In my apartment I have this weird little extra space I call “The Nook.” I live on the second floor of a two story building and it is the area that is above the door/entryway to the stairs. Looking around at the other buildings in the area, all the others that are like mine are three stories. In those buildings that space is taken up by the stairwell for two flights, but since my building only has one flight, my apartment has a nook. It has a full size window (that doesn’t open), a heating/cooling vent, and some outlets. There isn’t a light built-in.

Since I moved in, the area was given over to MacGyver as her perch. I piled up some rubbermaid containers that held all my Christmas decorations and wrap, topped it with a big pillow and covered the whole thing neatly with a sheet. (Specifically my black toga sheet, for those HMB kids who remember that party.) There was also a bookcase in the space and I was keeping my various unhung poster and picture frames stashed against a wall. (I don’t necessarily need more living space than I currently have, I just need more walls.)

Anyway, this past weekend I went about decorating and making The Nook into a little escape for reading or knitting or possibly napping. I got the curtains and the light from IKEA and ordered the big bean bag chair online. It just came today, so now there are photos to share. Though the photos still don’t necessarily convey the space well. Its an odd place to photograph.

[click on any photo to go to Flickr if you want to see larger versions]

Entry to the nook

Inside the nook

Looking out of the nook

View from my seating inside the closed nook

One last apartment photo; this is just outside the nook. I finally got my Star Trek ornament collection cases and shelf back to my place and finally got everyone out of storage and back on display. I think it looks good. And there is still enough room for the three new ornaments coming out this year.

As for the rest of my life, I’m hanging in there. Some days are better than others.

As a reward for her not biting anyone at the vet, and also because she’s old and spoiled, I got Mac a window perch for my office. I think she likes it.

That is the question for the day.

Like the Amazing Race, my apartment has both pros and cons (but sadly no Phil).

Pros:
affordable rent
can have my cat
already moved in there
nice closet space
close to movie theater

Cons:
shifty neighborhood
far away from most stuff (realizing that “far” is a relative term in Iowa City)

So I don’t know. I swore I’d move out as soon as my lease was up in August, but as I start to look at places the idea of spending $1000 on moving and deposits and all that jazz becomes unappealing.

What do you readers think? People who live in the area, do you never visit because my place is too sketchy?