floorplans

well, after a great deal of thinking and moving paper furniture around paper floorplans, i've decided not to switch my bedroom and office. there's enough space in the office to nicely fit the bed, dresser, etc., and to not be too cramped. and that's all i'd ever really need in the bedroom. and the bedroom has more than enough space to section off the office and knitting, with room for the exercise equipment as an added bonus.

why not do this? because i've come to associate the office with work etc. and the bedroom with sleep. if i rearranged everything and then took a 2-week vacation from my apt, i might be able to come back with a fresh perspective, but that couldn't possibly happen until december.

also, i am quite fond of the view from my bed. i can see the entire room long-wise, which makes it look very airy and spacious... more so than it is, and it's already a very nice and large bedroom. i don't know that i want to give that up.

i could, of course, move the knitting corner into the bedroom, but that would be just like moving a television or a computer and bill-paying station into the corner. i like knitting, and it's usually very relaxing, but it isn't something that puts me to sleep. it's something i can get lost in until later than i'd planned.

if i want the same spacious qualities in the office as i have in the bedroom and living room, i'll have to get rid of stuff. it's a very simple equation i'm working with: stuff takes up space, so if the room's dimensions remain the same, less stuff will equal more space. ta-da!

at the same time, there's only so much i can part with. the desk, computer et al., filing cabinet, bookshelves are all necessary to the office. i simply can't do my work if they leave.

the knitting could leave, but that would make me very sad. i'd just replace it all later. i actually use the knitting stuff to knit stuff. it may not belong in the office, but it certainly doesn't belong in the bedroom and will make my cozy living room look disheveled.

the gazelle and gigantic rubber ball could find new homes, but that would also make me sad. i use them, and while i wouldn't replace the gazelle if a fire took it from me, i'd buy a new ball. according to some folks, the 'no, i would not replace this' line means the gazelle needs to go. but it was very nearly 100 dollars, and i *do* use it.

i fully acknowledge that i could put the knitting in a closet. i could devote the entire closet to just the knitting! i could do this, except that the closet is already full. it has books, more books, a bunch of luggage and bags, cat toys for rotating, boxed winter clothing, boxed blankets and quilts, and old blue chair that i love sitting in but which is on the ugly side and takes up a lot of space, and a box of figurines and mementoes from previous stages of my life.

not a lot of room left, since it's a small closet. the other closet is filled with a water heater, a folding chair (that i haven't used or even retrieved in at least half a year and may therefore put in the goodwill pile), a jumbo+++ bag of cat food, a similarly sized bag of litter that festus likes, parts for a wire shelf (that may also end up in goodwill, since i've no desire to resurrect the thing)... and it's also a small closet, so i'm impressed i got that much inside of it.

so for this next week, in addition to being 'on duty,' giving demos, putting final touches on my course, attending tltc short courses, writing on the thesis (or on part two, which recently bit me fairly hard on the ass and demanded my attention... it's going well), working steadily on the lacier-than-i-expected coasters, i'll be combing my 'stuff stash' for expendables. it's the anniversary of that voluntary simplicity thing (see the upper right corner), and that's a damn good reason to renew it.

i'll admit that there have been occassions when i forgot about it. it stayed in the back of my mind and i used it to make several decisions, but it wasn't as much on the forefront as the year went on. my apt showed this clearly, and the reason i like my bedroom and living room so much is their open space and uncluttered nature. they are the fruits of this last year of simplicity. my kitchen, pantry, closets, and office did not benefit so much. but i suppose one must start small. two significant rooms in which one spends a great deal of time are a good starting place. this year, in addition to maintaining the simplicity of my two exemplary rooms, i will focus on the office. even if everything gets shoved out of sight into closets, the office will, by the end of the year, be a place i can have some peace in while i work.

and anything that finds its way into a closet and is forgotten... can just find its way onto the curb. i haven't missed that folding chair, for example, and there is no reason to keep shelf parts to a shelf i dismantled almost a full year ago and swore never to assemble again due to nail damage and a longer-than-normal series of wrist problems (damn screwdriver motions). really.

in the spirit of renewal, i'm going to just post this thing already and go make additions to my goodwill pile for an hour before the bedtime routine of hot tea and cranberry juice.

love and peace!