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Spring Cleaning
I love spring. I love getting my energy back and feeling driven to get things done, even if they're not very big things.
Yesterday I spent all day organizing the basement. The whole place was nothing but piles of vaguely-related stuff all crashing into one another. Performing minor household maintenance began with the daunting task of trying to figure out where in the $%&# the pipe wrench (or #2 phillips, or wire stripper, or whatever) had gotten to this time.
Well, no more: Every last one of my tools is now in the appropriate drawer of a toolbox next to all the others of its type. The toolboxes are on an honest-to-goodness workbench, to which I'll also mount my vise just as soon as I buy bolts of the right length. All of my bigger tools and those with their own cases are sitting in neat rows underneath the bench, as is my box of Cat 5. All of the wall surfacing stuff (paint, painting tools, drywall tools, etc.) has a home on another set of shelves (but I'll need to give the shelves a thorough cleaning before the stuff can move in).
My next big task is to figure out what to do with the supplies: plumbing parts, antique doorknob sets, telephone terminations, knobs, wheels, you get the picture. I've already put all the little ones into a couple plastic bins which sit on the workbench, but the bigger ones will need a home of their own. I think it may be time to go back to Ikea to get more "Ivar" shelving.
It's funny, I was terrified to go to Ikea for the first time, having heard horror stories about the crowds. But after searching online for wine storage, theirs looked like a solid and economical choice. When I finally made it down there I confirmed that I have no interest at all in their home furnishings, but was pleasantly surprised to find that they do a pretty good job on basic storage: this stuff holds together, is cheaper than making something equivalent myself, and is a good-looking addition to the basement. What more could I ask?
Speaking of which, Eric has the "cellar" almost completely cleaned out, so I'll be able to set up the "Ivar" wine racks very very soon and free up more floor space in the basement proper.
Now all that's left are one big pile of motorbike parts (mostly Eric's) and one big pile of random junk (all Eric's). That, and the difficult task of convincing Eric that putting stuff in piles isn't an adequate organizational scheme.
I am baffled by one thing: where do all those Allen wrenches come from? I sorted through over 200 of them yesterday. 22 I bought for myself - a metric and a standard set. I could believe that I inherited maybe 30 from Sean. I have certainly acquired plenty with my "some assembly required" furniture and bike accessories - maybe 40 at the outside. So that's almost 100 of them - what about the other hundred? Has steel taken up sexual reproduction? Spontaneous generation? Do all of those lost ballpoint pens metamorphose into Allen wrenches (the barrel shape *is* suggestive)?
Yesterday I spent all day organizing the basement. The whole place was nothing but piles of vaguely-related stuff all crashing into one another. Performing minor household maintenance began with the daunting task of trying to figure out where in the $%&# the pipe wrench (or #2 phillips, or wire stripper, or whatever) had gotten to this time.
Well, no more: Every last one of my tools is now in the appropriate drawer of a toolbox next to all the others of its type. The toolboxes are on an honest-to-goodness workbench, to which I'll also mount my vise just as soon as I buy bolts of the right length. All of my bigger tools and those with their own cases are sitting in neat rows underneath the bench, as is my box of Cat 5. All of the wall surfacing stuff (paint, painting tools, drywall tools, etc.) has a home on another set of shelves (but I'll need to give the shelves a thorough cleaning before the stuff can move in).
My next big task is to figure out what to do with the supplies: plumbing parts, antique doorknob sets, telephone terminations, knobs, wheels, you get the picture. I've already put all the little ones into a couple plastic bins which sit on the workbench, but the bigger ones will need a home of their own. I think it may be time to go back to Ikea to get more "Ivar" shelving.
It's funny, I was terrified to go to Ikea for the first time, having heard horror stories about the crowds. But after searching online for wine storage, theirs looked like a solid and economical choice. When I finally made it down there I confirmed that I have no interest at all in their home furnishings, but was pleasantly surprised to find that they do a pretty good job on basic storage: this stuff holds together, is cheaper than making something equivalent myself, and is a good-looking addition to the basement. What more could I ask?
Speaking of which, Eric has the "cellar" almost completely cleaned out, so I'll be able to set up the "Ivar" wine racks very very soon and free up more floor space in the basement proper.
Now all that's left are one big pile of motorbike parts (mostly Eric's) and one big pile of random junk (all Eric's). That, and the difficult task of convincing Eric that putting stuff in piles isn't an adequate organizational scheme.
I am baffled by one thing: where do all those Allen wrenches come from? I sorted through over 200 of them yesterday. 22 I bought for myself - a metric and a standard set. I could believe that I inherited maybe 30 from Sean. I have certainly acquired plenty with my "some assembly required" furniture and bike accessories - maybe 40 at the outside. So that's almost 100 of them - what about the other hundred? Has steel taken up sexual reproduction? Spontaneous generation? Do all of those lost ballpoint pens metamorphose into Allen wrenches (the barrel shape *is* suggestive)?
Allen Wrenches
B
Re: Allen Wrenches
Is this the sort of thing where there are one hundred Allen wrenches per person in the country? That doesn't seem like such a large number. Until you start to pick up other people's slack. I suggest you release them into the wild to make their way into other people's homes.
Re: Allen Wrenches
On the other hand, the thought of laying on my stomach watching them make their way through the tall grass has a certain appeal. I would release them into the wild, if only they were *animate* Allen wrenches.
Re: Allen Wrenches
B
no subject
The least crowded time in my experience is on Sunday night. Unlike most stores around these parts, Ikea is open 'til 9pm on Sundays and many people don't seem to know that. It's my favorite time to go, though sometimes I go on weekdays.
I'm a big fan of Ikea, though not for everything they sell. But many items are very affordable and work well.
That's a lot of allen wrenches! We've got dozens, but not hundreds. Well, near as I can tell, there may be some more lurking somewhere.