Monday, November 24, 2008

Where I Work


Margaret's post inspired me. It was interesting to see what her office looked like. I loved the color and the flamingo! Here's my office. We moved into our home just over seven years ago. We're in the historic district of Scottsdale, AZ. Yes, there is a historic district. We're pretty amazed too. Our house is just over sixty years old. Here in AZ, that's old. See, we only became a state in 1912. We're the 48th state. In Boston, people own shoes that are sixty years old. They laughed when my neighborhood became historic, but I digress. We purchased the home seven years ago, and we're remodeling as we go. Hence, the dark, wood paneling on the walls of my office. My office started life as landscape. Yup, the house ended two rooms over. Then, about twelve years ago, the home's second owners turned it into a mother-in-law's room. This room is what sold the house to me (you should see the master bathroom TILE, THE BATH IS COMPLETELY MADE OF TILE. YUK! Needless to say, the master bathroom is why we had to come back three times before deciding to buy. I hated the bathroom that much - think burnt orange). I saw potential, though, in the mother-in-law's room. It would make a great office!

I have dark paneling on the walls. But, I've decorated those walls nicely with, like Margaret, framed covers, and also pictures of my family, a giant calendar, and books, books, and more books. I don't really have a theme unless you want to count Early Mess.


Two weeks ago my office was clean. I almost didn't take pictures this morning because my office is a mess. See, my husband bought me a new TV for my birthday (Oct 22). He's already set it up. He, of course, left the old telly on the floor. The new telly's box is also on the floor. All the DVDs and VHSs he moved are scattered on the flooor. My three-year-old's bean bag chair is in the middle of the floor. A fan my husband dragged in six months ago (when he tried to set the bathroom on fire) is still blocking my way. The lamp that didn't sell at the garage sale somehow wound up in here. And then, where did all this paper comes from.

Someday the paneling will be gone and I (my husband that is) will paint the room forest green. I have cat and book wallpaper border picked out (seven years ago it was on sale. Wonder if it still is?) I'm learning to get rid of books (look, I accidentally purchased two of Kathryn Springer's new one). And as for the exercise bikes you see, someday I will really use them.

Oh, and last weekend, I purchased an hourglass. Right now it's on the floor by my chair. I'm going to start using it every morning. I'm making a rule that I can't play on the Internet, blog, update my website, or play Solitaire, until after I've worked on my current manuscript.

So, what does your office look like?

6 comments:

EllenToo said...

I am so very glad to know that not everyone keeps a neat tidy room with a place for everything and everything in its place. What use to be my office before I retired from teaching is now a "junk" room. Everything that doesn't fit elsewhere in the house goes in there.

Pamela Tracy said...

Ellen,
When I taught elementary school, I was known as the teacher who had everything. When we replaced old textbooks, I kept the old textbooks. You'd be amazed how many years, we'd refer to them. I'm the one who had pieces of construction paper, a million broken crayons, and, yes, I am the one who had glue bottles where the glue had long ago hardened.

EllenToo said...

LOL Pamela that sounds vaguely familiar. I pitied the person who had to clean out my storage closet and file cabinets when I retired. I taught high school World Geography the last few years.

Pamela Tracy said...

Hmmm, when I gave notice (went from teaching first grade to teaching college freshman), I had to clean out my whole room.

EllenToo said...

I would have but they were planning on removing asbestos tiles in the hallway and wanted everyone OUT of the building for a month so things got left behind for after they finished. Others volunteered to clean out my room so I wouldn't have to go back and do it. Actually because I had a window in the room and most rooms were windowless and someone wanted my room really badly. LOL

Margaret Daley said...

I love looking at people's work space. Thanks for sharing.
Margaret