NOTCOT.ORG is such a repository of coolness. If I didn’t already have three supremely sweet business card cases (only one of which is currently in use) I’d spend the $15 on the one here. That’s just nifty-looking. It might end up being a gift for someone on the occasion of a new job, though.

And then there’s THIS beauty over here on the right. Once this girl (me) has her debt paid down sufficiently enough that 75% of my monthly income stays in my bank account, the apartment hunt is ON again. And I’ll be able to wield my interior design chops and style some awesome digs. I mean, I have half the work done for me simply by virtue of having so many books and bookshelves - voila, almost-instant wall covering and really esthetically pleasing furnishing right there. Right now, my books aren’t in any order since I never quite had the chance to organize them when I moved back home from my apartment years ago, but thanks to the magic of LibraryThing, I have been cataloging and will be able to download a spreadsheet of all my books when that glorious day comes… and then shelve the books according to whatever I wish. Alphabetical by author? Title? Grouped by subject? Period in which written? According to Library of Congress subject headings? The way they are arranged right now (placed wherever I could find some room) achieves that much-sought-after look of randomness. There are some subject-oriented sections… my Alice in Wonderland sub-section, my web design/Photoshop/InDesign books section, and then a general reference section containing my various dictionaries and other such resources.

Basically, all I’ll need to get when I have digs of my own again is a couch and a table (either dinner, cafe or larger coffee table). Everything else is here or in storage.

…

And I just spent 45 minutes poring over listings on Craigslist (it’s looking like a solid $1000+ a month for a 1 bedroom anywhere around here that’s not in the ghetto) and rather than having the familiar sinking feeling that I will never be able to move out on my own again, I am thinking, “I’m doing well at work and if I continue to do well, there’s a good chance that I will advance and be rewarded with a higher salary that would allow me to pay rent AND continue paying down debts.”

Maybe it’s the antidepressants speaking, but I’ll take it. Feeling hopeful is good and far better than the alternative.

And speaking of work, I need to buy myself an inexpensive little flash drive since I have been burning things onto CDs at work to take home and work on them (Why? I have Photoshop at home and not at work. My boss and her boss both asked me if I need us to purchase a copy for our department, but I don’t think it’s worth it since I need it maybe once a month - whereas I end up using InDesign several times a month, if not several times a week). That’s annoying. A flash drive would make lots more sense.

I could spend $99 on the special edition Icky Thump flash drives (of Meg and Jack White) but I’m not a die-hard enough fan of the White Stripes for that to make sense to me.