What? I've been busy...

Sorry for letting the blog slide lately...been taking it easy and enjoying some quality family time this week and catching up on some freelance work and personal projects. When I've actually sat down at the computer, I've been doing other stuff and that's not even denting my (our) main objectives of the break (I get 7 workdays off, plus the weekends)—to get the freaking house in order. Here is some of shit on my list:

Finish designing fantasy sports covers.
Make countless revisions on fantasy sports covers.
Organize and update portfolio/resumé.
Clean my desk.
Clean the goddamn basement (which contains my desk).
Organize and upload photos on Flickr or something similar.
Install storm door.
Shrinkwrap windows.
Donate the old Furiousmobile.
Clean the gutters.
Set up Kid's ice rink.
Clean the goddamn basement.
Take down all the Christmas stuff/tree.
Fit in all the necessary holiday activities/obligations.
Enjoy my family.*
And, finally, clean the goddamn basement.

*No, I'm not done enjoying my family, but I have spent plenty of time on it. We've had some really great times this week...that project is ongoing...

It began to feel like the week off was slipping away without progress, so yesterday we kicked it into high gear and decided to tackle a major obstacle—what the fuck are we going to do with all this new Christmas shit when we can't even put away the stuff we already have? Every night I shove the shit back under the tree and it just creeps back out again like a tide...


So it's off to IKEA. We need serious storage upgrades for the playroom/den in order to make progress anywhere else in the house.

Here's where we started...no place to put the crap already IN the playroom, which means getting anything else put away is impossible. So the whole main floor gets contaminated and is just one big fucking toy box. And believe me, this "archive" photo is not giving you the full picture, but this is a pretty typical day in the playroom.

Three hundred bucks later, we have a totally revamped playroom, with storage for every toy in current circulation, and a theoretically functional place for the kids to play. That whole setup on the right is the new stuff. Of course, we know that after the honeymoon wears off, they'll still drag all their crap out to the living room and leave it all over the place, but for a few hours I can rest on my substantial laurels. Behold...


Which then, in turn, allows the living room and dining room to look respectable...


Okay. Time to stop patting myself on the back, because the playroom was like a pre-season game compared to what I face now...The abomination that is our basement has already been made public, and it is only worse now.

Mrs. Furious has more: before, during and after.

UPDATE: Kid Furious and Baby spent almost the whole day actualy playing in the playroom today. They can find their stuff, use it in the room, and even put it away! I feel like I cured polio last night! Once I plugged in her CD player, Kid sat in the egg chair and listened to Disney CDs for for hours...

Basement Blogging

So, do any of you fine readers ever wonder about the Fortress of Fury? Does Mr Furious blog poolside with a Corona at arms length? Maybe from a deer blind as he polishes his bolt-action?...Underground bunker?...Well, wonder no longer...

Here is your long-awaited (or not) look into the cockpit where I pilot the Starship Furious...


"Crap Factor Six, Mr Chekov!"

Why am I sharing this abomination? Because this is my self-initiated intervention—"You're a fucking slob, Mr Furious. I know you're busy as hell, and this isn't all your fault, but look at that fucking disaster." Mrs. F packed up all the Halloween decor, but I can't even get the bins over to the storage closet. Something has to give...


[L to R, top] 1. The bottom of the steps—where we shove everything from upstairs when we need to quickly get things out of the way. Supposedly a "temporary staging area," and those things will be put away when we have time. That time never arrives. 2. Another view of my desk. Shudder. 3. Believe it or not, that treadmill does get used. The pilates machine too. Just not by me... [bottom] 4. The home "theater." How relaxing... 5. You thought you had a hard time finding the remotes... 6. Clothes unloaded from the dryer onto the concrete floor still count as "clean."

So I am posting these for some motivation, and, assuming I'm ever done, for affirmation. Of course, as I took these photos this afternoon, I had grand plans of cranking out some serious cleaning while Baby F napped and Kid F was at a birthday party...Might even have some football on in the background...As soon as I snapped 'em, Baby F woke up, distraction ensued and ten hours later the room is exactly the same.

An auspicious beginning...