Comfortable Seating

Place: Original Pizza
Lunch: Slice of pepperoni, Pepsi

A couple of months ago, I bought a new love seat. I'd been thinking about replacing my furniture for some time. I wanted lower height arms with better cushioning, like the microfiber stuff that's out there now. In the case of the love seat, something that would be easier to flop (lay) over without getting a stiff neck.

Behold the power of Big Lots, who I discovered were selling the perfect love seat in a dark green color called "Fern" for an incredible $219. Furniture Sales Manager: "I've got like FOUR of these things but I can't move them because I don't have the matching pieces. But it's a WONDERFUL sofa and I'd LOVE for you to take one home! I'd take one home myself if I had room for it!" Yes, they were desperate. And I snagged it.

(BTW - Those of you who have claimed to love the old one...it's in the garage in perfectly good condition awaiting a new home.)

Ever since, I've been looking for a chair and ottoman to go with it. It doesn't have to be an exact match...it just has to fit ME exactly.

So here I am in this old shopping mall (same place I'm eating at) that is going through a major remodel. Most of the ceiling is stripped to the frame joints, some sections are blocked off with temporary drywall, and about half the parking lot is fenced off. Some of the stores, including this fabulous pizza joint, look like refugees from the eighties. I'm having memories of the old Jantzen Beach shopping center here. I suppose they'll ruin that as the new look is phased in. (Did I mention about how they ruined the Jantzen Beach mall when I was in Portland? Oh, never mind...)

But the stores are open for the most part, and one of the anchors is a furniture store. So I wander in.

And what do I see but my love seat. The very same one I got at Big lots. Right there practically as I walk in the door. Same manufacturer, same color. Slightly higher price...okay, WAY higher price. On sale for $400-plus. Their regular price was north of $450.

But the big deal is, they have the exact matching chair and ottoman. On sale for...oh...I think it was close to $600 for the pair.

So I sat in the chair, briefly dreaming of the bliss of matching coordinated furniture.

VERY briefly.

The chair was AWFUL.

It sat your back straight up and stiff. There was no way I could relax in this thing. It was horrible.

Elderly Sales Lady approaches and explains how these are on sale, and how they could knock off even more if I were a cash buyer. I thanked her and advised I was just browsing.

I HAVE found the perfect chair and ottoman in terms of comfort, but the store was out of stock and they wouldn't have fit in my vehicle anyway. They were the right price too, about $329 for the pair if I remember correctly. The color was a lighter green, which probably wouldn't look too good against my existing love seat. I think I'd be better off with a dark brown or maybe even sand colored solution.

Maybe if time and space converge and I happen to be in that area again with the right vehicle, I'll get it anyway.

Or maybe something else will come up at Big Lots.

Taco Bargains

Place: Taco Shop
Lunch: Combo #4 (2 tacos with mild sauce, 1 cheese enchilada, Pepsi)

Let's compare to the Taco John's lunch of yesterday (see previous post)...Today, I got 2 tacos, a cheese enchilada, and a Pepsi.

Price before tax? $3.39.

The food was better too. Actually, the recipes were almost identical to Taco Tico.

It's no surprise that there isn't a Taco John's within 40 miles of here.

It's a shame that the new Batman movie is coming out next week, because it will probably cannibalize ticket sales for Hellboy 2, which I saw today.

REALLY fun movie.

I really hated that "Batman Begins" they made a couple of years ago. Whenever the guy was in the bat suit, he sounded like he really had to go to the bathroom.

Taco Cons

Place: Taco John's
Lunch: Stuffed Grilled Taco, Potato Ole's, Pepsi

The new Stuffed Grilled Taco is a corn shell taco with the usual meat and cheese, plus sour cream, wrapped by a flour tortilla and grilled. It is absolutely not worth the $2.29 they charge for it.

But even worse...The combo deal for this thing is $5.49.

They're adding $3.20 for a 20 oz soda and overglorified tater tots.

WHAT?!?

Adios Taco John's.