A Close Call

While involved in a long overdue tidying up last night, I came across a forgotten parking ticket I got last month.  My luck at avoiding parking tickets in Eugene finally ran out while shopping for Puerto Rican postcards at an antique store.  That store and the downtown post office are really the only two places I go where I have to worry about parking meters.  There have been several times I've found myself either short of change or staying somewhere longer than I had expected, but despite a few close calls, I had (until last month) managed to avoid tickets.  I just grabbed the ticket off my windshield and tossed it into my car without looking at it.  I then tossed it onto the desk in my living room when I got home.  When I finally read it last night, I saw that it was $12.00 if paid by 9/22 and $24.00 if paid after that!  So I was very happy to find it when I did and the check is now in the mail.  I had a nice day off today.  I took a trip to a neighboring town to make copies of my old postcards and I made the rounds at some local thrift and antique stores.  I'm also getting more serious about cleaning and organizing the inside of my home which has been sadly ignored most of the summer while I've been working on my floors and patio roof.  I have tons (almost literally) of old books, magazines and catalogs relating to building and architecture.  I've had most of them on stored on shelves in my third bedroom which I use as my office and computer room.  I decided a few months ago to box up the bulk of them which I rarely look at and store them up in my attic.  That project got off to a good start, but was put on hold a couple months ago with boxes and stacks of magazines scattered about my office.  That is getting dealt with as well.  What I hope to do is eliminate the cheap plywood floor-to-cieling shelves behind my desk:

I'd like to make this room look less cluttered and more finished and also make it easier to get it emptied out when needed to put down new floor covering.  I'm toying with the idea of moving all my records and CD's up to the attic room that now houses my big old sofa and TV.  My concern there is the enormous weight on a less-than-standard floor.  This room is above my utility room and a few feet below the rest of the attic.  I think it is just framed with 2x4's and feels a bit springy when I walk around up there.  If I could get my office cleared out enough, I think I could make it double as a guest room, opening up my other bedroom for a roommate.  I've always felt a bit guilty living here all by myself with all this room.  And a few extra hundred dollars a month would go a long way in home improvement land.  I do need to get my bathrooms put back together and heat in my house before I even think about a roommate though.  I have been keeping an eye on craigs list and have seen a few "room/share wanted" ads that looked good to me.  Okay, back to work.