The Nest

Let's revisit this nesting concept. I just finished hanging a series of wedding pictures along our amazingly long gallery wall. I'm particularly excited about this because it's such an unusual space (my cousin Katie who REALLY should be an interior designer told me she never hung anything on that wall when she lived in this building) and it's a series of 9 frames of various sizes. And I did it! And it looks beautiful. It just fits the wall perfectly and seriously I have never hung pictures so perfectly, all beautifully aligned with perfect spacing. It did take a fair amount of measuring and delicate placement, but I never had to redo a single one, it went that perfectly. I knew I learned something working at that stupid gallery on Oak Street (which will remain nameless, Russell mumble-mumble inspiration for Devil Wears Prada.)

So I was thinking yes, this need to hang photos, etc is probably nesting. But also as I hung these photos I realized that I never hung them up in our last apartment. Truthfully, I never hung anything up -- except a Cubs calendar that got posted up on a nail left by the previous owner. Maybe I'm so excited about hanging stuff up just because it's been so long since I have felt at home anyplace. Those wedding pictures bring me a lot closer I will tell you, because I just LOVE those photos. Best outcome of my wedding (oh, and my husband -- but let's face facts, he wasn't going anyplace.) Plus, I really have been frustrated by how slow the last few weeks have gone in terms of unpacking. Because I just can't do a lot of it. There have been too many boxes just kind of stowed places when I know where they should be or should be unpacked. I just can't lift them. But I can hang stuff up. I can't do any more today though because it's after 5 pm and I don't want my neighbors to hate me.

I will confess to this nesting though. I am not exactly what you would term a neat and clean person. I don't mind picking up -- in fact I generally like to do it. But I do let things accumulate and then enjoy sorting through, not picking things up right away after I use them. I do not clean well. In fact, I don't think I really KNOW how to clean. By this I mean, I see a few spots on the kitchen floor, I get out a swiffer and clean it -- and then I look at the floor and notice that it's still dirty. I think I'm cleaning well and then realize the object of my cleaning is just not clean. So it is rather surprising that I really have been looking at the floors in this apartment and thinking, "Oh, I'm going to sweep/mop/vacuum that." I just bought a new Swiffer yesterday, so let's see if I actually do it well. And this could just be the whole "I live in a new apartment and if I clean as I go it will always be fresh and clean and NEVER get dirty." If it is nesting, I would like to ask if anyone knows of a way to keep the nesting instinct. Anyone?