Stimulating the Economy

Well, the Johnson's are doing their part to spur our economy through spending. And we did our best to increase the trade deficit by buying goods surely not made in the US!

We have been in our condo for just over a year. When we downsized our home, we sold our family room set. Not sure what we wanted to do in the living room, Kristen came up with the creative idea to combine our three file cabinets with our wine fridge, build a top for it and then drape it to create a faux buffet. Worked perfectly. It lasted about six months.

At home one day, Kristen had a moment of interior designer rage and disassembled the drape and made me take off the top we had cut for it (just plywood). So for the past six months we have just had the television (a whopping 20" LCD - got rid of the big bulky rear projection tv I had during my bachelor days!) and the stereo components sitting on top.

Come this spring I had enough of staring at file cabinets. We are adults and should have adult furniture. Problem, furniture - to me - is ridiculously expensive. To me it is just 'stuff'. I'd rather spend (or save!) the money elsewhere.

I challenged Kristen to design a built-in. When priced out it was quite expensive. Then again, the design was awesome, incredibly contemporary and would have been built with sustainable materials.

Since that didn't work, I succumbed to agreeing to buy furniture and we began looking for built-in's or entertainment centers. Of course, I rolled up my sleeves and did some research to assist Kristen (and to look out for my own interests!). Well, we ended up buying our media center from Crate & Barrel. It showed up this weekend.

Look how pathetic my television looks in it! I felt obligate to fill the void with a new television! Oh yeah. I almost pulled the trigger on a flat screen last year, but cancelled the order the day before it was to ship.

So, a year later I was prepared, but still reticent. Again, it is just 'stuff'! I settled on 42" plasma from Panasonic. Went to consumerreports.com to compare and then price it out. Yes, I'm a research geek. However, as my friends know, when I'm committed to doing something I go full speed and don't mess around. Once I decided to buy the tv, I did my research and made the purchase in a single day. Hate loose ends.

The media center has yet to be complete. Most of our picture frames and other tchotchkes are in storage. Kristen wanted me to reiterate it is not done and would not allow me to show a full picture until it is sufficiently decorated. Stay tuned!