Premature Thoughts About 'Home'

The other day I was thinking a lot about the forecast depression that supposedly awaits me on my return to Perth. Being the emotional, susceptible person that I am, it wouldn't surprise me if said depression does eventuate. For a time I was sure that it would. Then I went through a phase of being so excited about the future, so ripped and ready and roaring to go, so full of plans, full of beans, footloose and fancy-free, that I was sure that I wouldn't.

There are about a million things I want to do when I get back. And all these plans and schemes and hopes and dreams are THE thing that is pulling me back to Australia. It occurred to me then, that this might be the way that the post-travel depression was sneakily preparing an attack on my flank. Perhaps all this exuberance is what's going to ultimately destroy me? Maybe the confidence that I can make things happen the way I want is going to turn out to be my Achilles heel.

This is probably truer than I'd care to think about. There's been plenty of times in my Perth life that I've had great ideas and felt highly motivated and have ended up doing nothing with them. Often it seems that my ideas require the input of others that are equally motivated, and when I can't find that support, I crumble. Maybe the person I am now can make things happen, can keep the momentum rolling through whatever obstacles. Or maybe not.

Long story short, when I get back, if things aren't going the way I want them to, I think I'm going to move away. If I can't start the new life I want in Perth than that's too bad. I can't wait any more.

Ok, so I secretly love going to IKEA

I admit it. Think of me what you will. I went down there on the weekend with my friend Todd to pick up a few things for his place. I haven't actually been to IKEA since they slightly changed the location, but I must say I was impressed by the new store. It was enormous. Cavernously huge. Almost inescapable. When it came time to leave, we asked two female staff members if they knew how to get out of there, and they said they had no idea. They told us they had been stuck there since they started working at IKEA and told us we were doomed to wander forever unless we were pure of heart. For only the pure can find the path to the enchanted carpark.

It's such a fun place. The nice food in the IKEA restaurant. The cheap IKEA coffee with the free IKEA refills. The tiny, yet efficient IKEA pencils used to write the cute IKEA Swedish names on the convenient IKEA shopping list forms. The self-serve IKEA warehouse with the fun IKEA trolleys which you can ride down the enormous aisles as if they were IKEA go-carts. I love it.

So Todd needed a few things, large and small. He needed some pots and pans (long story, involving Todd's former roommate stealing his old ones and holding them hostage in an attempt to gain access to Todd's new place). I wanted to get the Skänka cooking kit, but we agreed that in the end it would probably only disappoint him by being cooked with by another man, and might even leave him a 'nasty surprise' after it left.

In the end we did pretty well. Got some pots and pans, a dishwashing holder thingy, and a set of desk drawers. We did however miss out on the main event, a chest of drawers or wardrobe for Todd's clothes. The one he wanted was sold out when we got to the warehouse section. It's a shame, but I don't mind so much. It gives me an excuse to return to IKEA.