We went to Ikea for dinner on Valentines day. It was a good choice. Trays sliding forward like well behaved measures in 4/4. No candlelight. Just mashed potatoes, lingonberry sauce, and the percussion of cutlery against plates. Something musically honest about this place. You are guided through staged living rooms like modulations of drop 2 chords. Composition disguised as freedom. Maybe you believe you are browsing, but the structure is firm, even the cinnamon buns arrive at the right moment harmonically.

My daughter talked about politics. Not the Trump or Olympics but the classroom. I added a bass note of interest and Magali some rests or applause. Family life is chamber music. I liked the absence of pressure here. No perfection crescendo. Just trays, refills, the quiet hum of others negotiating their living room plans. Improv in well built forms. Ikea on Valentines Day. Like a trio that finds its key and stays long enough to matter.