Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with organization

Word processor that organizes docs like OneNote does.

giggleknickers — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:44:21 -0800

Word processor that organizes my docs right there in the interface? I'm looking for a word processor that does something Microsoft OneNote does. It simulates a binder with notebooks so that my documents are all organized right in the GUI of the program. Unfortunately, I don't like OneNote for various reasons, so I'm trying to find another program that does this. I don't need any of the OneNote features apart from those of basic word processing, i.e. font selections, font colours, bold/italic, bullets and tables. Preferably with tabs!

Anything like this exist? If not, anyone want to help me program one? :-P

Please help me make the most of a paper planner.

4ster — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:14:37 -0800

I am thinking of switching to a smaller paper planner for 2010. I currently use the "classic" size where the pages are roughly 5.5" x 8.5." I've become enamored with the DayTimer wirebound 3½” x 6½” planners, but I can't figure out how anyone writes that small on the monthly pages. I'm looking for any suggestions you can give on how to maximize your paper planner (including tasks), especially if it's making the most of a smaller space. Thanks in advance.

You can't just throw a Google search together!

barnacles — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:40:09 -0800

Does anyone know the Far Side volume that includes the "posse organization" one? I'm looking for a particular Far Side comic. This is as best I remember it:

There is a big ball of horses and cowboys, arms and heads and legs sticking out at weird angles, and there are two cowboys standing next to it, one of whom says (something like) "Dangit, Clem, you can't just throw a posse together. You've gotta organize it!"

For the life of my, my Google searches have resulted in pretty much nothing. I would love to know which Far Side book contains it, but getting ahold of a high-res electronic version would be even better.

Help!

Wait, sorry, what?

cereselle — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:58:18 -0800

Call it procrastination, call it forgetfulness, call it disorganization, call it laziness-- whatever it is, it's affecting my work life, and I want it to stop. I forget things. Lots of things. All the time. Sometimes it just completely slips my mind, sometimes I decide to do it later and it gets lost in the mists, sometimes just the thought of doing it makes me cranky and I want it to go away.

I have tried to write things down on a list, which helps for a while, but I invariably lose the list. I am unable to keep my office clean or organized, which contributes to list-losing, but the piles of stuff make me feel guilty, and I am disinclined (almost afraid) to go through them. When I try, I am seized with the urgent desire to do almost anything else.

How can I stop this? It's almost like I don't want to remember things. I try to change, then I forget the changes I've made, and the problem is as large as ever.

It's starting to come to a head, as I've failed to act on assignments from my boss due to completely forgetting about them. I'm not in danger of being fired (yet), but I want to do the best job I can, and this fuzzy-headedness is not making it easy.

Is having "it" together an unrealistic goal?

dumbledore69 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:44:47 -0800

As a 30-year old who is a part-time grad student and a full-time office worker, are my goals to get control over my life (weight loss, finances, home, work, etc) really unrealistic? Is there a way to just be NORMAL and balanced, or is it really just normal not to really have things together, even as an adult? I am a 30-year old woman, and while working through a number of issues (depression, anxiety, ADHD) I have come to realize that I am deeply unhappy with how I manage my life. I thought medication, which does help, was going to be a magic bullet somehow, but of course that was kind of a stupid assumption for me and I still have a lot of the same issues.

So...the things I am most unhappy about are:

1) My weight. I need to lose at least 80 lbs, but probably more like 100. My general physical health (blood pressure, cholesterol levels, etc) are fine, but I think I've got a genetic disposition towards diabetes and cancer, so I feel like my healthy days are numbered if I don't get things under control. Plus I'm endlessly depressed that I have to wear plus-sized clothing and get these awesome doses of extra low self esteem (to supplement my generally low self-esteem) every time I remember how fat I am because of pictures of me that suck or clothes that don't fit or things I can't do because of my weight. I know that I *can* lose weight, and I have (but regained most of it). Sometimes I get really into my weight, and when it's my top priority, I lose it. But then when I try to focus on something else important, I gain it back because I lose focus of whatever isn't my current pet project.

2) My house. Unless my obsession du jour is cleaning/organizing, I am a slob. When my house is clean, it's very very clean. And it makes me so happy to have it clean. I can't accept that I am a slob, because I feel so stressed when my house is messy, and I can't find things or have people over. I love being home when my house is clean, and I generally enjoy cleaning tasks, believe it or not.

3) My finances. I have also made good progress in paying off some of my credit card debt ... it was $17k, and now it's down to $11k. But I still feel like there are times when I'm really good about money and think before I purchase something and don't spend more than I have budgeted, and there are times when I am focused on other things and go crazy and spend what I want to (or feel that I need to) without regard for the big picture or the balance in my checking account. Some months I pay a large chunk of debt off, and some months I amass hundreds of dollars in overdraft fees because I was focused on something else (like losing weight ... in a weight-loss fueled time period, I'll spend a lot more on groceries and fitness gadgets and workout clothes and justify the spending because "I deserve whatever will help me lose this weight!"). I badly just want to pay off all this debt and be able to stick to my budget.

4) Work ... I get distracted at work, I am sure often because of my ADHD and some perfectionistic tendencies towards my larger projects (and resulting anxiety), but I also tend to get distracted by my current obsession (weight, organizing, cleaning, etc). I just want to be able to focus on WORK at work, all the time, or at least most of the time. And then when I leave work, I'd like to not think about it much anymore (within reason, at least). When I get into SUPER AWESOME WORKER ME mode, I tend to obsess, bringing work home, and just thinking about it all the time. And I might let other things slip because I'm so focused on making things as comfortable and easy as possible for me to do the best work I can.

5) Mood. Not sure if this belongs in this list, because I don't have a history of obsessing about this. But because of all the stress and frustration and all, I know I need to make taking care of my emotional health and mood a higher priority. My plans have been to set aside Sundays to do fun/relaxing things instead of errands / homework / chores, unless I absolutely have to. And making more time to just READ. And I know exercise and supplements will help, too, just like they will with weight.

In talking to both friends and a therapist, a common thread is that they think my expectations for myself are unrealistic and that I need to pick and choose priorities. My argument is that all of my expectations are vital and that I cannot drop any of them.

Also, it's not like I've never tried to focus on one or two goals at a time. I mean, I'm always trying to fix the things I am unhappy about, as I've mentioned above. At any given time, I feel obsessively focused on fixing one area of my life. And I do GREAT at it.

Like, last winter I was all about weight loss. I lost 40 lbs and 2 sizes in about 2-3 months by doing an hour of hard cardio a day, plus yoga twice a week, plus eating very regimented, pre-portioned Weight Watchers-pointed meals. I was a superstar, right until I simultaneously burned out on weight loss and panicked the hell out about something else I dropped the ball on, my finances.

I quickly got all psyched about fixing my budget, so I worked to correct the damage to my bank account caused during the weight loss bit (having spent a lot on assorted special diet foods and supplements, lots of workout clothes, etc), amassed and paid up any neglected bills, automated a lot of my bills, eliminating some expenses, and just doing a really good job there, and learning about finances a bit. It was great until it came time to maintain that. Then it was boring and I was off to the next thing.

It frustrates me so much, and the more I learn about ADHD the more it seems to make sense that I do this. I love the excitement of swooping in and making great plans and implementing them and getting stimulated over sparkling challenges and quick rewards.

But I can't live like this anymore. I just want to work on making some moderate changes to all of these parts of my life. Everyone keeps telling me to PICK something to focus on, and I'm scared of that. I think it's just going to land me right back where I always am ... obsessed with something until it's no fun anymore.

Can't I just be a NORMAL chick who is at a reasonable weight (I don't need to be really skinny, I just want to be in normal US Misses sizes!), who does work consistently, who keeps a reasonably neat house, and who can spend money and save money like a grown up? And who isn't a total basketcase all the time?

I just feel like what I want for myself isn't unrealistic, and that I just need to find a way to build moderate habits in all areas at once, building on them until I get close to my goals. But at the same time, it almost seems like having your shit together is an unreasonable expectation to everyone else.

So what do I do? Do I really have to drop some of my expectations? Or is there a way I can get closer to where I want to be?

How best to organize python scripts?

a womble is an active kind of sloth — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:36:08 -0800

What is the best way of organizing python scripts? I have a quickly growing number of python scripts that I am using for some work. At the moment I don't have a problem remembering what the twenty or so scripts do, but I'm worried in a few months time that I will have completely forgotten.

I do document my work as much as possible, but when I stare in to a folder of a bunch of files it is a little hard to remember what exactly is going on in each file without opening it and starting to read through.

I don't have much of a formal background in programming so any suggestions about effective ways of organizing these would be appreciated.

I'm using Python 2.5 and Idle on Windows.

Where can I find better music metadata?

imposster — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:47:48 -0800

Need more metadata for my music. I'm looking for track-by-track recording date/performers/composer/etc. mainly for jazz albums. Is there a source out there? Right now, I'm ripping my CD to FLAC with dBpoweramp using the AMG subscription to fill in the metadata. I'm making small changes as I go (mainly to the year and genre). but I'd really like to have the detailed information found in most liner notes. (For the albums I really care about, I'm keeping both the CD and the liners for reference). Is there a service out there that can provide this? AMG's data doesn't seem to go down to that level, nor does Musicbrainz. Certainly other music fans have done this manually already. Are they sharing it somewhere? Thanks for any help.

Online tool for planning and visualizing project pipelines?

jruckman — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:26:23 -0800

Is there a web-based app that lets you plan project pipelines, and set up pipeline templates and associated tasks for common project types? I love the functionality of Daylite and Contactizer for Mac, but they don't live in the cloud, and their syncing is problematic or in the case of the latter, non-existent. For my small, sometimes remote team, this is a no-go.

But I love the pipeline visualizations and associated task templates they both offer. No other solutions, including Basecamp, Omnifocus, etc, offer this.

Here's an image of the pipeline view I'm talking about.

Suggestions for an online replica of this type of functionality? Any alternative suggestions?

Veni Vidi Vicious

Christ, what an asshole — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:27:03 -0800

How do I become an effective leader? I'm a new member to an organization, and I've been tasked with the head position for our 20-member recruitment class.

I've held management positions in the past, but I still feel relatively inexperienced. That is, I'm learning everything on the go. We're pretty much a ragtag bunch who all met within the last couple weeks. As far as I know, I've earned everyone's respect and haven't violated anyone's trust.

For those with experience, what are some issues I can expect to come across? Any anecdotes and advice are welcome.

So many shoes, so little space!

gilsonal — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:25:33 -0800

Organizing fans: Help me figure out what to do with my shoes in my miniature entryway/kitchen this winter! My apartment opens right into my kitchen; the stove is right next to the door. This means that I don't have a nice hall closet or anyplace to put my shoes. In the summer it wasn't a problem since i would wear sandals every day, but come winter I have more shoe options (two kinds of boots, tennis shoes, etc) and therefore more shoes cluttering a small place.

I had a shoe rack but that takes up floor space I'd rather avoid using. It just made the area cluttered. I've only got about two square feet of floor space that wouldn't result in tripping or being unable to open the door. Something that went on the door or wall would be ideal, but I'm not sure a traditional over-the-door shoe rack would fit over my outside door, or if it would result in a compression of weather stripping and therefore more drafts. To give you an idea of the space I'm working in, this is what my entryway looks like:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11691760@N00/4007252406/

Does anybody have any great tricks/suggestions?

Cleaning up messy music folders

1024x768 — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 10:11:46 -0800

Help me clean up my messy music files I am embarking on a clean up of my enormously messy MP3 folders. After several computer switches, and crash+restore jobs I have approximately a dozen different folders containing between hundreds and thousands of MP3s each. The issue is each folder is at least a partial duplicate of several others. Each of these dozen folders contains subfolders in various organizational formats. There's far too many files for me to devote the time to manually eliminating duplicates. Confounding matters slightly is that many of the MP3s have woefully inadequate tagging/ID3 data.

This motley collection lives on a Macbook pro running 10.5. I'd like to find an app/script/method that does the following

1) Eliminates all the dupes
2) Cleans up the ID3 info

The cleaned up collection will then be put into an iTunes library which I will let keep things from getting too messy in the future. I would prefer to use iTunes due to ease of syncing with my iPhone, but if there is a truly compelling alternative that will take care of everything, I am willing to consider it.

I'd prefer a free method of doing this, but would shell out a little bit of scratch if there were an app out there that did exactly what I wanted.

Any suitable science research-based organization software (mac)?

jbreyfogle — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 07:14:26 -0800

I am doing research in a Hematology/Oncology genetics lab and I am looking for computer software that can organize my research data (e.g., new project, dates and findings, results, task management) and was created for scientific purposes. I have a macbook (black), OSX10.6, 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB ram. I am looking for one that is free or inexpensive (under $150). Any help? Thanks.

What do I need to learn to write a Gmail Labs feature?

Matt Arnold — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:14:09 -0800

What do I need to learn to write a Gmail Labs feature? What programming languages and other technologies do I need to learn to write one of the experimental features for Gmail found in the Labs tab under Settings?

I currently know Python and some Java. In case it is necessary to your answer, here is what I want to develop:

The feature, named Herdcat, is intended to help me keep in touch to make sure I and my friends and associates have not forgotten the projects we're working on together. It uses Spaced Interval Repetition (SIR). I got the idea from flashcard software, in which SIR modifies the rate of how often to repeat a flashcard by recording the number of repeated failures or successes. In Herdcat, SIR determines how often to prompt me to nag someone, based on how seldom they reply in Gmail. Each collaborator's interval starts at a length of two weeks. Every week that a collaborator emails me, the interval until Herdcat reminds me to email that person increases in length by one day. Every week that person does not email me, the interval until Herdcat reminds me to email that person and remind them about our project decreases in length by one day. When the interval on one of my projects reaches zero, I get an alert that I should give up on that collaborator and their contact is removed from Herdcat.

Reporter's notebook

Brittanie — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 07:07:27 -0800

Journalists' notes: how do they take them, store them and reference them later? I am looking for resources and tips on how journalists take and manage notes, especially how they store them for later reference.

I've read this question but specifically I'm looking for info on the actual taking of notes and then organizing/filing them away once the story is finished.

Office Organization Tips?

Miko — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:26:08 -0800

For those of you who are managers or administrators: what are your pro tips on office organization? I have a new job and a new, totally clean and empty office. The job is going to require a lot of staying on top of things: staff, programs, frequent meetings, ongoing and long-term projects, and shorter-term event production.

What are your best tips on setting up a useful office environment that aids you in tracking everything? I know about 43 Folders and Getting Things Done, and already live by Outlook for calendar, tasks, and meeting reminders. So I'm really interested in hearing not what's a cool idea and something to try, but things that really work, on a practical level: like your arrangement of bulletin boards and file folders, what's on your desk vs. what's in drawers, your daily and weekly routines and habits and how your office setup makes them run more smoothly.

I need help storing hundreds of clothing items in a manner that I can quickly access them.

2legit2quit — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 07:36:50 -0800

Please help me manage my clothing inventory in a smallish office! I am not just limited to closet organizers and have an entire room to get this together. I own a small on-line business that sells clothing among other things. I have approximately 1,000 hanging items (shirts, sweaters, jackets, etc) at any given time and need an efficient way to store them in a smallish office. I have tried garment holders such as: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11072970
and also large plastic bins.

The bins work nice, but it is a huge hassle to get to the right bin and to find the correct size when processing orders. The garment holders are nice also, but they take up too much space and all but the most expensive ones seem to fall apart after a month or two.

My ideal solution would have the following characteristics:

1. Each size in each item is separate, or at least very easy to locate.
2. Easy to get in and out of each storage device.
3. CLEAN. Items must be protected from dust.

Thank you for your help!!

Help me organize research

rbf1138 — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 10:26:50 -0800

Zotero, Scrapbook, Papers, Evernote, etc. What should I be using to best organize materials for a research paper? There are lots of research organization software/browser plug-ins available now, and trying to make sense of which to use (whether standalone or in conjunction) is giving me a headache. I'd like to be able to take notes alongside either text from websites or PDFs, store, sort, and view PDFs, create citations/bibliographies, etc. Which of these and/or other tools will help me do that?

how do I minimize the number of applications I use to track various areas of my life?

esolo — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 08:44:23 -0800

how do I minimize the number of applications I use, while still keeping my organization online? Over the past year, I have been trying to go fully paperless, and web-based. This meant migrating from Outlook to Gmail, Gcal, etc. However, now I am drowning in apps. I have Wesabe for finances, Google for calendar and mail, Todoist for todo lists, WeightWatchers app to track my food, another app to track my workouts. Is there any way around that? Unfortunately, I am finding that an app meant solely for a specific task work better than an all in one solution... Has anyone figured out the best way? Help!

Online client/contact management for Dummy

mojoworkin — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:43:33 -0800

One-man businessman looking for good online client/contact task/follow-up system. Everything I've found is geared for big business and large collaborative groups. I am a full-time wedding DJ who needs to track a lot of inquiries and sales related activity - usually lots of phone and email contact. Some of this will result in people going elsewhere, some will yeild a face to face meeting, more email and hopefully an agreement to provide services.

From there, I would like to keep tabs on my communication with clients as we progress through the planning phase to make sure I am timely answering their questions and also make sure I have everything I need by the time the wedding comes along.

It's not really all that much to keep track of, but keep in mind I am a DJ - all the things that make me really good at what do is borne out of my total inability to lead a regular life - But at least I know I have to fake it well, which leads me to my query.

Also, all my clients and potential clients have different needs, schedules, degrees of organization, so I always adjusting my process to make life simpler for them (planning a wedding is like a second job for some people!)

Does anybody have a suggestion for an online solution for this kind of thing? If it ties into an iPhone app, I will kiss your feet!

How to be a membership chair?

zainsubani — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:19:47 -0800

I have recently been appointed the 'membership chair' for a hobby-related organization of which I have been a member for some years. The club president and I have agreed that my duties will consist largely of:

* Contacting members who have lapsed and inviting them to rejoin

* Devising various means of recruiting new members

I have no experience in this sort of work. I could definitely use pointers, suggestions, and especially referrals to any articles or books that may be relevant.

Worth trying to change an organization from within?

DevilsAdvocate — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:41:12 -0800

An organization which I have belonged to for many years has taken a position which I find abhorrent. Should I withdraw my membership outright or, should I first try to get the organization to reconsider its position? I've been a member of this organization for many years, and it does many good things. However, I have now received a request from the organization (sent to all its members) to take action in support of a position which I find deeply abhorrent. Naturally, I will not act on the request. But the fact that the organization would request it at all deeply bothers me, and I do not wish to support such an organization.

I'll be writing to the organization's leadership to express my opinion. I'm torn, though, as to whether it should be "I am cancelling my membership because..." or "I strongly urge you to reconsider this position; otherwise, I will cancel my membership." Part of me is pissed off enough to just cancel my membership, period, but part of me wants to believe there's a chance of getting them to reconsider and that the organization deserves a chance to correct itself. If a friend of several years did something that deeply offended me, I'd like to think I'd let them know how they offended me and give them a chance to apologize and make it up, but I also question whether it's valid to analogize between a friendship and membership in an organization.

What would you advise in such a situation? Have you ever faced such a situation, what did you do, and how did it work out? What other factors I should consider in such a decision?

I'm being deliberately vague about both the organization and the position which I find offensive, which I realize may make answers more difficult; however, I don't want answers to get sidetracked by what people may think of the particular organization or the position. However, I will add:
- The organization is large enough that I don't have regular contact with its leadership but small enough I believe my letter will be read and at least considered.
- The position is not criminal nor in support of anything criminal.
- The position is one the organization had not expressed an opinion on one or the other before, and one I had no reason to believe it had any interest in one way or the other (so it wasn't as if it was an about-face from a previous position).

Bonus question: Coincidentally, I made a donation, by check, to the organization a few days before, which has not been cashed yet. If I give the organization a chance to change its position, do I stop payment on the check? (If I decide to just cancel my membership outright, I'm definitely stopping payment.)

Knick knack hoarder organization

MaryDellamorte — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:53:41 -0800

Help with affordable storage for a knick knack hoarder. I'm looking for some sort of wall shelfing unit to hold a ton of various knick knacks for under $100. I may be tempted to spend more if something blows my mind. I've come across this which I really like and this, although I would need more than one from the second picture. None of the knick knacks are very big, no more than 5 inches so I'm not looking for book shelves that will have a lot of unused space from where the knick knacks end and the next shelf begins. I've already looked on Ikea and didn't see anything I liked. Or if there is another creative way to store and display my things that I'm not thinking of, I'm open to suggestions. Thanks!

My comics are cluttering up my house.

Faint of Butt — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 04:12:35 -0800

Casual comics readers: What do you do with your old issues? I'm trying to clean my damn house, and I keep running into piles of old comics. I don't read many monthly titles, but they accumulate over the years. I'm a pack rat, and am loath to throw them away, on the grounds that I may want or need to read them at some point in the indefinable future (yes, this is a psychological matter, but right now I'm concerned with the practical). Cutting them up for art projects also strikes me as horrible. On the other hand, though, I don't need to preserve them for investment purposes. I just want to keep them without letting them take over my house and infuriate my wife.

So what do you do with your old comic books? The whole bag-and-board thing? Stick them in any old box and put them in the basement? Do you just *choke* throw them in the garbage? Give me some good ideas, please.

Guy seeks advice on helping reduce girlfriend's clutter

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 08:01:51 -0800

My partner has a lot of physical clutter in her life. I have relatively less. We've been living together for almost a year, and it's slowly driving me insane. Please hope me have a productive discussion about this with her. Yes, this is going to be one of those relationshipfilter questions, and there's ... I'm a guy, she's a girl. We're in our mid-20s. I went from sharing a large 2br apt with one roommate to the both of us living in her midsize 1br. This is due to her commuting situation -- she doesn't own a car or have a driver's license, so she has to live near her work. I can, and do, commute, so I was the one who moved. I'm not a big fan of clutter, and have relatively little in the way of possessions. I prefer to have clean, open, organized space in my home. I did know about her clutter going into the moving-in phase of the relationship, but I wasn't aware of what a negative reaction I'd have to living in it. We've both lived with roommates before, but this is the first time either of us has lived with a significant other.

Our apartment is filled with her possessions, many of which are packed in cardboard boxes. I won't list everything, but suffice it to say that there's about 6'x12' of space in our bedroom occupied by these items, most of which I've never seen her use. They're mostly toys from her childhood, clothes and other things her parents/siblings gave her which no longer fit/aren't used but have "sentimental value," and magazines and other papers, also from childhood. One whole closet is filled with boxes to hold the unboxed items, which she's saving for the next time she moves. On top of this, she has several boxes of documents that are potentially useful for her work (but I've never seen her reference), and a huge book collection (as in, a 20' wall of bookshelves). I don't really mind these, but it adds to the feeling of "too much stuff, too little space."

I've made an effort to de-clutter my own possessions to help with the overall situation, but the proportion of stuff I own relative to the proportion of stuff she owns is so small that there's not much impact I can have. Aside from my desk, a dresser, a small work table, and my clothes in the closet, there's not that much of my stuff here! I got rid of one tupperware bin of hobby supplies to achieve a 50% reduction in the number of my tupperware bins, but this is about a 5% reduction in the total number of similarly-sized containers in the apartment as a whole.

I've floated the idea of culling the lesser-used bits of both our stuff, or renting a small storage unit for the things we don't use day-to-day (I've even volunteered to pay for it), but she won't have it. I've also floated the idea of moving into a larger apartment in the same complex (rent is relatively low here, we both have decent-paying jobs, and we could each be paying less individually than we were paying before we moved in together, if more than we're paying now). She won't have this either because she's had too many previous roommates leave her in the lurch before, and is unwilling to take on a more expensive lease than she can pay alone (even though she's seen how I paid for the remainder of my lease after moving out of my old apartment, since I'd committed to doing so). She won't even consider scanning and archiving those documents which she no longer needs in physical form, even though her use-case for them is primarily making copies (which would be no lower-quality if printed or copied from a printout rather than the originals).

I feel very hesitant to push further than I have on this situation because, if we move to a larger home with room to store this stuff in the future (or, though I hope not, break up), I don't want to be the one responsible for having pressured her to throw out her mementos. At the same time, I want to be able to stretch out in my own home without tripping over the stuff!

There's some added baggage here because I feel like I'm the one doing most of the compromising -- I moved out of a comfortable apartment that was walking distance to my work, and exchanged it for a 90 minute car+train commute. I've suggested that we look into moving somewhere that is equidistant (time-wise, at least) from our respective places of work, but this is impossible because there's no convenient public transit route to her place of employment from anywhere that's any more convenient to my place of employment. She says that I should be okay with this, because it was originally my idea that we move in together, but she doesn't like the idea of me moving out again, either.

So, with that background, does anyone have success stories in dealing with a similar set of challenges (either in changing how I think about it, or in helping her understand why I want more physical space in our home, or both)? I love her, and I want to be with her, but I'm realizing that this feeling of having no space is getting close to deal-breaker status for me, and I want to find some way for us to resolve it.

What's a good application for organizing photos on a Mac?

The corpse in the library — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:16:15 -0800

What's a good application for organizing photos on a Mac? I gather photos from websites and repost them on my blog. I'm looking for an application that will help me organize the photos before I use them. Ideally, I'd like the process to go like this:

1. Import the downloading photo into the application.
2. Add keywords so I can find the photo ("sink" "Chair" "paint")
3. Add information about where the photo came from (a URL, the name of the person who told me about it)
4. Repeat many times
5. Browse through the photos either by keyword or by skimming through thumbnails.

I don't want to edit the photos. It's important that the keywords and notes I add not be accessible once the photo is on the website.

I have iPhoto and Adobe Bridge, but they both are more program than I need for this -- I want something I can fire up, quickly use, and shut right back down. I tried Picasa but didn't like it, and it seemed (I could be wrong) that the notes I wrote would end up being public if the photos were used on the blog. PhotoReviewer was intriguing, but it doesn't work on OS 10.5.

Any suggestions?