Introducing a dual-duty addition to my room!
I have an instinct for space efficiency. I'm good at packing huge amounts of gear into small vehicles, and there is no wasted space in my room or closet. When there's no place to put a laptop, I just have to think harder.
The previous layout for my computer looked like this, except that the flatscreen monitor was a Christmas present and the laptop initiated the change. There's a small wooden chest at the foot of the bed, invisible in this picture. To work at the computer, I sat on the end of the bed, feet on the wooden chest, keyboard on my knees (on top of the monitor when not in use), and mouse on the CPU by the windowsill. It's been this way for nearly three years, and it's worked. (Excuse the double desktops; it's the only one I have in the wide aspect ratio.)
The new monitor didn't really change things. However, I finally replaced the old computer (christened Mitty, for his ta-pocketa-ta-pocketa-ta-pocketa noises and other quirks) with the laptop (now known as John Carter).
But there's no place to put John Carter in that layout.
Another need, in this wee small room of mine, is storage. My Civil War reenacting gear recently overflowed all available space; it already filled the small wooden box and the whole stack of hatboxes, and three pairs of boots were tumbling around on the floor of my closet. (My actual clothes are in storage in the attic with the rest of my family's.) Some kind of storage unit was needed; it'd be awesome if it could double as a desk surface for John Carter and the Frankenstein Monitor.
So a couple weeks after John Carter arrived, I went to an antique mall in Fort Worth. At the end of the day, this was mine!
My criteria were
This one fills all those and has not one, but two trays! The second one is shallower and doesn't have a fold-back lid like the top one. There is ample room for my gear.
Now THIS is my layout.
(Excuse the dangling wires; it's not always like that. The outlet under the window just died and I'm running an extension cord at the moment.)
Having two monitors is fantastic.
A couple of Richard Halliburton books are holding up the Frankenstein Monitor, fitting in with the travel motif.
... and looking back at these pictures, it still looks pretty strange. This isn't quite how I'll set up my house when I get one! But in the space I have, this makes me happy.
I have an instinct for space efficiency. I'm good at packing huge amounts of gear into small vehicles, and there is no wasted space in my room or closet. When there's no place to put a laptop, I just have to think harder.
The previous layout for my computer looked like this, except that the flatscreen monitor was a Christmas present and the laptop initiated the change. There's a small wooden chest at the foot of the bed, invisible in this picture. To work at the computer, I sat on the end of the bed, feet on the wooden chest, keyboard on my knees (on top of the monitor when not in use), and mouse on the CPU by the windowsill. It's been this way for nearly three years, and it's worked. (Excuse the double desktops; it's the only one I have in the wide aspect ratio.)
The new monitor didn't really change things. However, I finally replaced the old computer (christened Mitty, for his ta-pocketa-ta-pocketa-ta-pocketa noises and other quirks) with the laptop (now known as John Carter).
But there's no place to put John Carter in that layout.
Another need, in this wee small room of mine, is storage. My Civil War reenacting gear recently overflowed all available space; it already filled the small wooden box and the whole stack of hatboxes, and three pairs of boots were tumbling around on the floor of my closet. (My actual clothes are in storage in the attic with the rest of my family's.) Some kind of storage unit was needed; it'd be awesome if it could double as a desk surface for John Carter and the Frankenstein Monitor.
So a couple weeks after John Carter arrived, I went to an antique mall in Fort Worth. At the end of the day, this was mine!
My criteria were
- Opens with a lid and not like a wardrobe trunk
- Has a tray inside
- Fits at or under the windowsill
- Is sturdy
- Isn't a terrible color
This one fills all those and has not one, but two trays! The second one is shallower and doesn't have a fold-back lid like the top one. There is ample room for my gear.
Now THIS is my layout.
(Excuse the dangling wires; it's not always like that. The outlet under the window just died and I'm running an extension cord at the moment.)
Having two monitors is fantastic.
A couple of Richard Halliburton books are holding up the Frankenstein Monitor, fitting in with the travel motif.
... and looking back at these pictures, it still looks pretty strange. This isn't quite how I'll set up my house when I get one! But in the space I have, this makes me happy.
