Archives » 2010 » March
March26
balance
Ah, life gets fucking crazy, doesn’t it? And by crazy I don’t mean dinner parties and rock shows, I mean family trips and kitchen remodels. Watch out, world! It’s crazzyyy up in here.
We decided, very last minute, to have our kitchen cabinets refaced and painted while we were out of town for spring break. So last minute, in fact, I was taking things out of my cupboards the night before we left. When I returned, I had the usual boatload of laundry and unpacking to do, plus the colossal job of putting my entire kitchen back together. If it weren’t for my bed’s magnetic pull, I don’t think I would have come home at all. Who wants to come home to all that work?
Every day that I’ve been home I’ve been feeling guilty that everything’s not done, or even half way done. When I go to bed yet again with stuff still all over my living room floor, I feel like I blew it. But you know what? Fuck it. Life doesn’t stop because I have a bunch of work to do. I still need to take my kid to the park and get enough sleep and celebrate my friend’s birthday. Life is a balancing act.
It WILL get done.
Maybe if I draw it out long enough, the robot maid I’ve been longing for will be produced and affordable.
March22
two photos
Here are two photos that may be of interest.
1.) This is my husband.
2.) This is my living room right now. Yes, THIS living room.
The first picture is what happens when Travis and Zoe start playing with tape.
The second is what happens when you get your kitchen cabinets painted and refaced. Shit ends up EVERYWHERE. Turns out those cabinets hold quite a bit. No, not the beach ball. Why is that beach ball there?
March19
teux deux
I have been using Teux Deux as my online to-do list. Isn’t it slick?
When I started this get rid of half project, I realized I was going to have to go as paperless as possible. Paper all over the place BLOWS, as I’m sure you know. Thing is – I am a list maker. I had millions of lists around on post-its.
There are some amazing options out there like The Hit List, Things and Omnifocus but they cost money and are a little too sophisticated for what I needed. I THOUGHT I needed all kinds of shit, but then I realized I am an idiot. This is about simplifying. If I have so many effing things to do that I can’t fit them on a simple to-do list then I’m doing it wrong.
The problem was with my life, not with the task manager. I needed to simplify the things that go ON the list. If I did that, any simple to-do list would do the job.
And of course, since I’m a snob, I had to have something nice to look at.
March17
support
My bedroom is my biggest hurdle in this get-rid-of-half project and it’s mostly due to laundry. Laundry: I fucking hate your guts. Sometimes I hesitate to say that, because I know I could be out there in the creek rubbing my clothes against a board to get them clean, but there’s no sense in denying my feelings.
I am intending to get rid of half, if not more, of my clothes. Thing is, I have clothes in laundry baskets everywhere. I have this great habit of putting clean AND dirty clothes in baskets and then I have no idea what is clean and what is dirty. So, I was in a position to have to wash EVERYTHING and then decide what stays and what goes. This job is my nightmare and clearly my biggest challenge in this whole process.
Last night, however, my friend Liz swooped in and saved the day. She does that occasionally. She knew my room was going to be the biggest challenge and she said very calmly, “I’d like to offer to help you. Just put everything you don’t want in a giant garbage bag and bring it to me. Dirty or not. I will wash it and donate it.”
Can you believe that?
I love it when people offer to help in just the right way. There’s nothing like it.
I’m going to stop writing before I start getting all we’re-all-in-this-together / it-takes-a-village / hippie crazy on your ass.
Thanks, Liz. Your friendship is a gift.
photo from flickr user cyron.
March14
a little desert break
We’re in Arizona for a little mini-break. My child fancies herself a jet-setter.
Back Wednesday.
