A Girl and Her Tools

I posted not long ago about the layout of my room, but I intentionally didn't show you a pile of things that has been defying organization. My collection of tools:

Figure: You can't see it, but at the base of that pile is my favorite Bosch cordless drill. If there is a fire, I would grab my laptop first and then that drill case.

But then this January, a happy combination of two things happened. My grandparents sent me a Christmas check (thank you, Grandma and Grandad!), and I got a flyer from Lowe's advertising a sale on tool storage.

Well, you may guess what happened.

I marched myself to Lowe's (literally marched - I have no car...) and payed cash (pulled a $100 bill from my wallet in honor of my Grandad!) for a gorgeous toolbox.

Figure: Craftsman, baby. Ball bearing slides. Premium rollaway casters. Gray and black. Very sexy.

I don't have quite enough money right now for both the top and bottom pieces of a classic toolchest setup, so I got just the bottom half. I had a choice between a four and five drawer bottom chest, and I couldn't tell from the online pictures what might work better for me. Five drawers, more organization - but four drawers, bigger spaces. So I actually brought the empty case for my drill to the store, so I could check to make sure the case fit in a drawer. Wouldn't you know, the five drawer option was too small. Gold star for thinking ahead...

The precise model I wanted wasn't in stock, so I had to wait a whole four weeks for it to be shipped to the store. When it arrived, I rented a ZipCar SUV to go pick it up. Ripped open the packaging, assembled everything, and whala:

Figure: Happy girl

What a difference! Now when I need things, it's all right at hand. In fact a girl came to my door needing WD-40, and I was able to just whip that right out. And where did I put this toolchest in my room?

Figure: Some girls have bedside tables with a romance novel. I prefer this arrangement.

It seems rather fitting that the best place for it is the foot of my bed. I know some women justify their purchase of expensive shoes by calling them "investment pieces." Well, this is my investment piece. I expect this to last until I get a house and a proper garage. And at some point along the way, I'm going to "invest" into that matching top chest. :)