Frequently, I will fall madly in love with a piece of furniture that leaves even my closest friends & allies scratching their heads in confusion. Such was the case with my new desk. When I first showed it to my husband, I could tell he was skeptical, but knew better than to say so...When the glimmer is in my eye, just back away.
It was love at first glance on Craigslist for me:
So I contacted the owner to arrange a viewing. We had several conversations over the course of a few days while attempting to fit our schedules together and I learned that the desk had belonged to his mother and he had the pity-able task of sorting out her belongings. I told him that I was a furniture maker and would take really good care of it...that I wasn't sure if I would refinish it, or leave it alone, but either way it would be loved. In a small way, I think these exchanges may have been a bit therapeutic for him, as I sensed he was perhaps a bit choked up on the other line.
I should mention, in addition to being incredibly kind, he was also extremely fair with the price ($45 for desk, chair, & mirror) and generously offered to deliver it to me for free.
So yesterday, when he showed up, it was an easy no brainer. I saw it on the truck, knew it was love, handed him the money, and brought it in the house. It was a little dirty from being in storage, but a little simple green & elbow grease was all it took to clean up nicely:
While pulling out one of the drawers, my husband discovered hidden treasures had fallen into the back of it. I couldn't believe it - a beautiful desk AND hidden treasure! I had hit the jackpot. The best things we found: an antique bottle opener, stolen from a San Francisco hotel called The Raphael; a porcelain lid to a tiny box (this must have made her CRAZY trying to find it); an old silver swiss army knife? or nail cutter?; and best of all - a tiny gold skeleton key with a #2 on it.
Doesn't that just pique your sense of wonder & adventure like crazy???!!!! WHAT on earth does that key open and HOW will I find it?
Well, those questions may have to go unanswered. I plan to call the man today and offer him what I found...but I'm REALLY hoping he doesn't want them back, because I love them so much! I would like to keep them with the desk, either displayed behind my computer or in a shadow box on the wall. Each item has so much history and so many secrets to tell...If I am allowed to keep them, I know they will provide endless inspiration and possibly good luck while spending long hours feverishly writing at this desk.
やっぱり食べ物は日本が一番おいしいね。
When I was a desk jockey in San Francisco, I frequently changed my desktop image to something happy and tropical because I was, well - unhappy & cold. Now that I'm back in Hawaii, I wanted to put some images out into the internets, in case anyone out there is searching for warm, flowery, happy, tropical, Hawaii wallpaper:
I suppose I am due for an update. I turned 25 today, and spent all day working on my final paper of my first semester in graduate school. I worked all day on this with only a few hours of sleep, since some friends came over last night for a birthday slumber party that put down a ton of alcohol and more laughs, while the snow outside hit three feet.
i am finally done with this first semester, having read over 100 books and seemingly countless articles. I am looking forward to sleeping in, fiction, and having conversations with no purpose.
life is good. after i turned in my paper tonight james and i watched 'up' and i giggled a lot. the old man made me miss dad. second birthday without him, but hanging in alright.
i get to see my horses tomorrow, and i can't wait. every time i have seen them in over a month it has been to run out, check on them, and leave. i couldn't tell you the last time i rode. i hope to god it doesnt snow more because i want to get out to the barn tomorrow and enjoy life.
james and i are driving to asheville on tuesday to do christmas with mom and blake. i am really looking forward to it, we can never all get together.
i am tired. i wish i had more to say. i think (ironically) my major goal for next year will be to write more. While I cracked out over 150 pages for school this semester, i wrote barely one for myself. that should change.
miss you all and hope you are having wonderful holidays.
- @K_Maruyama 独自の世界になってますね #
- @yaraichou 遅くまでご苦労さまです #
- 鐵砲洲稲荷神社。夜の願掛け。 bit.ly/7LZCIm #
- 鐵砲洲稲荷神社がすらっと出てくる Google日本語入力 #
- @yaraichou 地下からですか、と返答が期待できない質問を発すれば、これもまた立派なつぶやきとなる #
- @K_Maruyama まあ一週間先\xE3 \x81\xAAんでどうなりますか。この時期気になるのは気温ですね。あっ、リマインダー忘れてる #
- 昨夜からあのあたりをぶらついているのだろうか #
- 文春買いに行こう #
- クレージーラブ、飾りじゃないのよ涙は #
- 12月25日金曜日 午後7時開始 OGC十周年記念祝賀会ご案内 (リマインダー)を送付いたしました #tsukishima_ogc #
- @K_Maruyama 12月の課題曲 Something Stupid - OGC課外活動 bit.ly/65L8DT #tsukishima_ogc #
- アスリエさんから返信いただきました #tsukishima_ogc #
- 弥生坂 flic.kr/p/7kPYV5 #
- 2010年1月1日｢古今亭志ん朝｣がラジオ寄席に帰ってくる！！ bit.ly/4v6K2Y #yaraicho #
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- 暗躍とは密かな活躍のことであろうか #
- @K_Maruyama 要はやる気の問題じゃないですかね #
- @yaraichou 間に半角ブランク入れた方がよいようです #
- 明日はマルピー #
- 早く寝よう #
- 消灯 #
- 携帯からだってハッシュタグで引けるわけだし #tsukishima_ogc #
- 再び消灯 #
- @yaraichou 帰り道からもだいぶズレているような #
- さあ寝るぞ #
- やっと目がさめた #
- ｲﾏｺｺ! L:千葉県千葉市花見川区幕張町五丁目478 #
- イマココないなあ、のっけから忘れたのかなあ、とつぶやく #
- Wink 鈴木早智子の「男子応援」キャンペーン bit.ly/8gKfB6 #
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- @K_Maruyama 東船橋で降りて、めし食べて、黒のエチュードから、しぶしぶブラタモリ、それから風呂に入って、いま出たところ。いつもの木曜日となりました。 #
- @yaraichou 鍋屋横丁と線路の向かい側ですね bit.ly/6PZwBa #
- 拡大するとこんな感じ bit.ly/6LTgt6 #
- 今日は題材自体に興味はなく、実際牛鍋以外興味を新たにしたものはなかった。ただ、その分ゆっくりと楽しめました。次回は１月２１日、浅草。 #buratamori #
- 肉じゃがの誤解 #buratamori #
- まだ間に合う。レーザー刻印とギフト包装したiPodを12月24日までに贈ろう。 #
- @K_Maruyama ブラウザーからもOK。多分、URLが緯度と経度のみというシンプルなところによるものだと思う #
- 武士の家計簿 ―「加賀藩御算用者」の幕末維新 (新潮新書) bit.ly/4DKlvv #
- SMFデータセットのアンロード（IFASMFDP） » 「メインフレーム・コンピュータ」で遊ぼう bit.ly/6ql5oU #mainframe #smf #jcl #
- toothpicks flic.kr/p/545iYH #
- 坂町 flic.kr/p/6kjQA3 #
- @yaraichou まるでルミネです bit.ly/4sUnu8 #
- 暗躍とは密かな活躍のことであろうか #
- @K_Maruyama 要はやる気の問題じゃないですかね #
- @yaraichou 間に半角ブランク入れた方がよいようです #
- 明日はマルピー #
- 早く寝よう #
- 消灯 #
- 携帯からだってハッシュタグで引けるわけだし #tsukishima_ogc #
- 再び消灯 #
- @yaraichou 帰り道からもだいぶズレているような #
- さあ寝るぞ #
- やっと目がさめた #
- ｲﾏｺｺ! L:千葉県千葉市花見川区幕張町五丁目478 #
- イマココないなあ、のっけから忘れたのかなあ、とつぶやく #
As the pipe clamp blisters began to pop and heal on my hands, I knew I was in a race against myself to find my next gig in woodworking. I had just quit my job after I was put on a mandatory 72-hour work week schedule, which was neither safe nor necessary in the warehouse where I was a full time furniture maker. From my first taste of sawdust, I was hooked. I loved everything about it, especially the aches & pains associated with putting in a hard day of manual labor.
I had moved thousands of miles from my industrial Michigan factory roots, only to go to college and decide the blue collar life is what I wanted. I quit my job, only when it was obvious that it would either kill or permanently injure me...but it was still one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. Besides the fact that I love it, I realize now how wrapped up I was in the identity of being just one thing...In my working life, I have always had to have at least three side hustles going on and I've done everything from nude modeling, to being a maid, a well-paid executive assistant, an extra in movies, a make-up artist, to an apprentice sander in a woodshop.
When I call home to update my family, typically, whatever it is I describe is met with unconditional love & acceptance, even if there is a tinge of it not necessarily being understood. As a woodworker, I was finally able to align myself with an identity - one thing that I loved being and doing...and it was so much easier to explain that!
Predictably, when the job fell apart, I scrambled for any paying gig I could find on craigslist. As it turns out, it was a good time to be involved with film making and I even signed up for acting classes. Being involved in the process is as exciting as it seems like it would be - even the long hours of waiting, while being completely dressed to the nines for a 6:00 a.m. call time, shouldn't be exciting, but it still is.
Around this time I also found work as a fit model, working for a local design house. It's a job that pays very well but the work is inconsistent. Still, I am extremely thankful to have it, even if it is a bit weird for me to use it as an identifier at the dentist's office and have the receptionist squeal and ask me a bunch of questions about the job. That's a rock star moment, I'm not going to lie, but it's completely foreign to me to identify myself as "model" in any capacity...especially when "factory rat" was a closer signifier just weeks ago.
I'm not sure if all the discomfort in lacking a fixed occupation or identity squarely rests on my shoulders, or if I am reacting to other people's confusion when I try to explain, "Well, I'm actually a furniture maker, but I'm out of work, so I'm doing the acting and modeling thing, while looking for another woodworking gig." Who does that? I'm not sure if I even understand myself anymore.
In the long run, it's probably a good thing that I am so versatile & adaptable - I always have something relevent for any type of resume I'm creating for myself (and I have at least 3); but I long for the day when I have a short answer to the question, "So what do you do?"
- @K_Maruyama 折衷しちゃうのが器用すぎてしまうところ。併置と折衷の間ぐらいの微妙なところに止まるのが難しい。 #
- OGC推奨携帯プランとかを出した方がよかったかな #tsukishima_ogc #
- 今日使ってみたい言葉 「じゃっどん」 #
- じゃっどん、使えなかったので明日がんばってみる #
- 志ん朝のハッシュタグが見つからなかったのでとりあえず矢来町でやってみよう #yaraicho #
- 寒くなると聞きなくなるのは、富久と二番煎じ #yaraicho #
- 坂の上の雲にまつわる坂道: 檜坂、芋坂、新坂、下瀬坂、安保坂、東郷坂、乃木坂 #
- @K_Maruyama 電車に生ベッキーが乗ってたのかと思いました #
- @K_Maruyama ムォーリーさんのつぎの新書のタイトルみたいです #
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今年は暖冬の影響からか、関東では今週からようやく冬本来の冷え込みになってきました。
例年より半月遅くなりましたが、今年も毎年恒例の写真イベント「イルミネーション」や「クリスマスツリー」のフォトの投稿を募集する「Illumination Hunt（イルミネーション・ハント）」開催します！
【概要】
- Illumination Hunt投稿大募集！
【Illumination Hunt投稿大募集！】
先月末から街中にはイルミネーション・クリスマスツリーがディスプレイされています。今年は、東京表参道のイルミネーションが10年ぶりに復活するなど、イルミネーションに関する話題も豊富です。
明日のVox Huntで街中で見つけたイルミネーションやクリスマスツリーのフォトの投稿を出題します。今日から、街中で見つけたイルミネーションやクリスマスツリーの写真に「illumination」と「xmas tree」のタグを付けて投稿してください。携帯カメラで撮ったフォトでももちろんOK。例年盛り上がるこのイベントにぜひ参加してください。
集まったフォトは例年同様12月24日にチームVoxブログに記事を掲載し、ご紹介します。たくさんの投稿をお待ちしています。
--チームVox
