As a brief interjection, Happy New Year's! Here's hoping that 2012 brings us better news than did 2011. That being said, on to the real thoughts of the week.
Since I moved in to this place, almost a year ago, I haven't done much in the way of decorating, aside from hanging the few pictures that I had either brought with me when I moved away from my ex's place, or clocks that I had bought out of a chronic need to know what time it is. Moreover, since I'm living off of student loans and a recently-acquired part-time job, my budget for niceties has been, well, nonexistent. So I have the bare necessities for living, and that's about it. For a variety of reasons, however, I decided to get curtains for my bedroom this week, and that's when the trouble began.
For starters, just buying the curtains was a hassle. The day-after-Christmas sale was apparently enough to get masses of people back into the stores, for returns, I suppose, and then spending the money they got from that. I spent a good amount of time looking at the styles they had available (having not been smart enough to bring a color sample of my bedspread with me, so I was guessing and hoping it would match), and of course, the one color I really like isn't in stock, they'll have to order it.
I get the call that they're in on Friday, and naturally, forget to stop off to pick them up. Saturday, I head out, and it seems that no one knows where to pick up the darn things. After waiting for the one (one!) salesperson in the drapery department to deal with the pickiest customer in the world, she tells me I have to go over to customer service to pick it up, she thinks it's over that way. So I walk over that way to the customer service counter, where I'm ignored for about five minutes before they finally notice I'm there (not that I'm easily overlooked, mind you!), and inform me that no, it's not there, that's just a register that they're renamed customer service. I need to go over there... he thinks... to where it says catalog orders. Maybe...
Being in a fantastic mood now, I wait for yet another person to realize I'm there, and ask (rather testily, I admit), if I'm finally in the right place to pickup an order. Thankfully, I am, and the lady finally gets my stuff so I can get out of that lovely place. For an upscale department store, I'm magnificently unimpressed. I head across the street to Lowe's for a curtain rod, because there's no way I'm paying $50 just for a piece of metal and some hardware. The people there are wonderfully helpful, and it takes me about 5 minutes to find what I need, get a nice curtain rod for $5, and get out. Score one for Lowe's.
I get home, and now the real fun starts. I don't get many opportunities these days to play with power tools, so I go needlessly overboard with the preparations for hanging curtains. A tape measure, a power drill, about 4 screwdrivers, a hammer, an awl, and way too much fun went into hanging three brackets and two hooks for tiebacks. Flush with success, I iron the curtains, slide them into place, tie them back with ribbons I had lying around, step back... and all my testosterone gets kicked in the face by a wave of estrogen.
Guys, if you've ever wondered why women like hanging curtains, here's a little insight. We notice things. And while utilitarianism is fine for a while, as soon as we see how much of a difference one little thing can make, we tend to want to spread it around. In my case, it was realizing how stark and bare the place looked. While this is fine during the summer and fall, when the outside is a riot of colors and life, it becomes a little oppressive during the winter, when the outdoors is also stark, sere, and dead. My three little plants in the living room just weren't cutting it anymore.
All I did was grab the extra shams and pillows out of storage, turn down the top blanket (because it's amazing how much curtains cut drafts from the windows!) and hang a piece of amazing jacquard that mom had gotten me years ago on the wall. Doesn't seem like a big deal, but man, the room looks so much more alive!
So now I'm determined to buck the utilitarian style, and decorate my little place. I do actually like it here, despite the spanish techno I'm treated to now and then by the neighbors. And if I'm going to stay here, it's the to spruce it up a bit. Minimalism, yes, bare naked walls and a lack of life... nah, thanks, I'm done with that. Time to let things shine a bit. Cheers!
Since I moved in to this place, almost a year ago, I haven't done much in the way of decorating, aside from hanging the few pictures that I had either brought with me when I moved away from my ex's place, or clocks that I had bought out of a chronic need to know what time it is. Moreover, since I'm living off of student loans and a recently-acquired part-time job, my budget for niceties has been, well, nonexistent. So I have the bare necessities for living, and that's about it. For a variety of reasons, however, I decided to get curtains for my bedroom this week, and that's when the trouble began.
 |
| Utilitarian, but pretty plain. |
For starters, just buying the curtains was a hassle. The day-after-Christmas sale was apparently enough to get masses of people back into the stores, for returns, I suppose, and then spending the money they got from that. I spent a good amount of time looking at the styles they had available (having not been smart enough to bring a color sample of my bedspread with me, so I was guessing and hoping it would match), and of course, the one color I really like isn't in stock, they'll have to order it.
I get the call that they're in on Friday, and naturally, forget to stop off to pick them up. Saturday, I head out, and it seems that no one knows where to pick up the darn things. After waiting for the one (one!) salesperson in the drapery department to deal with the pickiest customer in the world, she tells me I have to go over to customer service to pick it up, she thinks it's over that way. So I walk over that way to the customer service counter, where I'm ignored for about five minutes before they finally notice I'm there (not that I'm easily overlooked, mind you!), and inform me that no, it's not there, that's just a register that they're renamed customer service. I need to go over there... he thinks... to where it says catalog orders. Maybe...
Being in a fantastic mood now, I wait for yet another person to realize I'm there, and ask (rather testily, I admit), if I'm finally in the right place to pickup an order. Thankfully, I am, and the lady finally gets my stuff so I can get out of that lovely place. For an upscale department store, I'm magnificently unimpressed. I head across the street to Lowe's for a curtain rod, because there's no way I'm paying $50 just for a piece of metal and some hardware. The people there are wonderfully helpful, and it takes me about 5 minutes to find what I need, get a nice curtain rod for $5, and get out. Score one for Lowe's.
I get home, and now the real fun starts. I don't get many opportunities these days to play with power tools, so I go needlessly overboard with the preparations for hanging curtains. A tape measure, a power drill, about 4 screwdrivers, a hammer, an awl, and way too much fun went into hanging three brackets and two hooks for tiebacks. Flush with success, I iron the curtains, slide them into place, tie them back with ribbons I had lying around, step back... and all my testosterone gets kicked in the face by a wave of estrogen.
Guys, if you've ever wondered why women like hanging curtains, here's a little insight. We notice things. And while utilitarianism is fine for a while, as soon as we see how much of a difference one little thing can make, we tend to want to spread it around. In my case, it was realizing how stark and bare the place looked. While this is fine during the summer and fall, when the outside is a riot of colors and life, it becomes a little oppressive during the winter, when the outdoors is also stark, sere, and dead. My three little plants in the living room just weren't cutting it anymore.
 |
| After. |
So now I'm determined to buck the utilitarian style, and decorate my little place. I do actually like it here, despite the spanish techno I'm treated to now and then by the neighbors. And if I'm going to stay here, it's the to spruce it up a bit. Minimalism, yes, bare naked walls and a lack of life... nah, thanks, I'm done with that. Time to let things shine a bit. Cheers!
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