The Great Stude Makeover

I moved to California four years ago, three days after I graduated from a liberal arts college in Kentucky.  A wonderful friend had found me a job as an actress at a small, touring theater company, and even though I knew next to nothing about the Bay Area or San Francisco or moving across the country, I accepted the year-long contract, packed a couple of suitcases and hopped on a plane.

The result of this quick move, and the potentially definitive end point of my contract, was a rather nomadic lifestyle.  In four years, I have lived in no less than five apartments (YIKES).  I have boxed and unboxed and Salvation Army-ed more times than I can remember. Because of this, it has taken me a long time to get okay with buying nice furniture.  Why make the investment if a another cross-country (or even out of country) move was a distinct possibility?

But this September marks my two year anniversary in the Most Wonderful Apartment Ever.  I realized that I am happy as a clam and that I'm not going anywhere for a while.... and, most importantly, that my desk totally sucks. 

EXHIBIT A: The Suck-Desk

This desk was found abandoned three years ago on Florida Street.  I have been dragging it around with me ever since. The left leg sometimes collapses, the "shelves" are cavernous, the horrifically pointy edges have been known to rend flesh, and there's not enough room to WRITE in a NOTEBOOK.  If you're thinking, "But didn't you just get an MFA in Creative Writing? Isn't that a like, big freaking problem?" you have connected the dots more quickly than I, apparently, was capable of doing.

Yesterday, my dear friend Myla and I journeyed to IKEA, a trek we do not make alone for fear of never returning. With her help, I picked out, purchased, and excitedly brought to The Stude what would be its first AMAZING NEW DESK!

EXHIBIT B: Build O'Clock

So, this took a pretty long time to build. And the IKEA instructions definitely said (or rather "depicted") that one should not attempt to do this alone.  But guess what? I emerged triumphant and now my desk is a veritable Poetry Command Center. I may never leave my apartment again.

EXHIBIT C: This Desk Does Not Suck At All