Not The Brightest Bulb

Since Christmas is a little more than a month away we are firmly entrenched in the middle of catalog season. If you have ever bought anything online, you know exactly what I am talking about - a company you actually did business with figured out they could make more money by selling your mailing address to a bunch of companies you have never heard of before and now you are getting all their mailings. For some reason I seem to be getting an awful lot of furniture-related catalogs this year. Now, I don't mind these for the most part but I have always been a little uneasy with the idea of a totally matching rooms. If I ever go into a person's house and all their furniture is from one store I think I would be more freaked out than impressed. It's why I think we should be encouraging a little bit of personal flair and is the reason why I like to recommend randomly lighting up someone's day by complimenting their furniture next time you are in their house. As humans we are always quick with a favorable commentary about our friends' cars, clothes or haircuts but I honestly don't think enough people remember to take a second and admire their friends' taste in furniture. This is kind of crazy because not only can furniture be among the highest-cost items in the home the choices we make have to last for years because it is not like most people have the disposable income to buy new couches every year. It is not a decision people take lightly (it is also how interior decorating is a legitimate career) and good choices should be rewarded, yet even when we like another person's taste in seating we usually forget to say anything. Of course, there is a chance you could always slip up and compliment the oddball, which would just make things extra weird. Allow me to explain.

It's one thing to have eccentric, mis-matched furniture but I contend that in every home across the country there is at least one piece of furniture which gets used every day, despite the fact the home owner hates it. That would be the oddball. Usually the oddball is something which the owner bought back when they had to put price over style or it could be something they used to think looked really cool but have since come to their senses but they can't throw it out because they have yet to find a suitable replacement. They probably wanted to get rid of it a long time ago but vowed they would keep it until the item broke and, as with all things in life, the things we want to get rid of are the ones which won't die. You pointing it out and making it seem like it totally brings the room together is just going to annoy the owner, hence the awkwardness. I'm currently sensitive to this kind of thing because I'm at the age when my friends have finally started to get rid of their "first apartment" living room sets and have begun coordinating their furniture a little bit rather than just buying whatever was the cheapest/most comfortable option. But even though the oddball is usually a hideous couch or chair (even hidden under a slip-cover you can still remember how ugly it is), it can be just about anything. For example, my piece of oddball furniture is a lamp. It is this random white lamp (nothing else I own is white) - one of the stand-alone lamps which are banned in every dorm room across the country because they are a fire hazard. I don't know where it came from and I've never liked it but it still works very well so I can't get rid of it. But I came pretty close last night when I thought it was about to get me killed.

Late last night, as I was watching the bullshit ending to the Patriots/Panthers game (if the refs didn't think it was pass interference it had to be at least defensive holding), I thought I could smell something burning. Since it was warm yesterday my windows were open so at first I thought it could be someone in my neighborhood getting rid of their leaves or having a barbecue. Of course, that was unlikely since it was almost midnight so I started checking around my bedroom to figure out where it could be coming from, concerned it was something electrical which was about to set my curtains on fire. I was just about to check behind my computer when the riddle was solved as the bulb in the oddball lamp blew and plunged my room into darkness. Now, I don't like this lamp but I have to admit the bulb inside has lasted for years (told you, the oddball won't die) so I can't say the fact it finally went out was all that surprising. However I have had plenty of other bulbs go out on me in the past and none of them were accompanied by the smell of something burning, so I had to figure out if it was the fancy, spiral halogen bulb or if was an issue with the wiring inside the lamp and it was finally time for me to go shopping for a new light fixture. Of course the only way I could think to test this theory was to replace the bulb and then see if the burning smell came back. Not exactly the way to have a restful night's sleep so I waited until the morning to try it out, though I did unplug the light just to be on the safe side.

Obviously, I survived the night which means the lamp had no real issues and it was just an issue with the bulb. [Sidebar: There remains a big debate with halogen bulbs because some states have begun outlawing the standard bulbs we all used growing up due to how much power they use and, as you would expect, there are some people who have an issue with being forced to go green. They would rather buy cheap bulbs and then spend more money on next month's electrical bill, arguing it saves them more money than buying a $5 light bulb would. Where I come down on the issue is not important but if I were working with the people who want to keep using the old bulbs I would stop focusing on cost and start focusing on the fact that before the expensive bulbs burn out they produce a smell which leave you with a fear you are about to die in a fire. That would be a much more convincing argument.] I guess I should be pleased because replacing the bulb is the easier solution and certainly cheaper, not to mention it is comforting to know nothing will randomly burst into flames. Besides with the holidays coming up I should be saving money where I can (and, no, I don't want one for Christmas) and the list of things I would rather spend money on than a new lighting fixture is as long as you would expect. So, I will continue to use this lamp even though every time I turn it on I have that moment when I say to myself, "Oh yeah, I still hate that lamp." But, who knows, maybe tomorrow a catalog will arrive with a light fixture I just have to have. It is certainly a more likely purchase than anything I would find in the Acorn catalog which keeps showing up.