Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Houseguest


(Click on the thumbnail for the bigger, better version)


Houseguest. Do you have any idea what terror that word instills in the heart of a woman who isn’t great with housework. You know, forgets the dusting on a regular basis? On Sunday evening, The Husband casually announced, “By the way, my niece is arriving on Thursday. She will be taking off sometime Friday.” Yikes. Not long enough to fully register how dysfunctional this place still is, but definitely long enough to see the dust and notice a couple of rooms that clearly look as though someone is in the midst of either moving in, or moving out.

But, I just dusted a week ago. How did the place get so dusty, so fast? Whine. As for the boxes and clutter in those couple of rooms, I want a big banner that stretches all the way across the living room reading, “It’s about my bad back.” But, that isn’t the whole story. The truth is, it’s also about those cameras.

Hmm. Maybe I should have just wored with what I'm good at and gone for a new style of decorating. I’ll have to work out the details later, but I’m getting images of frames (empty and with some with prints) stacked everywhere—leaning against every piece of furniture. Cameras and lenses on pretty much every flat surface. Prints of every possible size stuck on the sides of anything and everything. Stacks of cables, lens caps, printing paper, camera batteries strewn about—artfully, of course. I may call it Photographer’s Grunge Chic. Hey, why not turn part of the kitchen into a darkroom. That would produce tons of chaos. No, wait. I don’t have a film camera, much less film. Still, what’s to stop me from buying a few rolls of film and stringing it here and there for garland? The place wouldn’t be clean, but it would clearly explain the reason behind the dust and clutter. Feel free to toss in your submission for an alternative name, as well as your own variations of this style.

I’m not certain that The Husband will be on board for this. I think I’ll continue dusting and cleaning, just in case. See ya.

8 comments:

  1. Anita
    Much to my chagrin you described my home. I have convinced the wife that it is supposed to look like that since I work at home. The only place without photo related stuff is the kitchen (I'm only allowed to do dishes). Now I'll have to break her computer until this post is buried so I don't have to explain.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well, if you need any help with your decorating, I have plenty of empty film cannisters and some scraps of film, to boot! Also, if you want to indulge yourself, I can send you a film camera for you to try out! ;-)

    Do worry about the dust and stuff, it just makes the house look lived in. Also, the hubby did give you a pretty big advanced warning. :-)

    BTW, my friend, were have you been. I've missed you over at the world headquarters of Paul Lester Photo!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Houseguest--I know first hand the terror that word brings. It turns my wife from a sane person to a nightmare cleaning machine handing out numerous chores for me to do.

    There is no rest or peace until some level of order and cleanliness is reached and all the time I'm thinking, "Hey, it looked fine to me already!"

    You tell a man that a houseguest is coming and he'll reach over and shove some of the papers off the couch so they'll have a place to sit down, "There, all ready for them!" ~grin~

    ReplyDelete
  4. Damn girl, if you clean, hide and straighten up everything, how will you find it when the niece has left?

    As for me I have an unused bedroom I have converted into a bit of a photography cave. Everything jumbled, at times waist deep, but I can usually find anything two days after I need it. Door closed, end of clutter.

    Being over cleaned and organized is largely over rated. Just be yourself and enjoy the company. Most enjoy that kind of honesty.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lot of guy type answers here for you Anita. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm I guy too, wouldn't have bothered much over that visit. But I know what you mean, I live with a person who kind of has higher standards than I have. :) Too me, you clean out your personality when everything is put into drawers.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yup, my wife has a real thing for making the house presentable for guests, doesn't seem to bother me much.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dust - just another fancy word for protective coating!

    ReplyDelete

You can leave your comments here. Because all comments are held pending review, yours will not immediately appear on the site. I eagerly read all of them and sincerely appreciate your taking the time to record your impressions and views. Thanks for visiting.
Anita