The other evening I met Son for sushi, and one of our dinner conversations involved the type of furniture he was considering for his basement. While I sipped my green tea, he looked up from his shrimp tempura roll.
SON: What’s bonded leather?
OSV: I’m not sure. I think maybe it’s when they say the cushions are leather but the frame is something else, or I’m not sure if any of it is real leather, or. . .
In the midst of delivering my expert opinion, I glanced across the booth and noticed Son was no longer looking at me, but instead appeared to be either praying or studying his crotch.
OSV: Is the answer down there?
Apparently it was.
SON: (reading from his BlackBerry) According to Wikipedia, bonded leather, or reconstituted leather used in upholstered furniture is polyurethane backed with fabric and then backed with a layer of latex or other material mixed with some leather fibers. The leather content contained in bonded leather upholstery is about 17%. None of it is contained in the surface of the bonded leather. The polyurethane surface is stamped to give it a leather texture.
OSV: Well, that sounds kind of . . .
SON: Perfect. 17% leather is basement quality.
OSV: And you wouldn’t want a regular fabric because?
SON: Spillage.
Some things I’m unclear on, but spillage I know equals party room. The other thing I know is that Google has basically eliminated the tortured statement “That’s gonna keep me up all night” since every tidbit of information that ever flew out of your head landed on the Internet.
Later that night, I called my friend betty who mentioned she’d just seen the new Quentin Tarantino movie, which she liked although she found it too violent.
OSV: Was it violent like Sin City, or violent like that DeNiro movie that won the Oscar?
betty: The Godfather?
OSV: No, it started with a D. It was just a couple of years ago. The Duhduhduh, help me out here.
betty: I really don’t know.
OSV: I’ll Google it when we hang up.
betty: You’ll Google it now. I’ll wait.
The famous Will Rogers quote, “Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects,” no longer seems relevant. Technology has bestowed instant brilliance on all of us. Even The Departed.
Daughter’s Featured Fotos confirm it’s all about Location
colorful heads in a row
wolves at the door
sunset in brooklyn
ships in the harbor
in your dreams