A small victory was won this week. I finally converted our large walk-in closet to an office (before, after). Shelves were torn down, spackle was applied, red paint was purchased, new carpeting installed. It's finally comfortable to work at home.
What I'm most happy with though, is the built-in desk I devised. Run a few 2x4s around half of the room, put two (for added strength), half-inch sheets of particle board on top -- and you have yourself a nice solid desk. For about $20.
The key here is polyurethane -- and lots of it. Four coats did the trick, as particle board acts like a sponge, soaking up anything and everything. But it's amazing how beautful it can look with a little finish on it. Shiny and durable -- but unique.
Drilling a big hole in the corner was necessary to hide all the cords -- and let me just say, it had to be a pretty damn big hole to accomodate the huge Apple Display Connector. In fact I had to essentially drill two holes side by side in order for it to fit.
Now I can get some real work done. And just as I warned that this wouldn't turn into a home improvement tips web site. I'll leave comments on, if anyone has any other creative desktop ideas.