My epiphany wasn't the result of performance research, extensive data mining or an MRI of Paul Krugman's brain.
I was just trying to put together some new office furniture.
Go figgah.
Whenever I attempt home assembly, my mind tends to wander. This may explain why my home office most resembles Picasso, the Cubist years.
But Ikea changed all that -- and if I may be so bold, revealed itself as the avatar to lead us out of our current economic smackdown.
For the uninitiated, Ikea is the brainchild of Ingvar Kamprad, the "IK" in Ikea. As an enterprising young Swede, Kamprad bought stick matches, pencils and flower seeds in bulk and peddled them door-to-door on his bicycle -- no mean feat in winter.
The fact that Ingvar lived in southern Sweden gives you some appreciation for his sound judgment.
As Ikea grew to its current status as the world's hip purveyor of international design at affordable prices, its massive showrooms became a mecca for young moderns.
In some states, the law requires everyone under 30 to own a Poang bookcase and a Klippan sectional or risk a court-imposed Walmart home makeover.
Picture perfect
Which brings me to my lovely new Vika Amon desk with nickel Vika Moliden underframe and matching Jonas rolling file. (Ikea apparently employs a phalanx of cherub-cheeked toddlers with alphabet blocks to "develop" its product names.)
