Reflections from the Mirror: Writing Space With a View

This Blog's Focus, or lack there of

Edith Wharton said "There are two ways of spreading light ...To be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it." That's what this blog is about, how the light of other people and the world around me have reflected off and in me. . .or other things when I need to write about other things, like walking, lizards, or fruit. There will be pictures of plants. All pictures are taken by me, unless noted.

I say what's on my mind, when it's there, and try to only upload posts that won't hurt or offend readers. However, readers may feel hurt or offended despite my good intentions. Blog-reading is a matter of free choice, that's what I have come to love about it, so if you are not pleased, surf on and/or leave a comment. I welcome any and all kind-hearted commentary.

It's 2012 and my current obsessions are writing and walking, sometimes at the same time. And books. I'm increasingly fascinated by how ebooks are transforming the physical book, forcing it to do more than provide printed words on a page.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Writing Space With a View

I have tried several times to set up a writing space in my house and failed several times. The desk, wherever I put it eventually fills up with clutter, overwhelming the space to write. I even tried writing without a desk, setting up shop on my bed. For a while the natural light and view to the back yard compensated for the ergonomic incorrectness. Then I got tennis elbow, which apparently one can contract without setting foot on a tennis court (one of my life goals). And my posture wasn't doing much for my decrepit spine, so I'm trying another approach: the fold-down desk. Despite having to drill into a masonry wall, my tool-savvy husband took only one trip to the hardware store, so I would rate the level of difficulty for the wall-mounting as a 7.5 of 10.

I'm a stranger to anywhere beyond the paint or garden section of a hardware store, so I had to take a picture, like a tourist, when I saw this wall of fasteners (screws, bolts, and all sundry items needed to attach one thing to another). Is the world such a complicated place that we need this many different doo-dahs to hold it together?

An hour and three more holes than required later (the dimensions in the instruction booklet were wrong) and I'm writing at a desk by my bed while looking out into the backyard. When I'm done I just fold the desk up so no one can pile clutter on my writing space. So far so good.