/>Gene and I got together yesterday to talk "soft furnishings" over lunch and followed up with a trip to IKEA. I found some curtains I liked at Crate and Barrel, but even on sale, I was looking at spending $400 for the curtain wall, so we decided to see if IKEA had anything similar at a lower price.

For those of you who haven't been to IKEA (is there anyone who hasn't been to IKEA??), they have ready-made curtains at more modest prices, and one section over they have a huge selection fabric by the yard. Its not quite as big as going to a regular fabric store, but you do get quite an eyeful. The fabric patterns tend towards Marrimekko-style patterns and not what Im looking for, but in a flash of inspiration, we found this blue on blue fabric and bought out the entire bolt! I'll let everyone be (hopefully pleasantly) surprised with what we're doing with it, but Gene has given me "homework" ala Trading Spaces and I think the results will look really nice!

Comcast showed up yesterday to hook me up to the rest of the world, and all by myself set up my home wireless network, complete with WPA security and a firewall and it didn't take me all that long. The instructions weren't too clear, but it seems to work okay. Comcast has a channel with nothing but old movies, and Elsa and I watched the original "Airport" last night. Bless her heart she wants to sit on the new couch with me, and as much as I want to curl up with her, I just can't handle all the dog hair on the new couch. She did hop up in bed with me this morning for a half hour (now I have black dog hair on gold sheets). I don't have curtains in the bedroom yet, so at 6am when the sun rises, so does she. I ought to experiment with eye shades for her. They work for me, so maybe they would let her sleep in??

Today's tasks include yet another run to the Salvation Army with things to drop off (books, bags, art and a filing cabinate) and then off to Crate and Barrel for a side table, the car wash and to Best Buy for a new camera. Then its off to the chiropractor and then the beach!