The Rabenstranger

From BoxBrown.

I have noticed a definite trend in my wardrobe over the last couple months.

This pleases me and I intend to drive it forward.

Today, while I was in the shower, I pondered the extraordinary amount of time, effort and energy that we put into maintaining society.

Trillions of hours are spent scrubbing bathtubs, mowing grass and fixing breakdowns.

What could life be like if all of the resources poured into keeping the things we have could be poured into producing new things?

Bookshelves, tables, sofas and ottomans, what do they all have in common? Sure, they’re all furniture but what does that really mean? What makes an item a piece of furniture?

I was musing over these matters the other day and I’ve struck on what I’ve chosen to call (perhaps a bit grandiosely) the Unified Theory of Furniture. Simply stated, “furniture” is a class of objects created to provide surfaces on which to set things. By “things” I mean both objects and people.

Perhaps I’ve gone loony, but, when I thought this up, it felt profound.

I was so excited that I wrote 700+ words on the subject. Since my enthusiasm is unlikely to be widely shared, I’ll refrain from posting all that.

Insomnia is a real drag. Perhaps because I slept in late this morning (technically, last morning), I am suffering from a persistent inability to sleep tonight. It is five a.m. and I have given up on getting any rest before my roommate and I go running at six.

As unpleasant as this is, there is a bit of a bright side. All night long, my brain has been churning and it has come up with a handful of cool ideas. I don’t know what it is about the wee hours of the morning that I find so inspirational.

One of the thoughts that percolated through my head, was how convenient it would be to have a tape dispenser that carried well in a backpack, purse etc. I used to carry tape but despite proving useful, it was bulky and contributed to the bulging pencil, pen, scissors, stapler etc. pocket on my backpack. Furthermore, the exposed tape was always coming off of the little plastic spot and getting tangled up. When I decided to de-clutter my bag it became a casualty of the purge.

Still, tape would be nice and the actual tape roll itself isn’t too large so I started thinking how a tape dispenser could be made that would be more compact and convenient. What I dreamt up is a hybrid between the traditional tape dispenser and the ones used for packing tape.

Slim-fitting and enclosed, my model would keep the tape from getting messed up in a backpack without taking up too much space.

See for yourself:

Perhaps something like this exists already. If not, it seems unlikely that my drawings are likely to cause someone to begin production.

Still, I derived a certain amount of satisfaction from scribbling out the design for a device that I honestly believe would be nice to have.

Several months ago, I linked to a talented and amusing artist,Scott C.and his ninja melee painting.

I managed to get a poster made of this painting a couple weeks ago and tonight I finally managed to get it backed for mounting on my wall.

This is the first decorative item I’ve procured for my wall but I do not intend it to be the last. I envision covering one wall in my room with drawings, posters, photographs etc.. If the endeavor turns out half as well as I imagine it, it will look fantastic. If it ends up looking terrible, at least I’ll have tried something and expunged at least one particle of brain crack*.

*Warning: Video contains naughty language.

Last Friday, with the help of a friend and lots of family members I lugged all of my boxes to my new residence. They are now more or less unpacked (or at least as unpacked as they are likely to get until I build or buy some shelving).

In other news, I have updated the About page on this website to provide better information about my current activities.

Today I had to work a split shift. I do not like working split shifts. A 6-10 a.m. / 6-10 p.m. schedule is about as far from ideal as possible.

Tell me tomorrow has come
With open arms
If you say it’s time to move on
Then I’ll stop holding on
If you say that it’s
time for moving on
Time for moving on

- "Playing for Keeps" by Switchfoot

Everything I own is going into boxes. I started off by washing my clothes and packing up the contents of my dresser. Today I’ll be stuffing my books, knick-knacks and the assorted gear I’ve acquired over the years into paper cases acquired from a former employer.

I’m finally moving out. Again.

I don’t know where the legion of demons that Jesus cast into the pigs has been for the last two thousand years but I know where they are now. They are inside the computer that generates the University of Washington’s final exam times.

This quarter I have two Saturday finals and two Monday finals. This means that I have almost no time between the end of classes (and turning in my final papers and essays) and the onset of brutal accounting exams.

I spent most of my not-at-work, waking hours cramming journal entries, financial statement presentations and calculation schedules for pension accounting into my head. Tomorrow will be much the same.

Wish me luck.