I always hang art on the wall before doing any other decorating. I'm not sure this is a perfect test, unless there's something about me that I don't know.

Yes, but I've checked, and you aren't a guy.

In my completely accurate and professional study, 50% of women will hang the art last, if ever, and no single man will ever hang art as the first thing unless he's gay. (But not all gay men hang the art first).

I in particular loathe the "Here is my smug little upper-middle-class life, but it's a universal experience!

Is this better or worse than "smug little upper-middle-class lives are so shallow " works, like American Beauty and Fight Club?

How? I mean, I have a pile of pictures lying on my floor because I haven't decided where the larger pieces of furniture are going to go.

I do decide where major pieces of furniture go, but to a certain extent, I'm arranging the furniture around the art rather than the other way around. It's just that I don't feel moved in until the pictures are up. I can go without curtains being up or accessories being arranged for a long time. I have a pile of pictures that aren't up, but that's because I've run out of walls, unless I move to hanging things salon style. It may come to that.

Another reason the pictures aren't up is that I need to repaint, and I don't see any point putting them up if I have to take them back down again.

I'm with Ginger. The art goes first, everything else is arranged around the art.

I have no idea when the art goes up. Everything needs to find its place pretty quickly, or I feel antsy. And last move, I didn't have much so it has been pretty much placed/hung as acquired.

Of course, I still have about 4 pieces I need to get framed and out of their dust jackets and onto the walls. One is a korean painting/watercolor/calligraphy thing that I've had for 3 years, but I have to have that done professionally by the artpreserver types. It is nearly as old as I am.

I have pine sap residue on my hands. I got enough off that I'm not picking up lint, but it is SO ANNOYING. Stupid pine trees, dripping on my car.

Walls are for book cases. Pictures take up valuable space where you could store a few dozen more books.

I have some art up, but I haven't replaced the switch plate covers from when we were painting. Actually I need to get new covers so I look at the lightswitch and think "oh god it's going to be so tedious". I guess I have a project for this weekend.

I can't imagine living without both books and art. Plain white walls are evil.

It's the baby's four-month checkup tonight at 7:00. I still can't quite get used to the fact that the doctor's office hours are 6:30 - 9:00 pm. I also can't quite get to feeling comfortable with having to call the doctor on her cellphone to schedule the appointment. Her receptionist thinks I'm strange for wanting to do this appointment-scheduling via the receptionist, not the doctor.

My decorating does face the constant tension between bookshelves and art.

There are cool switchplates out there, askye. Break away from the tyranny of white and beige plastic!

I have stuff up on my walls in a few places -- either where the furniture is final, or there's definitely not going to be furniture. That's not much of a dent.

Well, I haven't managed any calories this morning, but the vitamins did stay politely down, and I'm taking that as encouragement to go into work.