serinde

There has been a sort of perfect-storm of mental reorganization, triggered by a combination of progesterone, feeling all the chafing bits where Things are Not Right in my home, and a housewarming gift from

caelfinn et iugus of Apartment Therapy, which I burned through in less than a day. I had already a notion of a bunch of things the apartment needs, but it helped me come to a few more realizations.

First of all, Apartment Therapy Guy is absolutely right: most overhead lighting is crap. It's insufficient, washy, and dire. I was aware of a certain lack in the main room (which is why I've had to put several under-cabinet kludges in the kitchen bit), but when I actually considered it critically, I was...critical. Very. It is entirely inadequate and also depressing.

I've also decided to completely reorganize most of the room. The futon/couch in its current position is okay for sitting on by the window, if all you want to do is sit by the window, possibly with a kitty; it's entirely wrong for sitting and chatting. Getting rid of the Erroneous Coffee Table and the computer desk which I no longer need since the iMac fits on Grandma's desk will open up more space, so I think I can put it at right-angles, and maybe shift the bookshelves closer to the window. Ideally I'd like to be able to fit an armchair facing the couch so that there can be a civilized conversation, but this may be over-ambitious. (I do not think I can fit even a small end table on either side of the couch, which is too bad, but so it goes.) And, there needs to be a good place to put flowers. The top of the fridge is Right Out, and the only other spot I have is on the kitchen work bench, and I need that to, y'know, work on.

I'm also taking a long hard think about my decorative style. "Eclectic" is far, far too kind a word for my usual results. I have internal conflict between all the stuff I am emotionally attached to vs. having a Nice Place. And one of the things I'm dithering about is Dad's clan map of Scotland, which Steve and I got nicely framed when we moved in together--it is very handsome but I'm not sure I want it to be the centerpiece of my living room. Hrm hrm hrm. And what about Fenton the Flamingo? Is it time to let him go?

I have a strange urge to paint a border near the top of the ceiling: ivy, or acanthus, something like that. I don't think my skills are in any wise up to such an undertaking.

I need a better method of organizing my papers. Secondarily, or possibly primarily, decide what I'm keeping for how long. Different people have widely different methodologies here; previously we held onto everything until I got fed up and shredded five years' worth of utility bills, but that's not sustainable or even begin-able in my current circumstances. I believe I shall consult with Tom the Awesome Guitar-Playing Accountant and get his take.

And then there's the books. If we signed on the house sale tomorrow, I could take a small portion of my cut and buy the Kindle and get all my fiction for it and unload huge stonkering amounts of books, shelve the stuff yet in boxes, and I'd be DONE DONE DONE. But since it won't be til August, and I'm still vaguely suspicious that they may fuck us around, I don't feel I should make this kind of investment just yet. But: aaagh. Drowning in books.

Stuff I need to acquire includes:

Lamps. Though what, precisely, depends on the above reorg.
A floating shelf item for above the bed for to hold my lares & penates.
Televisionic device. Of course, where it goes also depends on reorg.
Bowls. I don't have any, except the wooden ones in my SCA feast gear; a curious lacuna.
A backup disk and UPS for the iMac.
A shelf for next to the fridge, which enables me to get the cat box out of the bathroom, thank you so much. I'm resigned to the coated metal version from the Container Store--at least it's better than the undressed IKEA pine.
Curtains & hardware (though I have to decide on colors first).
Small chair (maybe) and a rosemary plant (definitely) for the fire escape.
A gatefold table.

Bedroom issues:
I toyed with the idea of rotating the bed 90 degrees, but that makes for a VERY narrow passageway betwixt it and the closet, so no; I also considered moving it away from the wall slightly, so that someone can get in from the other side, but that puts me back to a more difficult dresser situation, so I think I will not meddle.

The sun clock is good for a gentle wake-up, I believe I do notice a difference when using it, but it is sucky in all other respects. It is unhandsome and a pain in the ass to use, and it's not a great bedside lamp either. I don't know what I want instead, though. As Stephen has pointed out in his own journal, the state of sun clocks is pretty crappy, so I can either have an alarm clock + a bedside lamp and be jarred awake at wake-up time, or have the easing wake-up and make do with cruddy everything else.

Need curtain here, too. In this case I have already something of a color scheme going--blues and white with accents of red--so I want dark blue curtain. Simple, right? And can I find something in that color? Can I hell. It's all pukey washed-out shades right now. Bah. I really REALLY didn't want to go through the tsuris of making my own.

And then there's all the things I'm putting off, and storing at

sweh's by his kindness: fabric and comics and and painting equipage... It's only put off, it's not solved. But that's not this month's problem.

And finally: Do I hold off on a housewarming until all these issues are addressed? It could be months, for cash flow reasons which are beyond my control--it's certainly not a lack of will. But I twitch at the notion of having a housewarming when my house isn't done yet.

Today's achievements:

Completely cleaned bathroom, mopping and all
Did hand-wash laundry
Vacuumed bedroom rug, mopped the rest of the floor (but not the full monty, didn't clear out everything from under the bed)
Put a small shelf up next to the desk for small tchotchkes, which previously lived on top of my monitor, but that doesn't work in this Brave New World of flat panels
Took two large bags of STUF to Housing Works for donation
Assembled other bags: one of clothes to take to Stephen's, one of books &c Beth had left here, one of remaining housewares for donation, and one of books I already know I'm getting rid of that can be taken to NYPL
Bought fresh flowers (but am displeased with quality) (still, I now have a single rose in a crystal vase above my bed, and that's okay)
Shifted all the photos which had been on the laptop into iPhoto on the new machine (which I have named gfefx, as well, and it shall so be referred to in future)
Took out much garbage & recycling

But did not study for final. Hey ho.