The pictures have been hung, and there is much rejoicing. It’s nice to find that I still really like the pieces we bought a year ago and waited until now to have matted and framed. Also nice to find that a year in a tube hasn’t done them any appreciable damage.

So, for reference, here’s a rather mild version of my office wall before:

Since that picture was taken, I’d added a bunch of photos I ripped out of calendars, both big and small. Most of them were saved because they evoke some sort of landscape or architecture or feeling that I wanted to remember for future writing use. I’ve decided that I can keep them in the filing cabinet instead of on the wall.

So I took down most of the crazy in favor of the pretty:

The ladies now gracing my walls are done by Emile Bellet. I like his colors and I’ve always rather liked the impressionists, so it seemed a natural choice for my working space. I’m really happy with them.

You might also notice the difference in the desk’s height – it’s been lifted so I can stand and work, which has been really nice.

And yes, the trophy on the desk is a writing trophy. I won it in the 7th grade. Sometimes all you need is the reminder of past greatness to spur you into the future.

Sorry for disappearing this week. Somewhere between pushing myself to finish the manuscript, cleaning and packing before we went to Ohio, the busy weekend, and then the horrid return trip, I came down with some kind of compound head cold cum fatigue blast. Even while we were in Ohio, I took big naps every day – two or three hours each, and they didn’t make it hard to sleep normal hours at night. That should have tipped me off in a big way.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t until I was back home that I conceded defeat to the sickness-gremlin. I’ve continued the mega-nap trend, which really takes up huge chunks of productive time during the days. My brain seems to be working better during my waking hours now, but the fatigue is hanging on. I don’t even have the extra energy to be witty about it.

If all goes well, we’ll be hanging up the newly framed art in the office today, so I’ll post pictures when that happens. Whee! Pretty art!

Otherwise, I just need to get all my books read and critiques finished before residency in a week and a half. Woo residency!