Project Bedroom - Day 1

When I moved back home after graduation, I never truly moved back into my room.  I told myself that this move was temporary, and once I had saved up enough money from working at the zoo or started working at a different one I'd move out.  So in actuality there was no reason to unpack and really settle in, right?

Well here I am, 1 and 1/2 years later and still living at home.  And I'm still not fully unpacked or settled in.  I did clean out my dresser and my closet so I'd have somewhere to put all of my student teaching clothes and I did clean out my bookshelf so I'd have somewhere to put all of my notebooks and school books.  However, my desk kind of became this teetering mass of papers that I always told myself I would "look at later" and somewhat more important papers that I needed to save but had nowhere to put them.  A few nights ago, I had some reading to do for class and had nowhere to just sit and focus on my work.  So I decided enough was enough and after 1 and 1/2 years of staring at that clutter I was going to clean it off and set up a place for me to do my work (and my blogging...).

So this is what I started with.  Yeah I know, pretty terrible.  My goal for that night was to get the main part of my desk cleared off.

When I was a freshman, I toyed with the idea of getting an Archaeology minor.  I found the science of archaeology fascinating and I had a teacher that was really passionate about it.  I wanted to go on an expedition one summer, but it was in Israel and it was expensive so that ended up not happening.  Well I definitely got a taste of being an archaeologist tonight.

The first few things I found weren't that spectacular: some books my mom had given me for tutoring, old newspaper clippings from 2009, and racing bibs and the article about my first 5K.  But then I dug a little deeper and pulled up some amazing (and some disgusting) things.

Like my Gameboy color with 3 copies of Pokemon.  Plus a connector cable!  Score.

I found a card, photograph, and some candy that the juniors gave me when I went to go visit their Sectionals game in 2010.  I remember wishing so badly that I could play with them.  I think they went to Regionals that year too.

This might be my second favorite finding: my bulletin board from freshman year.  I did some really awesome things in DC.  I saw Rilo Kiley, the Goo Goo Dolls, Flight of the Concords, Snow Patrol, Paramore, and Bloc Party while living in D.C.  I went to 2 Nationals games, was a Big Sister, and volunteered with an Animal Rescue League.  Over my spring breaks I traveled to Vegas (I still have that plane ticket) and saw Spamalot on Broadway.  I wish venues gave out paper tickets still instead of the vouchers you can print offline, they're such great mementos.

But my absolute favorite artifact that I uncovered was my first UPA card, back when it was the UPA and not USA Ultimate.  It was in an envelope with information about my membership and a booklet of the official rules.  I can't believe I still had it.  I guess it's ok to be messy sometimes...

I'm not even going to show you a picture of what the bare desk looked like before bleached the you-know-what out of it.  I didn't think even the Clorox bleach spray could do it, but I was able to bring my desk back to a dazzling white.

The whole process took me about an hour, and next I hope to tackle those shelves on the side of and above my desk.  That reading that I needed to get done?  Well, that didn't really happen - I still can't really use my desk since I don't have a desk chair.  Whoops.  IKEA here I come!

Posted by Ali B at 11:55 AM