{"id":8934,"date":"2009-02-04T08:16:46","date_gmt":"2009-02-04T13:16:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=8934"},"modified":"2013-02-10T06:55:49","modified_gmt":"2013-02-10T11:55:49","slug":"a-fragmentary-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=8934","title":{"rendered":"A fragmentary tour …"},"content":{"rendered":"

… of my wee darling abode. A lot has changed since I took these, but what the hell.<\/p>\n

This is to make the “TMI” brigade even more insane and to also show that just because you rent an apartment doesn’t mean you don’t think of it as home.<\/p>\n

It’s also because I am going to move. I don’t know where yet, although the wheels are in motion. So one day I will be glad I have all these random photos.<\/p>\n

There are places I have lived in my life where I have almost no proof that I once lived there. Not that they were awesome places, far from it, but I’m all about proof. I love to have something tangible to look at. People say I have a good memory, but that’s not really true. It’s just that I’m obsessed with documenting things, so that I can look things up<\/i> if I have to, about my own life.<\/p>\n

I have to laugh when I think of Ree’s “peeks” into the Lodge she just refurbished on her ranch<\/a>. That’s not even their main house – it’s a SECOND house. First of all, it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in my life and I want to spend a winter there writing my second book (Ree? Can we make that happen?) – and second of all, if I look at THAT and compare it to MY offering below … all kinds of things can start happening to me. Shame, for one. That I still live in such a small place. Well, shame about all kinds of things. Hesitance to let people in, to see where I live … BECAUSE of that shame. Etc. And believe me, this is the Internet – if you feel shame about something, there will always be some jagoff who feels it his duty to tell you, “Well, you probably SHOULD feel shame about that! The way you live is indicative of everything that is wrong with America” or whatever the problem is with me. But then, even after perusing Ree’s beautiful photos about her new Lodge, I think: But … but … that’s MY problem if I judge what I have against what she has. That’s not her problem or anyone else’s. Her life is her life, and I love to peek in on it, and my life is my life, and she peeks in on mine as well. It’s cool, actually. Because not all lives are the same. Not all stages of life are the same. If I constantly compare where I am at with those who are my age or whatever, I might throw up my hands in despair. This must not happen<\/i>. I cannot afford to let that mindset into my life. At all anymore.<\/i><\/p>\n

I am proud of my little apartment, eensy-weensy as it is, and it has been a really wonderful move for me. I am certainly ready to move on, and spread out more – but for now, here are some glimpses.<\/p>\n


\nFront door to apartment building.<\/p>\n

\n\"455219292_8a9a678e81.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\nMy actual street.<\/p>\n

\n\"3249648587_9079d24a6d.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\nAnd, of course, this is the view at the end of my street. When I move, it will be this that I miss most. As a matter of fact, I think one of the reasons I haven’t moved, despite my space challenges, is because I am so addicted to my view.<\/p>\n

\n\"3250481648_ae7a8a5f3e.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\nGrimy urban mailboxes. You can see why no one can send me a package to my home. My mailbox is big enough for two envelopes and that’s about it.<\/p>\n

\n\"683497067_b815c2eb3d.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\nThe mysterious door to my bathroom. I love my apartment because it has all these strange individual details – like frosted warped glass in the bathroom door. Very strange and distinct.<\/p>\n

\n\"2236426497_bc9c36f744.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\nTowel hanging on hook on strange bathroom door.<\/p>\n

\n\"2436581440_1b138b4583.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\nBathroom in miniature.<\/p>\n

\n\"2236426831_7a04ce97c9.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\nSome things I have on my bathroom wall.<\/p>\n

\n\"2348669152_3b67155fef.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n\"2347837871_e8a7bf54df.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n\"2347837511_cea5ceb945.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\nKitchen (before the re-org). Some people may just see clutter. I see things that I love EVERYWHERE.<\/p>\n

\n\"2236427059_8572732231.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\nFor example:<\/p>\n

\n\"2236430517_e38fd0ff1c.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n\"2236430021_7ddb227a98.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n\"468472040_9a0543fc89.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n\"2236429477_f51ce7f5a8.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n\"2237219992_ceb76eca16.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n\"2237220234_1fdb2ae936.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n\"528261100_c461ca435e.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n(I’m vaguely superstitious about drinking out of the same coffee cup two days in a row. This comes from a conversation I had with my godmother YEARS ago, as well as some interview I read with Tina Turner, where she said the same thing. I see it as symbolic. I love my coffee cups. I have each one for a reason. Oh, and I stole one of them.)<\/p>\n

\nMy bedroom has completely changed now. Everything shifted, bed moved, desk moved, barrister bookcase moved … but here’s a glimpse.<\/p>\n

Corner of my bedroom. I was just talking to my mother the other day and I mentioned how “susceptible” I am to environments. Like, I don’t get “over” things. I am not “over” the beauty of such corners in my apartment, even though I have lived here for almost 7 years now. I look at something like that and feel totally satisfied.<\/p>\n

\n\"2686728196_5fdd104c05.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\nMy window in my bedroom.<\/p>\n

\n\"719351460_318713cefb.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\nMitchell gave me that piece of stained glass years ago. I am so amazed that it has survived all of my moves. I cherish it.<\/p>\n

\nDesk<\/p>\n

\n\"2436579358_4467d7061f.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\nMy glorious bookcase (which has now been moved)<\/p>\n

\n\"1710141696_2fd81c27ea.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\nAgain, everywhere I look in my main room I see objects that I love, that have traveled with me, that have stories attached to them, memories, connections.<\/p>\n

\n\"2236306937_4a9fa8e5bd.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n\"471625157_9e06314e2c.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n\"2237221866_1946f48e01.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n\"2236430793_2bf1337929.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\nI try to keep the home fires burning for myself.<\/p>\n

\n\"2089154142_ed2b06d963.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\nAnd then, naturally, the main event in my apartment, besides Hope and myself.<\/p>\n

\n\"468479590_cffcdc5ae9.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n\"2236428039_2732f9434b.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n\"468479574_c709d95ee6.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n\"468489415_593cb379b3.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n\"468487235_b0fc478d10.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n\"2237218916_b9859c8cbf.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n\"3249646693_f671a80e3e.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… of my wee darling abode. A lot has changed since I took these, but what the hell. This is to make the “TMI” brigade even more insane and to also show that just because you rent an apartment doesn’t … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8934"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8934"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8934\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63088,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8934\/revisions\/63088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}