Missing Link

I love long weekends.  They provide an opportunity to rest and relax, while also getting a few things done around the house and yard.  Normal weekends do this as well, to a point.  There’s only so much you can get done in a two day period,  and in most cases it’s one or the other – not both.   When adding in a third day a world of possibility opens – you can have fun AND get things done!

This past weekend, along with Labor Day on monday, provided such an opportunity for me.  I spent time with family and Ann,  played some World of Warcraft, and got a few things done I had wanted to for a while.   The top thing on that list was cleaning my home office.   I spend such a vast amount of time in there working, reading, and playing that it’s distracting when it becomes cluttered and messy.   As much as I am not one known for being neat and tidy all the time,   I really do get a sense of calm and accomplishment when things are clean and orderly.

My home office is my sanctuary,  and also a haven of my complete geekery.   Primarily it consists of a custom built desk that my friend Nic helped me put together almost a year ago.  The desk was constructed using two old cabinets that used to be in my Dad’s home office, with 3/4″ plywood screwed down on top of them to act as a base and reinforcement for a 10 foot long section of countertop I bought at Menards for $50.   I replaced the hardware on the drawers and cabinet doors for about $20.  I then screwed an old wiring basket (leftover from the Proxito days) onto the bottom of the desk towards the back to help keep wires off the floor.  It needs a little re-working now, but has proven to be quite helpful.

The right hand cabinet houses my networking equipment (DSL Modem,  managed gigabit switch) and the stereo receiver my computers use.  I used a drill and saw to cut out part of the back panel in the cabinet to allow wiring to be run.  I am investigating what it would take to install some fans (120mm or 80mm cabinet fans – quiet ones) to give some added ventilation as it CAN get warm in there.

The left hand cabinet provides additional storage, as well as a filing cabinet – all hidden conveniently out of the way.  Directly over the left hand cabinet is a book shelf, also having come from my Dad’s old home office.   The only addition to the bookshelf itself is a set of 4 LED lights hidden into the top shelf area for some extra illumination at night.

My desk is completed by a custom built quad-core workstation that dual boots the latest version of Ubuntu and a RC of Windows 7.  Featuring dual 22″ widescreen LCD’s on articulating arms – this is where I do a lot of my work, and all of my gaming, at home.    Sitting right next to my primary workstation is my 24″ iMac which is used for photo editing and other odds and ends.  I’ve got Aperture 2 and Adobe CS3 loaded on it, and absolutely love that machine.

But really, what home office would be complete without a comfortable place to sit and read, away from the desk and keyboards?  My solution to this is an oversize chair with ottoman (thanks, Jason!).   This is honestly one of my favorite places to sit and read,  and one that is sadly under-utilized.  I am planning on rectifying that, though, and spend more time reading (and less time watching TV and/or playing games).  The chair is almost too comfortable, though, so I have to be weary of reading in it while even remotely sleepy or an unexpected nap will most certainly ensue.  Ann’s cat, Chester, can attest to it being comfortable – she naps on it daily.

And there you have it, kids, my home office in all it’s clean and functional glory!