Last weekend I had a guest over to my apartment, and she made an interesting observation. She said that the stuff I had on my walls and tables pretty much told my life story. So true! If you want to know who I am, look at my stuff. The things she saw:
An easel and paint supplies
Paintings of beaches, oceans, and boats, including an original
Photos of boats and beach resorts
Model boats
Three guitars, an amp, and a keyboard
Bathroom decorated with shells and fish
A hula lamp
A Buddha statue
A painting of the Buddha
A sign that says “BEACH->”
Various exotic shells
Quite a few books (almost exclusively science fiction), a lot of dvds, multiple computers, litter boxes, multiple limited edition prints of cougars on the walls, and a whole bunch of flower beds outside and multiple gardening projects in progress - yup, that’s me.
Lots of house plants.
The living room has all of the furniture pushed to one end and covered with a tarp due to the ceiling being patched.
This afternoon the kitchen table is full of pistols in various stages of being cleaned.
The laziest cat in the known universe is sleeping on the back of the tarp covered couch.
The house smells of Nag Champa incense.
My house looks pretty much like my husband - lots of dark craftsman-style furniture, weapons on the wall, giant screen TV, pipe rack, walking stick stand, hat rack. He even selected the fabric for the furniture and the colors on the walls.
I guess the philodendron is me. Books and cats are both of us. Wow, I’m not sure I exist any more.
My desk at work also has nothing personal of mine. I guess I lead a minimalist life.
That I’m lazy and practical. My place is a bit untidy and is free from things that aren’t necessary. Someone really ought to fold my clothes and maybe hang up a painting or something.
That would be the initial impression, anyway. I suppose if anyone took a more detailed inventory they would learn that I bicycle (though not as much as I should – working on that!) and like to read and drink. They may also find that I can have a somewhat abrasive sense of humor, as the only little trinket in my apt is a heart-shaped tray on my coffee table that says “fuck you.”
Lots of yarn and unfinished yarn projects lying around. Disorganized, clothes in the basket instead of on hangers. Blue comforter and walls belie my favorite color. My computer desktop displays my affinity for rainbows. No wall art or posters, since I can’t put holes in the wall. And because I’m renting, I can’t be arsed to scrape off wall gum when I move out.
Lets see… Tube Amps, guitars, a disassembled Wurlitzer electric piano, a drum stool, gaff tape, board tape, NYTs in the recycle bin, Tour and show lanyards, a couple of road cases, books for fun and knowledge, tools for the Motorcycle and tools for electronics, a copy of the 2011 NEC(national electrical code, new editions come out every 3 yrs), a map of southern Germany, my collection of rubber ducks and 1678(at last count) hotel room key cards. Plus furniture and some knick knacks, oh and clothes I have a ton of them especially black T-shirts. Guess what I do?
Something involving deep familiarity with a company switch, I’ll wager.
As for my home, it says “they have dogs and they like old tech.”
By “old tech” I’m referring to things with strong industrial design like the Model 11 Sunbeam Mixmaster in the kitchen or my Merlin phone system. In its heyday, it was cutting-edge, but it is rather old as business phone systems go. It was also the last phone system that had some style and fits well with our Arts and Crafts ethos.
