You know when you’ve had a domestic weekend when you cook, clean the windows, re-pot your plants, vacuum and do some DIY in 48 hours. Unbelievable. Not five years ago I was involved in rioting in Central America, and here I am keeping house.
OK, smirking aside, the windows look great and plants have probably got a good twelve months of growing space in there, and seeing as they account for thirty percent of Tokyo’s oxygen producing plant life, it’s best not to mock them. The DIY was a rather tasteful TV stand from Muji, and points indeed to the folk who delivered it – they called in advance at 9am to make sure I was up and was greeted with my ‘is it war?’ voice which I use by default until my first cup of tea on a weekend morning. The 5 blocks of wood, casters and misc. bolts and alan keys turned up exactly sixty minutes later. I hear IKEA is coming to Japan, but who cares with Tokyu Hands, Loft and Muji? Hey, this thing turned up with all its parts, tools to put it together and instructions even I could follow.
Cleaning windows I admit is something of an perverse obsession. Not because I like doing George Formby impressions, or because of a humorous line of 1970’s British soft porn films, but purely because really dirty windows annoy me. It’s one of those things. Anyway, warm water, some soap and a little vinegar, and they look crystal clear now. Now I can enjoy my grey smog skyline with clarity.
It should also be stated that in the same 48 hours I levelled my main character in City of Heroes, earned my cape (yeah!) and got onto some new areas. I just wanted to put that into perspective.