Of Notes and Notions and Drafting Dreams

Boxed and Bindered Scribbles

 It took four 6-10 hour days of effort to undo the chaos created by the forced switch of the beanbag/tramp with the table to accommodate installation of the cooler in the alcove window last August.  As featured in Sunday's post, I have my beanbag and tramp nook recreated and ready for use for resting, day dreaming, reading and crochet on the beanbag and exercise on the tramp.

It is still not back to the way it was and never will be as there were too many changes in the configuration and the small adjustments that will be needed won't become obvious until I start trying to use it as intended. I've been using the tramp daily and the beanbag for brief reading or resting breaks but my focus has gone over to the other side of the table which is the living area, my office and my bed/couch.

There was much chaos of time and space and mind created on this side during the 8 weeks as the number of activities performed here more than doubled while the availability of homes for the extra items was next to nil to start and by the end I had piles of stuff that kept shifting.  I had an archaeological dig on the surfaces of the big table and my entire 9 foot desk.

The most disruptive of my writing goals though was the loss of the boxes of notebooks pictured above.  There was no way to keep them on the office side so I put one stack on the far wall beside the table facing down the path from the 'office' and the other under it at 90 degree angle facing the hallway.

The problem with that was I couldn't get to them by just rolling my chair over and remain sitting as I pulled out what I needed.  I had to get up and go over there and then bend over or squat in front of them but this would block all light so I'd need a flashlight but it takes too hands to get most of the items off those shelves so I'd have to hold the flashlight in my mouth.  It killed my back and leg muscles.  I came away trembling and no longer interested in the project I'd gone over there in service to.

I sat on the couch/bed to take that picture so I could get all eight of the boxes in.  That also gives a good view of the edge of the table that I depend on to guide me in the dark on the path to and from the bathroom without needing to turn on a light.  That was yet another major dysregulation of routine and mental stability.  I have two blood blisters on my toes and at least one bruise and one broken nail to show for it.

Two of those eight boxes contain new and unmarked notebooks of various shapes and sizes.  I am a collector of notebooks. The two vertical ones on the right side contain accordion files, binders and portfolios containing notes, drafts, research, journals, drawings and misc. The remaining boxes hold more of the same in less organized or contained form.

My next project is to comb through every folder, binder, notebook and loose paper and organize by category with separate file or folder or binder for each.  Categories include creative writing notes and drafts, research notes, book review notes and drafts, journaling, fiber arts notes, sketches and doodles, and lots of lists and notes on lots of topics some not related to the categories already listed.

The main motive for tackling this project now is to mine out every last draft or note related to my Fruit of the Spirit storyworld for the storybible project I'm working on for Preptober.  This is part of the 'spend time in my story files' goal that has been part of my ROW80 goals for years but I tended to find it easier to click a short cut on my computer than to sort through this jumble that has been through uncountable moves in the last twenty-four years: from across the room to across the house to across the state to across state lines.

It it is time.  My work with the files on my computer and my storydreaming has awakened memories of notes I made at some point related to the thoughts I'm having now.  I need to salvage them.  This time I need to also protect them against ever devolving back into this kind of chaos and danger of being lost forever.

I've been contemplating how to corral everything FOS into one location that is as portable as possible.  I once upon a time--about 25 years ago--had a file box with a handle that contained the first fifteen years of work on these stories.  But that got left behind when we abandoned our storage shed to hop on a bus after being homeless on the streets of Silicon Valley for ten days.

This time I need a bugout bag that can contain all the paper files and all the electronic in a regularly updated external drive and/or high memory thumb.  I will also back up the electronic files in the cloud but I don't fully trust it and anything that causes a need for a bugout could also make getting access to the internet immediately iffy.

As I contemplated this need, my mind lit on a memory of the three ring binder with a zipper that I had in Junior High.  The perfect concept.  But I wasn't sure they were still a thing until I went shopping for them.  Not only are they a thing but they now have handles and carry straps and can be double or triple the size I had.  I spent several hours drooling over them.

I was hoping to take advantage of the prime day sale but the one I fell in love with was not on sale.  But it was still less than some of the sale prices.  Nor was it in stock. But the message said they were going to be soon so I ordered it.  I will have to wait a little longer for it's arrival but knowing it will arrive has my fingers itching to get started on the search and rescue.