ReIKEAncarnation

(As an aside, I seem to have pulled my neck simply by standing. Boys and girls, this is the sad reality of ageing. And also the sad reality of the last trimester of pregnancy, when your ligaments are turning to so much over-cooked spaghetti so as to ease open the pelvis for the emerging newt.

I had to teach Monday and Tuesday, was on my feet all day both days, and was visited by more aches, pains, strains, and physical problems in those two days than I normally endure in an entire year. The first day, I got a visual migraine in the middle of lunch and completely lost my vision for about 45 minutes. As soon as I could see again, I realized I'd eaten something indigestible at lunch and the abdominal pain and swelling nearly ended the class with a bang.

After a night of moaning, groaning, suffering, and little sleep (I'll be 9 months pregnant next week and sleep is a distant memory), I hobbled back to class. Mid-morning, I suffered a spontaneous neck strain that, two days later, seems to actually be getting worse rather than better. I have no idea how I did it. All I know is that by mid-afternoon, I couldn't move my head at all. Also, my feet and ankles have swollen to about the same size as my neck, and I can't move those either. I have become a statue of elephantine misery.)

Just about the only part of me that's not uncomfortable is my fingertips, so I've been doing some surfing around. I found this neat blog, IKEA Hacker, featuring the creative ways in which people have MacGyvered (not sure you'll know what that means if you're not from Canada...so let's say "Frankensteined") IKEA products into wonderful custom creations, and they show you how you can do it too. Because, let's face it, if you're going to buy furniture from IKEA, you're probably looking for a quick fix to a household problem--so why not make that a custom fix instead? It's not like cutting into your grandmother's 500 year-old harvest table, after all. We're talking about pine and particle board, for the most part. If your hack goes wrong, you don't have to feel too bad.

Pics above are all from IKEA Hacker:

1. A MALM bed someone customized with over-sized digital prints from a design shop's scrap pile.
2. A customized SISKAS chandelier.
3. A MAME dinner table turned into a Ms.Pacman game!