Some of this, some of that

[magid]

IKEA opened in Stoughton this weekend. I suppose a field trip is in order, though it'll probably be a lot easier in January, after the Shopping Season and after the newness has worn off. Coincidentally, browsing friendsfriends brought me to a link (to a Globe article, but I'm too lazy to go find the article itself) about how the IKEA in Somerville's Assembly Square might not be dead after all. Which would be great, not only because it would be a lot more convenient for me, but because that area is so dead right now, mostly uninhabited mall. Plus, the T has plans to add a stop between Sullivan and Wellington on the orange line at Assembly Square, which would make a huge difference.

In other transportation news, the green line is now open all the way to Lechmere again. Now I can start dreaming about the agreed-upon northern extension to the green line including Union Square. If I'm with the same employer by the time it opens, it would mean no changes, definitely better.

Last night I brought a number of bags of bags to the Cambridge Recycling Center (there are a lot of suggestions for reusing and/or recycling on that page, too). It's been ages since I'd been there, and I'd forgotten about the book recycling. Officially for Cambridge residents only (though they didn't check my ID last night), they have free books (take up to 5). They had small appliances and such free for the taking, too. Oh, and a partially-done big corkboard made out of wine corks.

Last Wednesday I played half a game of Gnostica. I would've liked to have finished the game, but Prog needed footage of another game for his Somerville local-access TV show, The Gameshelf. I'd like to play a whole game sometime soon, while I still remember what the different suits do. And I'd like it to be with the new win conditions (territories shared; multiple winners possible), just to see how it works in practice. Oh, and it was neat finally seeing some of the inside of the SCAT building in Union Square.

This is not November. How can it be, with temperatures in the 60s? Wild wind, now some rain, but still, 60s!

I can read Russian novels (or at least, I have, though not recently), but Russian plays are completely beyond me.

Comments

[fj.livejournal.com]

I heard from tamidon that the police actually just closed off the exit from the highway. That was it. All parking lots full, spilling over to Jordan's and everything.

[magid.livejournal.com]

There was an article in the Globe (Monday's, I think) about the horrors of traffic happening around the new IKEA, including the exit being closed. They interviewed locals, some of whom live on the same street farther down, and it sounded like a zoo, a bad zoo at that. I'm hoping that the bulk of it is the newness factor, that it won't stay that bad for more than a couple of weeks.

[fetteredwolf.livejournal.com]

We were there. Driving down 24, and before exit 19b there was a sign- Ikea parking lots full, exit 19b closed. So we continued on to 19a, got off, turned around, and went to Target.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Sounds frustrating, actually. I hope you found stuff at Target that made up for it.

[fetteredwolf.livejournal.com]

Well, I found a perfect pair of jeans, and got two of them. (In different shades. I can wear jeans at work, and my current two pairs are getting worn, so this is justified.) SO found the perfect fuzzy bathrobe that wasn't $60.
We also got 1gr. carb Reese's peanut butter cups, which we can on find at Target for some reason. I think they are actually better then the regular ones. (They are less sweet, which seems, surprisingly, to be a positive attribute)
I got two new Sudoku books, because it is addictive.
And we got a radio-mouse toy for the cats. They are fascinated by it, and finally I don't try to weasel my way out of obligatory cat playtime.

We still need to go back to Ikea, though, since we need more folding chairs for Thanksgiving. (And we already have some from there, they are cheaper than Target and everything will match.)

[magid.livejournal.com]

Congrats on the clothes. I mostly hate clothes shopping, have to be forced into it (usually by upcoming weddings), except every once in a while.

I can imagine less sweet Reese's being pretty good. I generally don't let myself buy bags of candy because then the serving size becomes closer to one bag than I'd like to admit... The downside to living alone is that there's not other people around to eat it before I do. (And I don't need yet another way to put pounds on.)

A couple of years ago I finally got dining room chairs. Not a whole set, because the place was going out of business, and all they had were the four side chairs. But they were exactly what I wanted, at 50% off (ie, vaguely affordable), so I got them. Which meant that the folding chairs I'd used to then were mostly retired, except when I need to expand the table.

[fetteredwolf.livejournal.com]

Well, if we can't get to Ikea, we'll borrow your chairs! ;)

[magid.livejournal.com]

You're welcome to them; I currently don't need them :-)

Assembly Square

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

I got a flyer and saw an ad in the Metro indicating that a TJ Maxx and HomeGoods is opening this Thursday at Assembly Square. So, yeah, maybe not dead yet.

And re Gnostica, maybe we can drum up some interest at my game things on the 11th if you were planning on coming over. I'd love to learn the new rules.

Re: Assembly Square

[magid.livejournal.com]

The article mentioned new stores moving into Assembly Square; I hope they last. (I should go while I remember there are new stores there, to fix them in my mental map.)

I'm likely on the 11th (sorry I didn't reply to you directly earlier). I don't have a copy of the new rules (but could likely get Prog to forward them), but the biggest part is the sharing of territory for point purposes (rather than having to get to the right number of points counting only territory you are on exclusively). I think they've also abolished the sudden-death "I'll win next turn" or be out of the game. And it's whoever's got n points at the beginning of a turn, not the end.

bags

[yagagriswold.livejournal.com]

Any time you're looking to get rid of plastic bags, my food pantry can use them. We're at St James' Church, on the corner of Mass Ave and Beech St., near Porter. Don't know if that's more or less convenient for you.

Re: bags

[magid.livejournal.com]

Technically, a bit farther from me, but I'd rather get them to where they'll be used. Wish I'd known before I dropped these off; I tend not to stockpile bags myself (I used them for trash), but I had an infusion from elsewhere.

Is it worth contacting someone at the Cambridge Recycle Center to get bags from them, or be listed as another place that's interested in getting bags from locals?

Re: bags

[yagagriswold.livejournal.com]

Nah, we can only take so many, and besides, getting bags that are dirty is really unhelpful. Its best if I just spread the word informally to people who are likely to be thoughtful about it. I don't want the general population treating us as another recycling center. Thanks, though!

Re: bags

[magid.livejournal.com]

Ah, OK. Are bags that aren't those grocery-bag size also useful? Are paper grocery bags useful?

Re: bags

[yagagriswold.livejournal.com]

Mostly what we need are grocery-size plastic bags. I'm using paper now (because we're out of plastic) and its making both my clients and my volunteers cranky.