April 18, 2012
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Vertical ‘Stashes
Stacks.
I don’t like them. In fact, I hate them.
I’ve never seen a stack of something and thought “Good job! Well done.” No. I see a stack and think and know “That person has no idea where anything is. I can hide donuts in there and that person will never know. If I ever need to plant evidence, this person is an easy mark, especially if I need to plant a type of unglazed donut.” (Glazed donuts hold finger prints more easily, which is why powdered donuts are the preferred donuts of the criminal underworld.)
Some strange part of me enjoys organizing things. Not that I have an odd appendage or third hand that autonomously organizes things as I go about the day, though it would be convenient. Rather, I find it satisfying to organize things or more specifically I enjoy designing systems, and organization is the expression of an underlying system. For example, three things I am very good at are: architecture, computer programming, and creating board/card games, though unrelated in many degrees, are highly similar in that each is a type of organizational design.
I keep things pretty organized around the apartment (my desk does reach a “critical mass of crap on it” once a week). But Laura specializes in making stacks. All around me are little stacks. Taunting me. Distracting me. Daring me to hide donuts. Daring me to look for donuts that have been stashed and forgotten about.
While I have passion for creating systems, Laura has a passion of creating cairns out of all her possessions. I need to start buying her things that don’t stack well (penguins, elliptical machines, or overweight gymnasts) or that stack exceptionally well (goats, those competition stacking cups, large limestone blocks).
Comments (4)
This made me laugh, because I am totally a stacker. I’m a pretty neat and tidy person otherwise, especially as far as dirt/dust go (I vacuum and dust religiously every week). But I can’t help but have stacks of stuff… magazines, cookbooks, recipes, clips of short work-out routines from magazines, mail that I need to keep but don’t need to deal with asap, receipts, groupons, etc. I also love post-it’s, and making lists… I just counted 10 post-it’s on my work desk that have lists and information on them.
Obviously, you lack a sophisticated appreciation of pancakes.
@dingus6 - “A sophisticated appreciation of pancakes” is the best phrase I’ve read in a long while. However, if Laura kept hot stacks of pancakes around the place, my appreciation would definitely develop.
@kirlynz - No, not you! You must be saved. If I stack something, it is completely accurate to say: nothing in that stack will ever be touched again. I envy people who can efficiently use stacks or quidditch brooms.
Well… sometimes the piles DO go untouched for a bit longer than originally planned…