8 Months

Laura found it hard to believe 4 and a half months had passed since she wrote the last final exam of her first year in college. Returning home after freshman year had been a much needed respite from it all. To think, she thought, I used to bemoan kicking around this go-nowhere town. Catching up on sleep and eating home-cooked meals had been a godsend, and she'd never appreciated the company of childhood friends quite like she had this summer.

This time last year, there was an allure of going away to college that created a genuine excitement and anticipation of living the life that Hollywood propagates for stereotypical 18-year olds. This August, the novelty of the experience didn't even register a murmur for Laura. Rather, it was a resignation to another 8 months of the trials and tribulations of dorm life. School itself was great - the challenges, the events, and all the guys, but when it came time to return to the "glorified closet" as she so disdainfully referred to her dorm room, the luster wore off quite quickly.

For starters, even a hyper-somniac would have difficult sleeping on that saggy old mattress. Couple that with incessant late-night hallway shenanigans and a roommate who, however agreeable, ground her teeth constantly, and there was little shut-eye to be had most nights. Then there was the desk chair that had been abused so thoroughly over the years that it featured the best in random-tilt technology and wheel casters as frozen as Lake Winnetonka in January. The dresser drawers that every morning required a tug-of-war-like pull before coming completely free of the cabinet added to her overall disillusionment.

"Character building" is how her dad had chosen to dispel her complaints when she brought them up over the course of the summer. "Maybe he's right," Laura thought, "after all, what's three more years in the course of a lifetime." She buoyed her spirits fairly well with this mindset in the days leading up to her departure, but as the bus rolled through the countryside Laura couldn't resist feeling down as she thought of her most unaccommodating accommodations.

Two weeks into the semester, she received an email from her mother:

"Make sure you're in your room next Tuesday between 3-5. If you can't let me know. Don't ask questions if you like surprises. Love, Mom"

Laura did like surprises, in fact so much so that she skipped Trig. that day to be there as instructed. Was it ever worth it when the delivery van pulled up. It seems Mom had been quietly sympathetic to her complaints, and with a quick e-visit to www.cymax.com she resolved to put an end to her precious daughter's discomfort. With a simple signature, Laura smiled as she accompanied her new twin bed, chest of drawers and Boss deluxe posture chair up to her room.

Banishing that bed, dresser and sorry excuse for a desk chair to the storage locker for the next 3 years was one task Laura happily took on. She thoroughly enjoyed filling her new drawers with all of her clothing, relishing the roller glides as she opened and closed them repeatedly. She rolled around her desk chair with glee, but nothing compared to the feeling of falling into that new bed. What a difference!

Just like that, dorm life was looking up. The hallway calamity and her roommates' teeth grinding were out of her hands, but ear plugs were one expense she could handle without Mom and Dad.

What Did You Expect?

Anyone who’s ever been to an amusement park is likely familiar with the log ride. You know the one where you and 2 to 3 others sit in an imitation-log vessel and trolley up coaster tracks before plummeting down into the water below with a great splash. It’s like a watered-down (pun intended) roller coaster for those not so brave as to take on the Corkscrew et al.

Every time and each one I’ve been to has a sign, in plain view from the line-up, stating something along the lines of “Please understand use of this ride may result in your garments becoming wet to varying degrees. Remove hats, store cameras ... etc., etc.” in the simplest language possible. Not only that, but the splash zone is usually in full view of the cue and those waiting can see the aftermath of the landing as water explodes in every which direction.

Yet, there always seem to be one individual who has this purely mortified look on her face as the log approaches the dispatch area. As she steps from the log, she’s in a heated huff-n-puff exasperated state staring at her wet clothing in disbelief and erratically looking around for sympathy or an explanation.

I have to admit I find this no end of comical and entertaining. What on earth did you expect? The last time it happened the missus and I were visiting her folks in Seoul and we were at Everland, where I was taking video with my digital camera and captured the whole sequence on tape. Needless to say, it’s been quite a hit with friends and family here. At the end she proceeds to berate one of the ride attendants who you can tell is trying desperately not to laugh.

The terms inevitability or likelihood come to mind, much in the same way my dad used them when he explained the concept of inflation to me as a pre-teen. Fast forward a good twenty years where the cost of consumer goods is growing exponentially based on a number of factors, not the least of which is skyrocketing transport costs growing out of our addiction to oil, and many people are screaming blue murder. Again, however different the context and severity, I’m left wondering what exactly we expected based on the projections which started to surface as long ago as the 1980s.

The fact is that consumers now need to shop smarter, with a greater multi-tiered objectivity. The advent and growth of online shopping has been of considerable benefit to this end, and Cymax Stores is a perfect example of such a resource happily at the disposal of the people. Selection, quality and competitive pricing are values any individual can appreciate.

For those looking to add functional and sufficiently stylish bedroom storage on a budget, consider any one of the Prepac Dressers or Chest of Drawers which students and young adults will likely find hard to beat for the price. A young family may feel similarly enthused with the selection of affordable quality at www.morediningtables.com, a Cymax Stores subsidiary and an excellent source to fill all your dining area needs.

There just might be a few who’ll be pleased to know they don’t necessarily need to stand their TV on upturned milk crates after looking over the selection of Sauder TV stands at www.audio-video-furniture.com as rigid and stylish as they are light on the wallet.

Sometimes you just have to know it’s going to happen. How you respond is often all you have. Pack an extra t-shirt or make an e-stop by Cymax for reactionary measures alone.

Elevator Chargers: Where Lay the Roots of Impatience?

Since relocating to the big city, a predominant trend has become increasingly bothersome to me – elevator chargers. I’m totally at a loss as to why waiting for the elevator to clear before entering seems to be conceptual thinking for a great many people in this city. I realize we live in a “go go” world, but to me this is a little bit much. I firmly believe it’s only a matter of time before I get a torso full of hot coffee as a result of simply vacating the elevator in an orderly, logical manner.

I have to say this tendency annoys me to no end. The very second the door opens it’s head down and forward, full bore. What gives? Are you really in that much of a hurry to get to the office? The two-to-three second delay you’ll give up to allow the passengers to exit is going to inconvenience you that much? Sometimes I think these are the same people who’d pull a Costanza when a “fire” breaks out at a child’s birthday party...

What is at the root of such disdainful behavior? I’ve given it some thought and I’m at something of a loss. As a result, I’m going to speculate that some of them may have experienced a painfully-recent home furnishings shortcoming, and if so I recommend online shopping at cymaxstores.com as a means of developing necessary social graces.

Perhaps he or she is running late due to their being unable to find the car keys that morning. Could it be that a Home Star Nesting Table, perfectly situated next to the door with those elusive keys and a comforting photo of the family, is a suitably stylish solution? Very reasonably priced for a pair in a fine hardwood finish, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more affordable means of adding quality-made character to the common areas of your home. A Home Star Corner Curio would serve the same purpose with similarly excellent value.

Maybe it’s an inclement weather day and one of the cattle is in a bit of a foul mood from being unable to find their raincoat in a cluttered foyer closet. Wouldn’t be enough to drive me to abandon all manner of civility, but I’ll refrain from ranting. An inexpensive Home Star Coat Rack would likely have meant a quick and easy procurement of the necessary garment and an umbrella to boot. Enough to prevent bowling over the elderly to get a seat on the Skytrain? Don’t know about that, but it’s worth a try.

The incomparable value of a Nexeria Allegria Mirror would allow any of the stampeders to take stock of their impeccable appearance each morning, and might inspire a little more relaxed strutting across the lobby so that others may admire the view; not to mention some of that coffee will likely end up on you as well. Perhaps Mr. or Mrs. Self-Absorbed were at a loss to find the right necktie or accessory belt that A.M. The value of a visibly attractive South Shore Drawer Chest in allowing you to be a more well-mannered member of society would be so much more than its clear dollars-and-cents appeal.

Pure speculation I admit – But what’s a guy to do when he’s at a loss to find any explanation for such reproachable behavior.

Slow down folks

The Tent Dresser

Each B.C. day weekend I return to the island and enjoy three days of camping with childhood friends I regrettably don’t see as often as I would like. A four hour drive from our hometown of Victoria takes us to our not-so-well-kept-any-longer secret spot at Hornby Island, a jewel of an island in the Georgia Strait with beautiful white sand crescent beaches and the best six-gill shark diving anywhere on the west coast. An abundance of beverage-soaked sun tanning, scuba diving, mountain biking and endless reminiscing take up the bulk of a few days that always pass far too quickly for my liking.

The whole I-haven’t-looked-at-my-watch-since-yesterday carelessness and don’t-care-if-my-feet-are-encrusted-in-sand slovenliness is truly a tonic for my soul. I love the whole haphazard existence of it. I walk by the wash huts and see guys in their shaving and think “why on earth?” as I run my filthy palm over my 45-hour shadow. I can happily eat chunky soup and hot dogs every night and don’t mind one bit waking up in a tent with an acrid stale campfire smell about me and all manner of items strewn about randomly. Granted I’m sure it would wear on me over an extended period of time but for those 3 days each year, I’m in heaven.

Speaking of tents, last year one of the guys’ girlfriends decided a little more order was needed in their nylon domicile. I don’t recollect whether they were purchased explicitly for the purpose, but they brought eight of those cheap plastic “click” stacker shelves and made what she coined “the tent dresser.” Years ago we would have scoffed at such logic and practicality in our disheveled bushman utopia, but we all admitted it was a fairly nifty idea. While my sweatshirts often served as my pillow come morning, Big O’s were neatly folded next to his sleeping bag.

Now, I’m loathe to disappoint those persons who are eagerly anticipating my announcements of cymax stores’ new tent dresser, but alas, there’s no such thing.

However, for those of you who are not constantly inclined to revert back to your wonderfully disorganized youth and do in fact keep your garments impeccably arranged, a new dresser or chest of drawers from moredressers.com may be very much to your liking. Myself, I’ve rather grudgingly come to accept the need to organize my dresser chest; socks n ginch on top, shirts and the like in 2 and 3 and pants on the bottom. However, that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten a simpler time when each one contained a mish-mash of each as I frantically rifled through in search of the right Metallica t-shirt to wear to school. The spray-on jeans and converse hi-tops were much easier to find.

I’m not much for anything pricey, and moredressers.com also offers a fair selection of cheap dressers for like-minded individuals. If it’s nothing more than a box for your threads, that’s likely the way to go.

Now if they had one that was somehow imbued with the sweet aromas of campfire, seawater and a few-too-many the night before, the nostalgic sway of influence would surely be to much for me to resist.