Spring Cure '08

I'm jealous. Everyone's pictures look great. But I just didn't have the time for this round.

My plans are to participate in the fall, and in the meantime, post some photos of all the work I've been doing since November, including: de-cluttered office space, artwork, the new furniture and more little bits. I also fixed up the bedroom, which wasn't part of the cure.

The Green Monster

It's finally here:




I'm not sure about how it fits in the room, in regards to the side tables and the ottoman, etc. It's just weird to have a whole couch after so many years of futons and baby ikea loveseats. These are bad photos, so I'm not sure how to explain...



So now that I have my couch, along with all the other things (or at least all that I can do/afford right now), I just HAVE TO PAINT. Then everything can get onto the walls and I'll feel comfortable with what I've accomplished these past two months.

Yay

My sofa is coming tomorrow, my sofa is coming tomorrow!

Week Eight Already?

I'm a bit behind, largely because I haven't painted yet. I have the colors ready, but still haven't gone to the store (on the corner) to buy the actual paint.

So while I have lots of artwork to hang, I haven't yet.

Left on the to-do list:
-paint
-hang curtains in dining area (now office!)
-hang up all the art and the magnetic bulletin boards
-print the last few photos to hang as well as frame two prints

Things that will happen eventually
-buy a shelf type set up for the office area when I have the cash (right now it's haphazard mess of boxes and a file cabinet but it's neat and it functions)
- the sofa will be delivered

I'm fairly happy with the state of things though. A lot got done, and the rest just depends on running a few lessons.

Lamps on a Mission

Tiffany Style, to be precise:



I'm thinking one for the end table that is currently without a lamp.

Mysterious Swag

Ok, I know it's made out of glass...but is it glass that can be filled up with a liquid, or glass that just sits around?

It doesn't even stand up straight.

I am mesmerized by this ugly piece of glass that the city of Chandler felt was worthy of me.

I should probably just put this in the Outbox and get on with my life.

Since I don't even know what a Chesterfield is...

...I bought an Ottoman instead.




My first big purchase arrived this week, and today I finally bought the extra long screwdriver that made it possible to attach the legs. Now it is sitting in my living room, overshadowing everything else- the little attention whore. While it's way too big for the baby Klippan, when I get a big girl couch it will look just right. Or at least that's my plan.

The Great Sofa Decision

Must. Make. Decision.



6 weeks should be enough time to make a decision, no?

I've decided...

tomorrow I will make a decision.

heaven must be some sort of library

A room without books is like a body without a soul.” Marcus Tullius Cicero

When I moved across the country, I was forced to "declutter" my books.
It hurt my soul. But I had to limit myself to a dozen boxes:



Then I made the move and bought every book I could so as to make up for that loss...and also because lots of books are necessary in graduate school. Then I bought two more bookcases for the bedroom, to be used exclusively for fiction and things that I'm too embarrassed to keep in the common space (for example, "What Not to Wear," "Herscopes," and “50 Finest Drinking Games").

And so while I didn't want to declutter, it was necessary. Cue boxes full of fiction I never really liked and non-fiction books that are not relevant to my research:



Yesterday, I dropped off 3 boxes, and at some point I need to drop off the rest (and include all the outbox items with them). The whole experience has not hurt my soul, in fact my soul is happy because right now I'm looking at my pretty new organized bookshelf in the living room:



"Me figuraba el paraíso bajo la especie de una biblioteca." Jorge Luis Borges

Tables that Accent

I bought the Crate and Barrel table that I've had my eye on- Gallerie side table.


Just what I wanted, but now I'm trying to decide if I should buy another for the other side of the sofa. I really like it, but I don't want the room to look like a page from the catalog. My thoughts were just to find another table with the same shape, ie round, also hopefully that's cheaper.

Curtains and Colors

The mollies were abandoned in favor of a drill and ordinary anchors. And now I have living room curtains. I also narrowed my color choices down to 2 yellows and 2 oranges and painted some poster boards so that I can move them around the room until I decide. I'm pretty sure I like BM "Golden Lab" the best in the daylight, but I still can't tell the oranges apart. Which is very, very irritating, because one is definitely browner in the chips.

Adventures with Mollies

Oh No! When I hung up my newly purchased curtains, the weight was too much and the poorly installed curtain rod collapsed.




Now my wall is full of holes. But that's okay because...




I can use these magical Molly Anchors that are allegedly super easy to install and will easily hold up some measly curtains.




ARGGHHHHHHHH. I swear, I followed the directions! Now I'm too angry to try again. Plus, I can't deal with more holes in my wall.

Interior Design Worksheet

The Jewish holidays have taken up valuable cure-time, but now I have a bit of breathing room and the current holiday, Sukkot, mostly involves fun, so I don't have to feel guilty about devoting some attention to things other than sitting in shul.

So...here's my list:

paint
hang hamsa above arch
take off closet doors
hang fabric in front of closet
hang art cards on beam facing sitting area (consider putting in frames)
stencil "shoes off please" by door (actually, I'd like something wittier- any ideas?)
hang key collection on front door
file academic files into a new box
magnetic bulletin board above desk
hang dining area and kitchen curtains
hang decorative plate
frame family photos and hang in kitchen
UNPACK THAT STACK OF BOXES

Reflections amid the Palm Trees

I’ve been living out here for a year and 5 weeks. I left New York for a few reasons:

1. the weather- I lived in Boston for three years and it ruined winter for me, so I haven’t been happy on the East Coast since. Also, my eventual plan is to move to Israel, so I figure I should practice living in the desert.
2. some bad relationships I wanted to put distance between
3. living in one place for more than two years in a row makes me restless- wanderlust
4. I had a few choices for grad school, but ASU gave me the most funding

At first, I spent most of my time complaining and missing the city:



“I'm from New York, I'm genetically engineered to dislike everywhere. Except Manhattan.” (McDreamy)

"One need never leave the confines of New York to get all the greenery one wishes-I can't even enjoy a blade of grass unless I know there's a subway handy, or a record store or some other sign that people do not totally regret life." (Frank O'Hara)

"The true New Yorker secretly believes that anyone living anywhere else must somehow, in a sense, be kidding." (John Updike)

But after a few months, I realized that living in a place with palm trees and doing something I love instead of toiling in a grey cubicle was making me happy. Very happy. And have a hapy little life here.



So, now that I’m happy to be here, my home should reflect that happiness.

(But I still miss New York).

More Set Design Inspiration

Apparently, I have a thing for middle aged British expatriates. For their apartments, I mean.



Maybe I should get a pipe and some tweed. Considering I'm a professional academic, perhaps it's inevitable. Now I just need to find some photos of Indiana Jones' house in Last Crusade.

Floor Plan Thoughts

Here's my first attempt at a layout, but it's actually no different from what I currently have. Just with different furniture. I'm not sure how well it "flows," but since I have so many doorways/openings, there aren't many other ways I can think of to arrange it, except to turn the sofa to face the sliding glass doors..but then that creates a hallway and the sofa I like is too big for that anyway...



From above: 1 and 2 are the plain Ikea pieces I already have facing the sofa on angles; 3 is the large bookcase I already have; 4 is the sofa I want (curvy one from Pennys); 5 are the accent tables from Crate and Barrel that I like more every day (although I have been keeping my eyes open during thrift store trips for alternatives); 6 is the type of leather bench I want to replace the coffee table; and the question marks are the hypothetical cabinets/shelves/somethings that will have room for a printer, two file cabinet drawers, display space for my collection of Oaxacan pottery (small), and ideally a few books I'm using that semester. This might be difficult but something like a vertical file cabinet with a shelf on top could work perfectly- I just can't find one I like.

What I Want (in this room)

Currently, I sit on the couch and eat, watch TV or work. Which is bad for my back, wrists (laptop on my lap- oops), and my brain, since the TV is slowly melting it. So, I canceled most of the cable (still trying to decide how much I need Comedy Central and FX).

What I'd like is space to work (at a table with proper support), a more comfortable couch to watch limited amounts of TV, (I may be short, but the loveseat is too small even for me), and someplace to eat. But, I value the place to work more than the place to eat, which is why I'm leaning towards making the dining room table a home office that is flexible enough to convert when there's company or it's too cold to eat outside- that's the next part, putting a table outside to eat. Also, I want the living room area to be friendlier for guests.

In conclusion: I have a dining room, living room, kitchen; and I want office, dining room, living room, kitchen.

Idle Sofa Thoughts

I want two things in a sofa: green (olive or dark) and comfortable. I was thinking squashy, but then I saw this one (Simmeon from JCPenney):

It's huge though- 8 feet long. Maybe that's normal, but that's most of my living room wall. I don't know how good the quality is. Also, I can't sit on it ahead of time, so I don't know if it's comfortable and it definitely doesn't look squashy.

Here's one that is squashy- my cousin has it, but I don't like the skirt (Caledonia from Bassett):

Money Matters

As a graduate student, my typical financial state is "ahh how am I going to pay for groceries...I'll figure it out after I order another beer."

In other words, priorities are a bit mixed up and money is tight. When I moved out here I had $1000 saved up which I took to Ikea and used to furnish an apartment. Now that I've decided to seriously address the apartment, I spent the summer saving and reevaluating said priorities, and the result is I have enough to buy some nicer furniture- sofa, ottoman as coffee table, and at least one end table are the priorities, and paint the larger room (the bedroom and bathroom will have to wait). So it will be a mix of store bought furniture and thrift stores. As long as I'm careful, I think I'll be able to make a significant change. I'm excited!

Some "Before" Photos

The colorless Ikea room.

(more on my flickr page.)