I Procrastinate

‘I procrastinate’, hubbie says.

I disagree.

‘We’ve had this apartment for ten years and it is still empty’, he says.

That is not quite accurate. We only bought the floor below us three years ago.

Yes, granted, it is a little empty. I like empty. It has a couch in front of the TV that fits the entire family and then some more. Designed it myself and measure four meters long. The house also has a bookcase. That bookcase too, measure 4 meters long and 2.55 high (also designed by me, yes yes), and fits all my books. Even place for future purchases. And the house has a TV (48 inch screen, but that’s hubbie’s doing). So to say that the house is empty is incorrect. It has a couch, a bookcase and a TV. I could actually have done without the TV. What more could you want?

But he says it’s empty. He’s been saying it for some time now. Okay. So it echoes.

And obviously he got fed up yesterday and went to Basta, an area in Beirut known for its antique dealers, second hand furniture shops, and otherwise dealers in furniture. And he bought. And bought. And bought. And bought some more. And now the house is full. “Hey, you don’t like it”? he said, “Then go out and change the stuff, I have no problem with that. You either go out and change it, or you keep as is, but I want furniture in my house.”

So today I went and changed it. This guy has like 7 floors of furniture, practically stacked on top of each other. I saw fantastic display cases from old pharmacies, with a hundred-and-one drawers, old wooden swivel chairs for ancient desks, little cabinets for which the keys could not be found, dressers with and without mirrors, 100 and 1 different wooden chairs (none matching) and then some more. Most of it comes from Asia, where they run a pretty good market in fake ‘antiques’. Some of it comes from Egypt, where they run a market in what is locally called ‘Style Farouq XVI’ I have been told. The last Egyptian king, Farouq, deposed somewhere in the fifties I believe, has quite a horrendous taste. Imitation Louis XVI, but then a little more baroque, a little more gilded, a little more curly and shiny. Basically a lot more kitsch.

I got some very nice pieces. A sort of cabinet that will only hold silver cutlery. Another display case that will fit the crystal wine glasses. Some other stuff that I cannot remember anymore, but I guess I’ll remember tomorrow, when they come and deliver it all. And take the other things away.

My bookcase