"-phenomenon. Happened again today in fact.

No kidding!

Shall I bring some smörebröd when coming down to relieve the pain?

[Joana]

Originally Posted by Mexivoof

They should have stayed in Sweden. I was at the one in Schaumburg once. What an experience. I'd rather look for a snowthrower in Playa.

I love Ikea- hardly go there but LOVE it nevertheless...... the names of stuff make me chuckle- like "Leksvik"......... or "Clippan"......... Leksvik somehow sounds like something really dirty.

[MikeW]

Originally Posted by Joana

...To make it even weirder fact is that often you will find a lane in a tunnel closed for traffic for no apparent reason? ...

You sure you weren't in California?
Oh wait, there would have been workers standing around talking . . .

[Gulliver]

The trafic in hamburg sound as bad as it is here in Houston. Must be something to do with citys that start with the letter H. We don't have Autobahns, they are called toll roads here and they charge us money to sit in trafic.