Shoot me now.
In other news: I have more bookcases! I can possibly for the first time in the history of my life shelve all my books!
There are several thrift stores in my area, and I am always amazed at the furniture you can find there (and sometimes annoyed that I just spent five times as much at Ikea or Office Depot buying something just as good or better that was available "gently used"). $200 office chairs for $20. Complete living room sets for a couple hundred dollars. People throw out so much crap that doesn't need to be thrown out.
Besides some good, solid bookcases, I also picked up a nice loveseat, coffee table, and recliner, so my living room is starting to look like a living room, and my basement is starting to look like a library. :D
Okay, so I'll admit it's kind of a butt-ugly chair. But it's comfy, and it was cheap.
There was even a guy with a truck hanging around outside so I was able to get door-to-door delivery for a very reasonable price.
Yes, I am a cheap SOB. But that's how I was able to buy a house. And I gave the guy 25% more than we agreed on.
Now that winter is reluctantly letting go, though, there is exterior and yardwork I'm gonna have to get to pretty soon. :P
This is relevant to Alexandra Quick fans (see, if I am going to occasionally ramble about prosaic crap, I try to make it relevant to those of you who only read my blog 'cause you want to know if I am ever going to finish AQ5 - aren't I considerate?) because... I have found that my writing environment greatly affects my ability to keep my butt in a chair and write. The chair and desk I sit in really matters. So does the lighting, and the ambiance, and the nature of surrounding distractions. (People: okay, if I can wear headphones. I like bookstore coffee shops and the smell of espresso and pastries. My office: not so okay, because my Internet browser is right there. My living room: also not so okay, because the television is right there.)
So I am trying to transform my basement library into my "ideal" writing workspace. On a cheap-ass budget. So far: nice office chair, simple writing desk, and an adjustable footrest (why did I not ever think of buying one of these before?). Added bookshelves (so I can get replace those unsightly boxes with walls lined with books and a recliner (so I can read, all comfy-like). Wireless speakers so I can pipe music from my stereo or computer upstairs.
The non-cheap step will be adding more insulation in the walls, because while it's a finished basement with a heating vent, it still gets cold.