Monday, June 26, 2006
Drawers of Chaos
Wendy asked:
“What's in that knick-knacky kitchen drawer and why...you know - the drawer with all the bits and bobs..”
Now I have tendencies to procrastination and small organisational chaos that I am always fighting. Tends to drive LL around the bend occasionally. However, the kitchen is my kingdom. There is no chaos there (well, other than the pile of mail that lives in an ever unorganised and continually changing state). All of my implements are specialised and in their own space. So long as its LL or me putting things away, everything has its place (family and visitors “helping” is a nightmare scenario).
This is important, as when I’m cooking I am the surgeon of the cooker. I must be able to get that spatula or ladle to hand instantly. To not be able to do so risks ruin, and we can’t have that over a meal.
That is not to say there are no knicky knacky drawers in our abode. There are, but even these are categorised and semi organised boxes of chaos. There are many, and they are spread throughout the house. In so doing, they serve a purpose, as any good knicky knacky drawer is a harbour of usefulness, waiting to fulfil its purpose in life.
LL has her masses of makeup, hidden away in two thin drawers slid into an ultra modern dressing table in our bedroom. Curiously, she does not wear much makeup, believing subtly is key. That said, she has a lot of it, to be able to perfectly compose herself against whatever cloths she has decided upon for the day.
One of the most bizarre is our drawers of items useful to travel. This is a broad category, and that particular drawer contains a wealth of items. Here we can find a couple old hand wind travel alarms, our scuba masks, phone and power plug adapters for pretty well every country in the world, a small surgical kit for when we travel to climes less diagnostically capable, eye masks, ear plugs, small bottles of soap and shampoo, you name it. It is a well used drawer too, though only opened in anticipation of travel (which is always pleasurable).
Perhaps my favourite is my chaotic drawer of useful cables. Being a technophile, over the years I have collected a truly amazing set of cables. I’m sure many are for items sold or tossed in the bin, but a good cable is like a good book, it would be sinful to through it away. You never really know when you might need a good cable, and they do tend to recycle wonderfully. Last weekend I was tasked with charging up the video camera that had been gathering dust since the kids had now all learned to walk. It was a conundrum in that I could find the power adaptor, but not its cable. Out came my drawer of chaos and I was able to find one that fit well enough to suit the purpose.
So, there is not one, but many. Each suited to its own purpose or need. That’s as it should be.
“What's in that knick-knacky kitchen drawer and why...you know - the drawer with all the bits and bobs..”
Now I have tendencies to procrastination and small organisational chaos that I am always fighting. Tends to drive LL around the bend occasionally. However, the kitchen is my kingdom. There is no chaos there (well, other than the pile of mail that lives in an ever unorganised and continually changing state). All of my implements are specialised and in their own space. So long as its LL or me putting things away, everything has its place (family and visitors “helping” is a nightmare scenario).
This is important, as when I’m cooking I am the surgeon of the cooker. I must be able to get that spatula or ladle to hand instantly. To not be able to do so risks ruin, and we can’t have that over a meal.
That is not to say there are no knicky knacky drawers in our abode. There are, but even these are categorised and semi organised boxes of chaos. There are many, and they are spread throughout the house. In so doing, they serve a purpose, as any good knicky knacky drawer is a harbour of usefulness, waiting to fulfil its purpose in life.
LL has her masses of makeup, hidden away in two thin drawers slid into an ultra modern dressing table in our bedroom. Curiously, she does not wear much makeup, believing subtly is key. That said, she has a lot of it, to be able to perfectly compose herself against whatever cloths she has decided upon for the day.
One of the most bizarre is our drawers of items useful to travel. This is a broad category, and that particular drawer contains a wealth of items. Here we can find a couple old hand wind travel alarms, our scuba masks, phone and power plug adapters for pretty well every country in the world, a small surgical kit for when we travel to climes less diagnostically capable, eye masks, ear plugs, small bottles of soap and shampoo, you name it. It is a well used drawer too, though only opened in anticipation of travel (which is always pleasurable).
Perhaps my favourite is my chaotic drawer of useful cables. Being a technophile, over the years I have collected a truly amazing set of cables. I’m sure many are for items sold or tossed in the bin, but a good cable is like a good book, it would be sinful to through it away. You never really know when you might need a good cable, and they do tend to recycle wonderfully. Last weekend I was tasked with charging up the video camera that had been gathering dust since the kids had now all learned to walk. It was a conundrum in that I could find the power adaptor, but not its cable. Out came my drawer of chaos and I was able to find one that fit well enough to suit the purpose.
So, there is not one, but many. Each suited to its own purpose or need. That’s as it should be.
