Brian's room

So my house has 3 bedrooms. Small, but there they are. One is the master, and the other two have been used at times as the home office or the TV room or the guest room. Most recently, the 2nd largest room was the guest room, and my friend Màire (Gaelic, pronounced "Moira") stayed there for a few months during a transitional period for her.

That room has now become Brian's room. Having gotten all the structural stuff over (computer, desk, shelves, and so forth), he recently spent time putting up lots of wall decoration. Those of you that know Brian will recall his no-square-inch-left-bare policy for decorating. Well, there are a few inches of wall here and there that have nothing on them. Brian tells me he's working furiously to remedy the situation.

Of course, there's some tongue in cheek here, but in all honesty, I quite enjoyed his apartment. We're both feeling some pangs about leaving it behind -- I would imagine Bri more so than me, but really, it was a great place. I don't know that there was a specific item or theme or anything that I could point to that stood out, although there were several pieces that I coveted almost from the beginning (e.g., his Kennedy picture; the Vitruvian Man; his space stuff; his "War Between the Worlds" poster). It was more the fact that his stuff really reflected HIM (his tastes, interests, etc.) and the mood that he set in the place.

Anyway, now that his room is more like him, and since I like him, it's almost a foregone conclusion that I would like the room. There are boxes and boxes and boxes of comics. There are posters and posters and posters on the wall. There are action figures and diplomas and an L-shaped computer desk that takes up a third of the wall space. His lucky bamboo is here. There's an overflowing trashcan... That part I don't find so endearing, but the whole composition is him, through and through, and I love him as he is. Isn't that convenient? I think it would be difficult to make any relationship last that started off with the premise that one or both have to radically change who or how that are just to be together. Not that I am perfect or that Bri is perfect but we really do complement each other well and appreciate both the virtues and the flaws in each other. At least -- so far, so good. ;-) ;-)

Back to the room: as I like the mood of the apartment, I like the mood of the room. And I love that blending our lives has not meant that he's lost himself or that I've lost myself. Throughout the rest of the house we're taking the best of our worlds and mixing them in together, but I also have my own little corners still preserved: My walk-in-closet-turned-computer room and my walk-in closet. I firmly believe that physical space reflects what's happening inside of us, and I like how the scales are balancing out between us. I hope he does, too.