we got mail

Like a lot of people, we had our mail "organized" on a flat surface. It just gathered and gathered and overflowed. It just looked a mess. On one of our days out we came across this little item. It's a magazine organizer. We decided to use it as a mail organizer. It has seven slots and a small pocket. We have three slots each and one outgoing slot. The small pocket is used to hold a mail opener. We decided to place it in my "work area". My walls are concrete, so I decided to use Command adhesive utility hooks to hang the slots. So far, so good. They haven't fallen, yet. The mail/magazine organizer is made by Reisenthel. We picked it up at the Container Store for $15. Not bad. It comes in three color variations. Brown/tan, green/gray, and orange/red. We decided to go with the orange/ red so we could add a little color to the area. It's been a great purchase for us. It has really helped us organize and keep our mail from adding to the clutter. And, that's extremely important in a studio. Every inch makes a difference.

FINALLY!!

YES!! I finally got a new laptop! My last laptop lasted me almost seven years. I didn't do too much heavy work at home, so the power wasn't so important. But, when I couldn't upgrade to the latest OS because my processor was too slow, I decided that it was time to upgrade. Of course, I picked up the most powerful laptop available. And, yes, this will probably last me another seven years. So, this is my setup. There are three new items in this picture. There is the laptop stand by Griffin that holds the laptop up to meet my inclined drawing board. Then, there is the wireless keyboard by Apple. You wouldn't think so, but reaching out to type on a keyboard for an extended period of time does strain your shoulders. So, I use the wireless keyboard with my Wacom. It's works out great. I had some doubts, but I've really enjoyed the function. So, now, I have to say bye to the Titanium. It's kind of sad. It's been with me for a while. Through relationships, pursuit of relationships, travels around the world, helped me built portfolios, helped me through countless projects, and tons more. It's been with me for seven years. But, all good things must come to and end. But, at least its followed by a laptop that is in the same family.

trashy

This is my new trash can that I picked up for my place. The old one I had was okay, but a little too large and open. What's wrong with that, you ask? Too large makes it hard to fit shopping or take out bags into. Open basket leaves trash open to spread smells. Not that we left all kinds of nasty trash in the bin, but any smell is not good. Especially, when city roaches have an amazing ability to track smells. Yah, the big bad ones, not those small ones you see in restaurants. So, that is why I decided to go with this smaller bin with a lid. This one is by Simple Human. The bin comes with a removable bucket that you can place your bag into. And, the bucket has a hole to tuck the loose bag into. So, you lock the bag into the bucket and place it into the bin. Once the lid closes, you don't see any extra bag. This makes for a cleaner outer appearance. Sometimes the bags do peek out. But, for this picture, its totally clean. I like the stainless steel-ness of the can. :)

Posture-Pedic?

Nope, its a Tempur-Pedic. That's a little joke between my girlfriend and I. She likes to call it a posture-pedic. Anyway, I had been sleeping on a futon for... too long. So, I finally took the next step and bought a grown up bed. Even in a grown up size. Yup, queen sized! And, with the mattress I picked up a tatami platform frame. I chose this frame for its low profile and its simple clean lines. The frame itself does not require screws, but it does require screws to keep the slates in place. The tatami mats do have a bit of a funny(not funny bad, just funny unexpected) smell when you first open the box, but it does go away after about a week. The Tempur-Pedic also has a smell when it is first delivered. But, both of these smells are expected. The bed was a bit on the pricey side. But, I figured it would be worth it since it is used every night. And, hopefully, will be used for a long time. Plus, its worth it if it helps my back feel better. Can't clearly say that its done that, but the bed is much better than my futon. One step closer to being a grown up. Now, I just need a larger place...

scootin along

Whew, its been busy and I haven't been keepin up with my space blog. I have a few items to post, so here we go. This is my new scooter. Its a Xootr. I went with the original with the wooden plank as the base. The wooden base is supposed to have a little give for a smoother ride. I don't know about that, but the Xootr has a pretty nice ride on its own. It's smooth and fast. Great way to get around town. Plus, folding is quite fast and easy. So, getting onto a subway or a bus would be quite easy... maybe not at rush hour. But, when is it ever easy to get on public transportation at rush hour? So, other than rush hour, its all good. And, unlike folding bikes like to claim, its small enough when its folded up to get around in stores and restaurants. So, I would highly recommend the Xootr to those that want to get around town or just scoot around for fun.

New Curtains

I finally got new curtains. I had Ikea curtains for the longest. Yep, the ones moved to my wardrobe. They didn't block out light very well. And, with June not liking light shining in the morning, we needed new curtains. These are from West Elm. They're a little bright, but I thought my "room" needed it. After I confirmed the color with June, we picked them up. :) I think they work well. They keep the light out nicely, which allows sleep to continue just that little bit longer without being disturbed by the morning light. Like when you spend a night in a hotel and you get up in the morning. You open the shades and the blazing light comes through. It's nice to have that at home. They were a little expensive compared to Ikea curtains, but also not as expensive as other heavy curtains. These were a good set of mid ground curtains. Now, sleep goes on. :)

covered up

Yay, I finally put up some curtains on my wardrobe. Open wardrobes only look good on TV and in product shots. In real life, like many other things that look great on TV, a open wardrobe becomes a mess. Shirts and pants start hanging all lopsided and sticking out. Boxes aren't exactly spaced. Shelves aren't perfectly lit. It's just not the same. So, I decided to put up some curtains. I wanted something with clean and simple lines. And, the sliding doors that go with this unit take up too much space and are too rigid.  I ended up getting some small curtain rods from West Elm that matched my larger curtain rod over my windows. And, I moved the Ikea curtains that were on my windows over to the wardrobe. They're a little short now. But, I plan to get another panel and adjust them all to the same length. The appearance came out better than I had hoped. It accomplishes a soft clean look with very simple clean lines.  

creating space

I keep on buying things and my place remains the same size. So, until I can afford to purchase another room, I have to just make room. So, I have a Dahon folding bike. It folds small enough. But, in a 500sqft apartment, it's a little challenging to find space for it. I wanted to hang it off the wall or the ceiling, but that requires drilling into concrete. I'm not ready for that. So, I had to sit it somewhere on the ground. I decided to put it by the entrance. BUT, I can't place it directly on my bamboo floor because it would mark it up. I had some extra FLOR tiles left over from when I created my "lawn". So, I decided to extend a 14" wide strip out from the lawn for the bike to sit on. And, this is what you see in the picture.

laptop stand

So, here's the situation. I use a Apple laptop. I still run the Titanium. Yah, old school. The thing runs hot. Like, cook an egg on the surface hot. It's okay sitting on a desk or on my drafting table. But, it was always a problem sitting on my lap. I'd use pillows, seat cushions, and all sorts of contraptions. So, one day I was looking for stands to elevate the laptop on my "desk". You know, just simple laptop stands. I came across an item that was interesting. A table that had a adjustable height. It really looked like a table top attached to a barber shop chair's base. And, it hit me. I have a spare drafting chair. And, I've been looking for a way to sit on the couch and work on my laptop as I'm watching TV or movies with my girlfriend. You know, have to find that balance. Can't neglect the girlfriend too much because of work. Anyway, this little contraption is wonderful. It may not be the most visually appealing item, but it was made from pieces I had lying around. The functionality of it is great. It adjusts to different heights for different sitting situations. It reaches in close enough to work comfortably, and swivels out of the way when not needed. And, if you replace the wheels with flat legs, its really stable. Again, this is a very no frills idea. I just wanted to see if it works. Now, I'm thinking of finding nicer pieces, so I can make a more appealing stand. But, for now, this works beautifully. So, its a drafting chair base with a Ikea cabinet panel. Bolt it together and you got yourself a nifty laptop table.

be still...

This is the Gorillapod. This was a little something that my boss Nancy got me for Christmas. I was always curious about the item. But, since I do have other tripods, I didn't feel right about picking up another one just because I was curious. But, once I got it, its really been a very handy option. I really like how flexible the Gorillapod is. I can't say that I've used this on a tree branch or a door knob like its advertised to be used. But, for quick adjustments as you are taking pictures, I haven't used a better tripod. And, you can pose it in cool poses!

back pains?

I can't say when my lower back pains started. It's not constant. Only when I push it too far. Things like working out too hard, sleeping too long, or carrying a bag that may be too heavy. When I was in school, I would carry all my books on one shoulder and have no problems. I'm sure that didn't help my present pains. But, in the past couple of years, I've noticed that my back started hurting more. I went from a single shoulder bag to a double shoulder back pack. Still wasn't light enough. So, recently I decided to find the lightest alternative I could find. And, that is what you see here. The bag is a Manhattan Portage bag. It's a stripped down bag with no heavy padding on the back of the pack or even on the shoulder straps. It's the lightest sturdy bag I've come across. It's been working very well, but there was something missing. The stripped down feature left the bag with no features. So, with nothing to separate items, the contents of the bag became a mess very quickly. And, in comes the second bag. It's called a bag in a bag. My girlfriend picked this one up for me at the Muji store. It offered all the compartments I needed. And, most importantly, it was made light. And, it fit perfectly into the larger bag. So, with these two bags, I've lighten the stress on my back and am still able to carry all that I need for a long day in the city. Not bad for a total cost of under $50.

Dry enough for ya?

So, one day I woke up and started choking. The disturbing thing is that I was choking on nothing. My mouth was just dry. But, not only my mouth, but partly down my throat too. It's quite an odd feeling. But, basically, my place was too dry. I think a lot of apartments in NYC are. So, I went and did some research on humidifiers. And, found that this one is rated really high. It's the Air-O-Swiss Ultrasonic Digital Humidifier. I picked it up from Bed Bath and Beyond. They have a great return policy. Heh heh. But, so far its been working fairly well. It's still a little dry, but no where near what it has been in the past. The only complaint I have about the humidifier(which also true for many other models) is that you can't refill the water from the top. Not sure if this done on purpose or not, but its annoying to have to take the whole tank off the base everytime I have to fill it. But, all in all, its working very nicely. I don't wake up choking. Always a plus!

water anyone?

So, I've always enjoyed my showers. I take half an hour showers. Waste of water? I don't think so. It wakes me up and helps me mentally prepare for the day. So, I wanted to make showering as enjoyable as possible. And, since I do not have 10 or 20 thousand to drop on renovating my bathroom, I decided to settle for dual shower heads... for now. You might ask why. Well, simply more coverage. It's a very simple item I picked up at Home Depot. Installs quickly and shifts between the shower head or the hand set very easily. And, of course, you can have both heads on at the same time. The water pressure drops a bit, but its worth it. Next I'll drop several thousands on one of those systems that shoots water at you from all different sides....not really.

Wii!!!

I finally picked up a Wii. I have to say that I am highly impressed by this system. I was impressed with Nintendo taking a risk by not going the route of ultra realistic as all the other systems have recently. And, still trying to create the market rather than follow the market. I'm so impressed with what Nintendo has done here. They've actually created a system that requires kids(and others) to get out of their seats in order to play the games. Not an original idea, but they really took it to the next level. The controllers to this system are extremely sensitive making it hard to sit and fake movements. And, if you've figured out how to do this, you're a lost cause anyway. The remote senses motions in all directions. Forward, backward, side to side, up and down, tilts, speed, everything. Which allows for great game play. Bravo Nintendo!

urga-what?

So, as a lot of artists, I've been sitting on the cheap drafting stool that comes with the drafting tables. You know, the one that you can feel the bolts through the seat padding. I finally broke down and decided to buy a new chair. Now, what is the right chair? I have a very small work area in my studio apartment, so I couldn't buy one of those huge lazy boy type chairs that you can sink into. Tempting, but it just wouldn't fit. So, I went for a ultra task chair. This is the Capisco Hag chair. It's designed to keep you moving without making you uncomfortable. I have to admit, it took a little time to get used to. It was a bit uncomfortable for the first couple of weeks. But, once I got used to it, it does do what it claims. Keeps you moving. This chair allows for many more sitting positions that a typical chair does not. Not sure about everyone else, but as an artist, its a really nice option to vary up my sitting position comfortably during the hours I spend behind my table. The chair is on the pricey side. Pricey for me... But, I figured I'd be spending a lot of time on it, so I'd definitely be getting my money's worth. Especially, if I'm comfortable hour after hour working on projects. The chair is very adjustable. The back can be adjusted up and down. The saddle can be adjusted forward and backwards. The ease that it tilts back is adjustable. The chair can be locked into position, so it doesn't tilt back. This makes sitting backwards on the chair more comfortable. And, the saddle shape of the base allows for proper circulation in the legs. Did you know that the improper circulation caused by chairs that put too much pressure on the back of the thigh can cause back pain? Anyway, this is my new funky task chair.

Sonicare

The Sonicare is one of my most recent steps in taking better care of my teeth. Believe it or not, I had not been serious about taking care of my teeth before 200.....2, I think. Anyway, not until pretty recent. I had always been afraid and terrified of the dentist. I hated the feel of metal scraping on my teeth. But, my mouth was in trouble. In the beginning, I started to go to the dentist just because I was too embarrassed about my not so fresh breath. I NEEDED to deal with the issue. But, as I went to the dentist I found out that my mouth had more issues than just the breath. My gums were in trouble as well and plaque had built up. So, I decided to bite the bullet and jump in with both feet. Let me tell ya, it wasn't easy. I was out of my mind nervous. But, I couldn't ask for a better situation to go in. The dentist was a family friend that I could trust to be kind and honest. And, I had insurance. So, I had nothing to lose, but my embarrassment. It wasn't pretty that first time I went to the dentist. My mouth was in bad shape. After that first visit I had to go back in just a few weeks because my mouth needed to heal before my dentist could proceed. Yike! But, I was determined. Now, I go to the dentist regularly every 6 months. And, on good advice from my brother, I schedule my next appointments before I leave the dentist's office. If I didn't, I would probably procrastinate and end up not going for years. And, just recently, my dentist told me that my gums were still in trouble. I had not been flossing every night as he had recommended and parts of my gums were still infected and puffy. Nasty, right? But, he told me one thing that made me take my care of my mouth to the next level. He told me that if my gums didn't heal on their own, I would have to get surgery where they would have to cut into my gums to fix them. The idea of my gums getting cut into freaked me out. So, I began to floss properly every night. It was hard in the beginning because there would be a lot of blood. Which is the problem. Your gums should not bleed too easily. If they do, they're not healthy. So, floss even if its uncomfortable. Eventually, there is less blood and then no blood. My gums healed on their own. And, on my next visit, the dentist told me that there was a night and day difference on the condition they were in. So, with the recommendations from my dentist and girlfriend, I've taken the next step and purchased the Sonicare tooth brush. I'm still feeling my way on using it properly, but it seems to be making a difference. My teeth do feel cleaner after a brushing. Not "dentist clean" like the commercial hints, but cleaner than a regular toothbrush. If anything can help my visits to the dentist be more pleasant, I'll take it. I still fight my laziness to go through the process at night. But, whenever I feel too lazy to floss, brush, and mouthwash, I remember what my dentist said. "... surgery on your gums..." Then, the process doesn't seem too much anymore. :)

food prep

Here are two items that my girlfriend bought me for my birthday this year. We both love tasty foods. And, a couple of our favorites are ham and egg on toast and Jamba Juice's orange dream machine. I had been talking about trying to make these at home, so we can have it any time we would like. So, I did some research and narrowed down appliance choices. Eliminating the most expensive and the cheapest. I really wanted to get the same blender that Jamba Juice used, but those blenders went for over $400. That just seemed a little extreme. So, here are the two items that we picked up. The blender is the Oster Fusion. It's a mid range blender that has a good amount of power to pulverize ice. Good for nice icy drinks. My favorite. It's a bit loud, but works pretty well. Not exactly Jamba Juice, but also a fraction of the price. And, the toaster is the Krups FEM2. Its supposed to be a powerful toaster that toasts quickly to make the outside crunchy and inside soft. So far, not so much. But, that could just be because of the bread we're using. It still makes a yummy sandwich. So, yummy food will be made! :)

shelves!

Finally, I got some shelves up in my work area. Again, like my curtain rod, this took a lot of emotional preparation to drill into my wall. I purchased this set of shelving from Bed Bath and Beyond(BBB). I dealt with a Paul(Asian man) at the BBB between 18th and 19th street. He screwed my order up a little, but he did everything he could to fix it. You may be saying that that's what he should do, and you'd be right. But, you'd be surprised how many times I've come into contact with incompetent people when it comes to doing what they should do. Anyway, these shelves required me drilling eight holes into my concrete wall. So, as soon as I prepared myself to permanently damage my walls, I drilled away. In the end this shelving system is quite easy to install. It requires one secured steel plate that gets drilled into the wall and the rest all hangs off of that anchored piece. And, the great thing about this system through BBB is that they will cut the shelves in almost anyway you'd want them too. Well, any simple straight cut. No fancy designs and what not. If you look closely to my shelves, you'll see that there is a part of the wall that sticks out. I actually took the proper measurements and had the store cut the shelves to fit around this piece of the wall for a built-in feel. And, I was actually pleasantly surprised at how well it came out. And, as you can see, I've made part of the shelving my desk to hold my laptop, art supplies, and even my scanner. And, my personal DVD player that doubles as my tiny TV for when I don't need my larger TV on. Hells yeah, I hooked cable up to that bad boy!! Anyway, I got the idea of the integration from this design company ip20. I got the idea from their Japanese site. Of course, I could not afford their actual pieces(which are way too cool!), so I just used them for inspiration. So, if you can afford the actual shelves, good for you. But, if you can't and need built in shelving, I would recommend Bed Bath and Beyond. Just make sure you have all of your exact measurements that you need. If you can draw out what you want, even better. Happy shelving! I'm presently working on a kitchen set as well.

Sears.com SUCKS!!

I started this summer with my old 5000BTU air conditioner that I brought over from my old place. It was fine for my small room in my old place. But, now I'm in a studio and its larger than my old room. So, I attempted to order a new ac unit. I did my research and even joined ConsumerReport online. I decided on Kenmore because I've always liked the brand. Because I'm in NYC and do not have easy access to a vehicle I decided to order online. So, I called up Sears.com to place an order. I felt good. I was excited about my order. I waited about a week and the unit was on its way. I even took a day off to wait for the delivery. The door bell clinked as it does and there it was......... a mess. The picture you see with this post is of the box my ac unit came in. The box looked as if it had been rolled down a hill. Parts of the box were ripped and the foam inside would be showing through. Even part of the ac unit itself. And, the box appeared to have been opened and resealed again with plastic straps. Of course, I returned this package thinking that it was mistreated in transit. And, I reordered the same ac unit. I got worked up again and took another day to wait for my delivery. I opened the door and there it was. Another mess of a package. The UPS delivery person told me that this was how they receive the package. Of course, that's what he says. But, honestly, I don't see how UPS could do so much damage to a box. So, I assumed that it was on Sears side. On top of horrible damaged goods the persons on the phone at Sears were incompetent as well. Not all, but I did have troubles with returning my order due to missing bar codes and Sears employees claiming to reissue a call tag and really not. Which meant I waited to be notified about a pick up and had to call Sears again to find out what was happening. It was just a big mess and it took more than a month to deal with this whole situation. And, at the end, I was back to where I started. I don't know about other items, but I would not order ac unites from Sears.com. It's just an awful shopping experience. So, my little ac unit is still working hard to keep the place bearable. I've decided to go with GE and deal with a local appliance store where I've purchased other items before. So, its supposed to arrive in a few days. We'll see how that goes. Hopefully, I'll have a new AC...... by the end of summer.

my turf

So, here's something that's a little weird. I had started with just a little rug. Then, a longer runner, but it was never enough room. When I came in the door and had someone following me, it was never enough room for more than one person to come in and take off their shoes without having the other wait in the doorway. SO, I had to figure out a way to fix this problem. I figured that the first person in would have to step to the side in order to be out of the way to get another person in. I didn't want shoes stepping on my too delicate bamboo floors, so I knew I had to cover the floors. As I was contemplating my options, I remembered how nice and clean it was at this one hotel we stayed at in Japan. And, how they had a whole section just to take off your shoes at their entrances. I really dug this idea, so I researched my options on how to create this idea in my tiny apartment. I didn't want a plush rug. I wanted a tight clean flat covering that would separate my entrance area from the rest of my studio. I quickly came up with this company named FLOR. They sell floor coverings by the square. I was thinking of a brown or a tan to sort of work with the whole "Japanese" idea and to work with the rest of my place. Then, I came across this texture. Its a grass green and it has flickers of other colors in it to calm the intense green down. So, it comes across like grass. I knew that this option was either a hit or miss. And, that it would be a risk. But, sometimes I get these little surges of energy to go for the risk and this was one of those times. So, this is my front yard. And, I must say, I'm quite happy with how it turned out. Now I enter my apartment, scoot to the side, and place my shoes or flip flops on the edge of my lawn. And, it reminds me a little of my short time spent in Japan. Always a good thing.