Stuff (the rest of the story)

So, as I teased on Tuesday (is it Sunday already?) Our shipment from the US arrived, it was quite an event. The shipping container and truck were too large to even fit down our road, much less our driveway, so they had to park the truck out on the main road, unload the container into another truck, and then bring it down the road and the driveway.

The movers did a good job, but we didn't have them unpack much, only unwrap the furniture and put together the dining room table. As I exhorted them not to scratch it I was reminded by them that they are professional movers! Having met many professional electricians and plumbers, lets just say that I felt completely justified, but to be fair, they did a pretty good job. On advice from one of the guys here, I made sure that I brought my big toolbox, so I have plenty of tools to put things together, so I was able to manage (and I think the caretaker was in awe of my vast array of tools).

Anyway here is the linky to the pictures/captions... enjoy.

Stuff!

Our stuff came from the US yesterday. Mostly intact even... Just wanted to give that quick update. I'll have a few days off for Pongal starting tomorrow and try to get a posting with photos done. Also (shhh don't tell anyone) I drove for the first time this morning. More on that later also. In the meantime, here is a Pongal greeting!

Furniture Shopping

So here's a fun little story. Mel and I needed to pick up a couple of cheap pieces of furniture for the house. Just a microwave cart and some shelves for our upstairs bathroom. Something like the put together stuff pressboard stuff that you would get anywhere in the US. We told our driver who took us to the "furniture" part of town. Now for those of you who know Mel and I, you'll know that there are few things we like less than furniture shopping and especially with a "deadline". Basically just wanted to get something and get it done.

Anyway, there were lots of big furniture shops and we went in a few. We saw that kind of furniture, but it all seemed a little pricey, and of course didn't fit our dimensions, needs.

Leaving one shop, we were summoned down a little side street into what could best be described as a "hallway". In the hallway were little pieces of furniture, none of which would fit the bill, that's when the man told us he was a manufacturer and that he could make us whatever we wanted. So for grins, I described the exact dimensions of what we needed and after a few rough sketches he quoted a price, we negotiated and the price got a little cheaper and he said he could also deliver it by that evening (a Saturday -- it was 1:30 in the afternoon). I was skeptical, but the guy kept insisting and also wanted me to see his factory, which was only 5 minutes away. He also informed me that selling furniture was his second job, that he was a classical dancer... so who knows.

Anyway, I agreed to buy the furniture, but he kept insisting I see his factory, even after I told him several times that it wasn't necessary. But, if you gotta go see the factory, might as well bring the camera, right? The "factory" was a whole two rooms big with one guy, but I got to choose my own wood!

At the end of the day (which for this day was about 8:30 that night), we had two new custom built pieces for less than what we would've paid for one in the shop, and they look pretty good. To be honest better than I was expecting :-)

Here are the pics if you are interested...