I Dream of Jeanie

While I kind of wish this was a joke, it's not. I really have been in someone's house that was truly, just as, uh, well, gaudy? - as this. I totally LOVED her house. This is my Algerian friend, I'm talking about. But, while I loved it, it's WAAAAY to over the top for me. I'm seriously not kidding. She even had a long-shag, bright red carpet with sliver glitter stands interwoven. And these HUGE draperies over all her windows. And she lives on camp. You have to know how plain and simple life is here to really understand how strangely out of place this is, yet fulfills all of your 'I Dream of Jeanie' dreams, all at the same time.

I have been looking for a piece of carpet, to have bound, and put in the living areas of my main floor. I am also not kidding when I tell you, that to get into this store, I had to walk over piles of garbage, rubble, and drippy water that I don't even want to know where it came from. And the sweltering heat just about knocked me out. (this was before it cooled off a bit) No A/C. Woof. Maybe a swamp cooler though? Could explain the drippy water...

There are the carpet/linoleum rolls behind my friend. (she looks sweet in her abaya, huh?) She likes the giant tassels. Who doesn't? Don't be fooled thinking there is a lot of selection here. I finally found ONE carpet I could live with. They don't carry that line any more. Then why do you have the sample book, I asked? No one knew. I told them to throw it away.

Okay. I'll be honest. I like this one. Arab seating is always very low to the ground and very big. They love to lounge. I wouldn't never put it in my house, but it's pretty cute. They guys that run this place are all Afghani, and they wear drapery, long, Afghani clothes. One came to my house to measure the floors, and we had a fun conversation. His English is pretty good, as he used to translate for US troops in Afghanistan. But as you may or may not know, this is a dangerous job. Once A.Q. finds people who are helping Americans, you and your family are in harms way. (that's the nice term for dead) So his mother told him he had to leave, and now he runs this shop. Owned by a local, but he's the boss. He told me he works really hard. He has to be at work around 9, then prayer at 11:30 and closes the shop, swims for two hours, works out for two hours, then has to be back at the shop for a few hours in the evening. I accidentally laughed out loud in his face. I didn't mean to. I just thought his definition of "works really hard" was funny.

My Algerian friend has a print like this, but red instead of brown. And guess what? It's plastic. It looks like fake velvet or something, but when I touched it - plastic. Again, so mesmerizing, it was kind of cool. Now you know what you're missing out on here, if your trying to decorate your house. People warned me of this type of decor before we moved, but never in a million years did I think it was like this. Admittedly, I am quite sure my sister Minky would be in heaven in their showroom.