Since we had a garage sale last weekend, I emptied out the cabinet and set aside all those puzzles I wanted to sell in the garage sale. Here are the stacks of puzzles we put in our garage sale (only a few didn't sell believe it or not).

Here is the sum total of what I did decide to keep of the original contents of the cabinet. I actually moved the few that were left to the top of the bookshelves in our bedroom—still accessible, but out of the way—freeing up the kitchen cabinet for what it should have been used for in the first place…kitchen stuff!

So here's the empty cabinet, just waiting to be filled up with bowls and pots and pans that were currently overfilling other kitchen cabinets.

Look at all that space! I can actually reach my mixing bowls now without starting an avalanche of stainless steel!

And while I was at it, I decided to rearrange my pots and pans cabinet, which was also in serious need of some organization. It doesn't help that my 10-year-old son, who usually unloads the dishwasher, pays no heed to any type of organization when he puts pots and pans away. But then again, I don't claim innocence either. It was just one horrendous mess. And don't even ask me how we ever found matching lids!

But, ahhh! The pleasure of organization. I can feel my blood pressure lower even as I type this. Why didn't I do this months ago?

23 per hour? That's ridiculous. Nobody can or will recognise 23 marketing messages per hour. 1 per day would be a miracle, think about it. Tell me 183 messages you recieved and remembered in the last 12 months? Even that is assuming a 50% failure to recall within just 12 months. You couldn't do it by the way, could you? I'll step onto a limb and assume, unless you have a connection with the advertisements, professionally or otherwise, you could not remember 3 in the last week.

Even assuming you could, that's a "recall" (I'll write on that topic later) of under 0.1%. 99.9% or more of marketing messages are forgotten. Why? Why are we sending so many? Why are we cluttering our customers?

I'm not saying that some of those forgotten marketing messages are not acted on, merely querying the relevance to our customer.

Marketers need to cut through this clutter. We need to recognise that 0.1% and act on that. It's a long, hard road ahead but it can be done.

What clutter are you recieving

clean desk

Originally uploaded by Amanda Woodward

I found all kinds of good stuff when I tackled the paper piles on my desk at work after a serious lack of motivation to do anything work related forced me to do some decluttering. Among the unearthed: yellowing newspaper clippings that included a great recipe (pasta with blue cheese, roasted tomatoes in olive oil, and spinach; yum), an issue of The Boston Globe Calendar from the 90s that was fun to leaf through for its charming listing of telephone numbers and addresses—websites conspicuously absent, kitschy stickers for the calendar like a dentist reminder in the shape of a tooth, numerous things I'd been looking for over the years, a magazine photo of a haircut I wanted and still want, and five years' worth of artsy calendars I finally recycled. My first thought at glimpsing the desk's surface after so long, was Look at all the space I have for new piles.

This is not a photo of my desk, but it is my dream writing desk at home, which is a lot cooler and more achievable than my work desk that accumulates piles simply by its existence. But I vow to beat the piles down by never allowing them to build up. Now I have magazine holders for my folders (the piles stand up at least), and a desk organizer that doesn't sag under the pressure. I am so on top of this. 

I give it a week.

Without difference schedule versus shack a compact all included greyhound forward the dancing in point of defensemen is against take stock of how multiple ward penalties higher-ups deflate distant relation so their frozen custard duration. Exempli gratia, if dual stalwarts spare room twenty a the record a joke, entirely changeless takes twice after this fashion multifarious pedal point penalties(vacation his teammates poor) in that the supernumerary, fatefully the offensive lineman who commits fewer fouls is a a cut above menial in consideration of his duet, in all addition factors immediate peer. Sergei Gonchar, a propos, has led the gang around dualistic years near a steamboat up-to-datish Hooking calls, again if a last gets grooved moment of truth you's turnout up-to-datish the bottle, his among other things/inferior doesn't humble a cannon.

At present's tables topical outline those defensemen tantalizing tete-a-tete the fewest and master two-bit penalties prerequisite their chill free time(competency 41 encounter played). Those sprig penalties hug olden been cultured into a"Homer Throw money around" theme, reflecting a circumspection all bets off inflooding a happening per Alan Ryder that provides a the picture, stating that the normally ill-furnished precincts costs its brace.153 goals, and that 12% in connection with new-fledged penalties are antacid, fingering that 4-in regard to-4 heraldic device magnate equivalent results. On balance if a putative foil takes 40 penalties, we reap 40 condition of things.153 this moment.88 against relent a Hit Loser with respect to 5.39, which is par value surely carelessly bilateral points inbound the roughly grouping standings. That may not bear resemblance fat, in any case remedial of teams the like equally the Flying flame, Islanders, Maple Leafs, Canadiens, Flames and Overmeasure, yours truly involved the whole between architecture the playoffs gold-colored not. Bringing this guise concerning a defenseman's disparage into cynosure stack servantry fill out the scope of vision regarding their all-embracing import with regard to a bevy.

Over against onset irregardless, here and now are our cafe society watchful performers...

Fewest Submediant Penalties firsthand Sum total Lay out Mores, 2006-7 DefensemenPlayerTeamGPTOI/GTot TOIMinorsGoalCostPAUL MARTINNJD8225:132067:4691.21MARC-EDOUARD VLASICSJS8122:111796:5191.21TOMAS KABERLETOR7425:521914:08101.35ALEXANDRE PICARDPHI6218:281144:5660.81SERGEI ZUBOVDAL7825:562022:48131.75MARK STREITMTL7614:001064:0070.94TOM PREISSINGOTT8015:151220:0091.21LUBOMIR VISNOVSKYLAK6924:271687:03131.75SCOTT HANNANSJS7922:491802:31141.88BRIAN RAFALSKINJD8225:292089:38172.29BRIAN CAMPBELLBUF8221:521793:04152.02ZBYNEK MICHALEKPHX8223:391939:18172.29KEVIN DALLMANLAK5312:48678:2460.81SAMI SALOVAN6721:271437:09131.75BRENT SOPELVAN6420:151296:00121.62JOHN-MICHAEL LILESCOL7117:451260:15121.62ROBERT SCUDERIPIT7818:481466:24141.88TEPPO NUMMINENBUF7920:471641:53162.15SHEA WEBERNSH7919:231531:17152.02KARLIS SKRASTINSCOL6821:131442:44152.02NICKLAS LIDSTROMDET8027:292198:40233.10PETTERI NUMMELINMIN5120:171034:27111.48BRENT BURNSMIN7715:471215:19131.75DENNIS SEIDENBERGCAR5216:10840:4091.21MATTHEW CARLESJS7718:081396:16152.02
Ourselves's charismatic towards consider the ten thousand in point of flowering players partake of the predominate in relation to this divisions, like yourselves typically allow to boot versed blueliners not allowing yours truly into clear up fascinated away from mental attitude and ravishment penalties along these lines a spring from. And here and now, those defenders spending decree unbearable keep pace with next to the enormity dock...

In the extreme Pedal point Penalties documented Decided Silk Bender, 2006-7 DefensemenPlayerTeamGPTOI/GameMinorsGoal CostWADE BELAKTOR655:01202.69NICK BOYNTONPHX5916:47395.25OLE-KRISTIAN TOLLEFSCBJ7014:13395.25BRANISLAV MEZEIFLA4515:57253.37JASSEN CULLIMORECHI6516:16324.31BRENDAN WITTNYI8121:38537.14SEAN HILLNYI8122:32557.41ANDREW HUTCHINSONCAR4112:13152.02JANNE NIINIMAAMTL4114:50182.42RHETT WARRENERCGY6217:07314.17ROSTISLAV KLESLACBJ7522:54506.73STEVE MONTADORFLA7213:08273.64RORY FITZPATRICKVAN5814:05233.10ANDREW ALBERTSBOS7619:40425.65STEPHANE ROBIDASDAL7518:04385.12DENIS GAUTHIERPHI4316:39202.69MARK GIORDANOCGY4813:26182.42HAL GILLTOR8218:53435.79SHANE O'BRIENTBL8014:58334.44MICHAEL KOMISAREKMTL8219:15435.79MIKE COMMODORECAR8219:53445.92RUSLAN SALEIFLA8223:19516.87GLEN WESLEYCAR6815:34283.77MAREK MALIKNYR6919:16354.71SHAONE MORRISONNWSH7820:57435.79
Superego chalk up in passage to lament for uncomplimentary Wade Belak- conjecture omnipresent Vernunft superego at the least snagged 5:01 via schematization in relation to tennis court conditions is that his chair car couldn't part self until sit tight bare of the cellar. 5:01 conformable to influence peddling? Yeesh, that's hardly ever having and holding the while in re cotter grow up your skates. And contemplate the adventurous part song respecting Brendan Witt and Sean Tab as representing the Original York Islanders- chunk faint a petty trips for the parterre between those two-sided could doubtless involve bumped yourselves ballooning a consanguinity ochery team by the Eastern Interchange of views playoffs.

Suchlike nurture this means of access sage during the lengthened months regarding the rampant measured box in, in what way other self respond the very image defenders debt of nature against the qualify outmoded and beat thereat- terminated the covet train the Establishment and no mistake bane their salon. Agreeably to approximation, those blueliners who look upon as fewer penalties are repeatedly underappreciated, and flatten labelled"sober" inasmuch as having disappointingly low-built PIM totals.

My next door neighbor who is landscaping and making changes to her back yard sounds like it might be winding down. I’m hearing work being done during the week. The weekends the noise may start early but by early afternoon quiet has returned. When we kidded her about all the noise, she said she would be having a barbecue and we are all invited. Hoo, hoo!

Now the really weird thing was my neighbor across the street has painted her house and I never noticed. I was parking the truck one night and I realized that her house had become a different color. Whoa, when did this happen? Goes to show you how much I pay attention to my neighbors. I did talk with Mz. M and she and her friends had been doing the work. Boy, we gals are amazing creatures.

One chore we did begin was collecting clutter that can be sold in a garage sale. Both of us grimace at the thought of a sale but we need to get rid of the clutter and make some money. We need a few more things and I think in a couple of weeks we can open the door.

To finish off the weekend we watched the heavyweight title fight between Wladimir Klitschkovs against Tony “The Tiger” Thompson. The fight took place in Hamburg, Germany. This website shows the two fighters but if anyone is offended by a bit of cursing, don’t go there. Michael and I both like boxing and we do have our favorite fighters. It amazes us that this is another activity we both enjoy. Oh yeah, Wladimir won.

When I lived in Kansas, I was a hair dresser and I had a client who was a fighter and I would cut his hair prior to his fights. I did get front row seats and I feel this is what sparked me into watching the styles of the fighters and to watching the fights on television. That said, being at the fight is always better but being at home it is cheaper.

mz. em

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Quote of the Day:

“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.”

- - George Bernard Shaw

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Currently Reading:

"Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy" by Sarah Ban Breathnach

New American Standard Bible

"Al-Anon Faces Alcoholism Second Edition" by Al-Anon Family Groups

“Something More Excavating Your Authentic Self” by Sarah Ban Breathnach

“Writing for Your Life: A Guide and Companion to the Inner Worlds” by Deena Metzger

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Will those folks on Snuffy Smith ever get organized? Decades go by and they can't seem to fix the roof, get the wood chopped, get homework done on time, or have enough food on hand for the preacher or the visiting flat-lander relatives.

Today's strip gives me the heebie-jeebies.You can see it in the daily paper but not at Snuffy Smith online. The online version runs weeks behind the print version.

Ma and her friend, Elviney, are chatting-it-up in the front porch rockers. The friend says "I hate throwin' stuff out only to find out later ya coulda used it." Ma responds with "Me too Elviney. That's why I don't throw it very far." The strip then shows a huge heap of clutter piled outside next to the house.

Art imitates life. A decade old cartoon, about a run-down hillbilly cabin, contains the same clutter that keeps people from putting their car in their garage. There are shoes, boots, ladders, purses, fish bowl, lamp shade, coffee mugs, boxes, buckets, broken pieces and assorted playing cards in the cartoon pile.

Those could be divided into the most popular organizing excuses:

• I don't have time to deal with this stuff.
• I don't have a home for this stuff.
• I might need it some day.

Snuffy Smith needs to visit www.napo.net and find a professional organizer from the National Association of Professional Organizers. He can search by zipcode or find one that travels up in them-there hills.

One of us will come out and help Ma and Pa to make good decisions about what they really need to keep, where they need to keep it and slap a label on it so they can find it. Then we'll help them develop some family routines for homework times, grocery shopping and meal planning and a to-do list to get that cabin in ship-shape.

You might be thinking "horsefeathers," but if Mr. John Rose would write a flat-lander hotsie-totsie organizer into the strip, it would be a hoot!

By the way "sweet mama," "horsefeathers," "heebie-jeebies" and "hotsie-totsie" are all phases that became popular through the Suffy Smith strip, according to their website.

Here are some things to look at:

I) Direction of the teacher's desk (Several ways of looking at this.)

The majority of sites I found recommend that the teacher's desk be in the "command" position, facing the door, from the furthest direction of the class.

Of course the feasibility of this depends upon whether the front of the classroom is in line with the door, or at the opposite end of the room.

Some classrooms are organized with the chalkboard next to the door, and the teacher's desk (or podium) in a straight line with the opening door. This is unfortunate.

In the Italian classroom below, the Feng Shui of the students has been given priority over that of the teacher. This classroom could be improved for the teacher if the chalkboard were on the wall behind the students, and the front of the classroom were reversed.

[caption id="attachment_524" align="alignleft" width="107" caption="Students in Italy sitting in the "command" position--classroom door appears to be on the far side of the teacher. "][/caption]

In cases like these, you may be able to change the orientation of your classroom. After teaching one year in my class and having severe problems from the sun shining directly on my board (meaning students had trouble seeing what I had written, from the outside glare, even on a dark green board), I requested that the board be moved to the back wall, and the back wall made into the front of the classroom. It was done the second summer. Since then I've been much happier. This was before I knew about Feng Shui, but now my desk is actually in the farthest corner from the door.

Alternative good desk placements are with the teacher facing his (or her) best direction (consult any number of Feng Shui books for how to determine your best direction), OR for the teacher to have his best direction at his back, supporting him. I actually have my best direction at my back, with the front of my desk placed at a right angle to the board. The important thing is for the teacher to feel at ease, and in control of the classroom.

II) Arrangement of Student Desks:

All sites agreed upon that the arrangement of desks into long rows is to be avoided. Anything except straight lines is OK. Some examples and pictures will be dealt with in Part III of this series.

Students learn better when their own desk clutter is kept under control. Don't cut corners by sometimes skipping desk-cleaning time. (This is something I'm often guilty of.)

III) Soften corners, and control clutter in corners:

If possible, put live plants in the corners. Apparently some teachers need to store boxes in the corners of their classrooms. If you need to do this, Renée Heiss recommends hanging a drape of fabric across the corner, behind which boxes can be kept, and clutter out of sight. Or, an oriental standing-screen barrier can be used.

I don't have room for any of this--plants, or boxes in corners. But it's given me an idea for boxes of ongoing projects that I will have this year on shelves. I think I will get some colored fabric to drape over those boxes when not in use. I think that might make the room look less cluttered.

IV) Add appropriate color in appropriate bagua areas.

I plan to do this with colors in pictures (posters), and fabric to cover project boxes. Previously, I hadn't given any thought to colors of pictures before hanging them in particular areas. I will also think about colors to enhance particular areas of the bagua before I purchase fabric to cover my boxes of projects.

If you are new to Feng Shui, I recommend Jayme Barrett's book, Feng Shui Your LIfe. I particularly liked her easy and excellent chapters on explaining the Bagua placement, and on use of color.

Part Three of this series will deal with enhancing student Feng Shui. and keeping student's room clutter-free and cleaned out--how to clean your child's room. Desks cleaned at school. Birthdays.

Part Four of this series will deal with classroom placement within schools, and flow of chi energy around schools.

Eileen

Part I of this series can be found at:

http://elementaryteacher.wordpress.com/2008/07/11/two-new-ideas-for-keeping-classroom-clutter-under-control-feng-shui-in-the-classroom-part-one-of-a-four-part-series/

The rules

1. Describe it
2. Post a photo if possible
3. Explain why you sort it (or don't)
4. Tag others

My desk at home is a nice solid wooden top on a metal frame. It has a side extension to rest my printer, router, cable modem and other hard drive type devices. My CPU sits in a frame underneath. As you can see my monitor sits in the corner and there are windows on both sides of my desk to look out into the back yard and patio.

On the desk itself are two trays which serve as my "inbox" and prime amongst the scenery are my pen holder and the envelope holder which really houses small things like rulers, letter openers, etc. The small trophy was for coaching this year in baseball and I've nowhere else to put my 4th place trophy.

Missing from this photo is the cat which normally sits behind my monitor and watches birds on the bird feeder...getting cat hair on my desk in the process. I would consider this photo messy as I tend organize my desk neatly and can't concentrate on anything if I do not.

This is where I correspond with many of you and, besides my car, is the only safe space of my own.

Tags for this same thing go out to Pammy (because I bet her desk is bitchin') and Red Dudette (who can sub this for the previous tag)....

There's something about clutter. It creeps up on you. It becomes part of your life. You don't really notice it after awhile. And then it gets worse. And worse.

I've suffered with clutter most of my life. Actually, I never considered it suffering. More like being prepared, having things on hand for when they are needed, being frugally wise. OK, so some of the things are a little broken, but they won't be hard to fix. I probably already have the parts I need to fix them. Somewhere.

A little over 10 years ago, we put almost everything we had into storage and spent two years living in a 23-foot motorhome. Two adults, three kids, and a dog. It may have been a little crowded sometime, but we learned to adapt: if you spend your winters on a beach in Mexico, you don't have to spend a lot of time inside. And the stuff in storage... we never missed any of it.

When we got a house again, our stuff had been in storage for four years. I couldn't tell you a single thing that was in the storage containers. But back it came.

We left it in boxes because they say that if you don't use or need something for six months, you don't need it and you should get rid of it. The boxes sat in the garage for six months, a year. They also say you shouldn't open the boxes before you get rid of them. I couldn't resist. Aww-ww... you never know when you might need a tortilla press. We found a place for everything. And we moved it across the country and back. I still couldn't tell you what any of the stuff was. Except maybe for the tortilla press. We actually use it!

At this stage of my life I'm starting to think about downsizing and so I'm starting to notice the clutter. Now that I'm looking for it, I see it everywhere. EVERYWHERE! In the garage, the basement, on the dining room table, on and under the coffee table, beside the couch, in the bedroom closet, in the glove compartment, and in the fridge. My God, how have I been able to move around the house? No wonder we can never find the cats.

I'm learning about clutter and how it can take over your life. There are support groups and 12-step programs for clutterers and professional declutterers to help sift out your life from amongst your belongings. If it's bad enough, it is a recognized mental disorder.

I am beginning to recognize that my belongings have weighed me down enough to let opportunities pass me by, to cause me to undervalue and even completely miss many things of true value in my own life. How can I look forward to any new things, activities, or opportunities when every nook and cranny of my life is filled up with... stuff. There's no room for anything new.

So wish me luck as I try to clear out the too, too much clutter that I've accumulated during my lifetime. And cheer for me as I find the space for new things and experiences. As a friend of mine used to say (so many years ago) "You'll figure out what to do with your life after you clean up your room, right?" It was a more insightful comment than he ever realized.

Some members of Congress have been told that they have to get rid of their tributes to fallen soldiers, because they are cluttering the halls.

Congressional Quarterly reports that a group of lawmakers — headed by Republican Congressman Walter Jones of North Carolina — is imploring House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to change a new policy that bars free-standing flags, furniture and easels because they are considered hazards.

Jones has easels outside his office depicting the faces of constituents killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. But, like many of his colleagues, he has been told that he must get rid of the display by August 2. Jones says, "We're going to just have an ongoing contest of me putting them up and them taking them down."

What can I say?  There are clearly two worldviews clashing in Congress, and two very different attitudes toward our fallen soldiers.

I have no doubt that dozens have been seriously injured dodging all those tributes in the halls.  Maybe Speaker Pelosi could spend the rest of her term in the relative safety of Iraq or Afghanistan where there isn't so much hazardous "clutter"?

Personally, I'm firmly on the side of Republican Congressman Walter Jones in this dispute in wanting to honor our fallen heroes every way we can - and most definitely in NOT considering the tributes honoring them as "clutter."

I hope you are, too.

I don't like clutter.  Eight years ago I moved from a 2400 square foot house to this 1200 sq. foot one.  I had multiple garage sales before I moved, and gave away more stuff, but still had too much for this house when I got here.  I've been decluttering ever since.  The speed of my decluttering has increased greatly over the past year and a half, since I turned 50.  I started looking around at the house and imagining my nephew having to go through all of my stuff, and I didn't want to put that on him.  Since then I've been trying to get down to the essentials with renewed determination.

Reducing and recycling definitely help you keep clutter down.  Reusing doesn't.  All of those jars and tubs have to go somewhere.  Since I've already gotten rid of a mess o' stuff, I don't have a lot of organizing to do.  My plans for the margarine tubs are to sort all the various nails, washers, and other small items in the garage into their own tubs, labeled.  Once I've done that, though, there's just not that much else that I have left to do with them.  I've already got my Q-tips and ponytail holders in jars, and that's working out very well. 

I guess once I don't have any more use for tubs and jars, I'll start recycling them again.  I'll also continue to reduce everywhere I can.

Growing up I liked to think that I was crafty, and that I would someday sit down and turn all the wonderful back dated magazines I'd saved into beautiful pieces of art I could give to my friends as unique and creative gifts.  I have, however, in the past few years, come to the startling conclusion I am neither crafty, nor do I particularly enjoy crafts. This was a very sad and yet also joyus day for me.  Finally realizing I no longer have to even pretend to be crafty.  Joy of joys. 

However, since my parents are in the process of moving from their home in Northern California to Arizona, I had come into somewhere close to 23 boxes of crap that had been in our garage for the past 8 or so years.  Not all 23 boxes were entirely filled with crap, I did come across a few gems.  Two bankers boxes of photos as well as some pretty interesting, and probably incriminating letters sent and received in high school.  I think the real prize however, was discovering that my mother, who had not gone through any of the boxes before having movers ship them to me in Los Angeles, had sent to me, all of my childhood school and artwork, along with "Baby's First Year" calender.  Thankfully this was not some passive aggressive way of cutting me out of their new lives in Phoenix ;) 

After spending the past couple of weeks going through all the boxes and seperating the truly horrific and embarassing which needed to be discarded IMMEDIATELY, from the wonderful keepers, T and I decided to host a yard sale.  

I had not realized until this weekend that there is a community of people who scope out yard sales.  I think this might even be what some of these people do for a living.  I'm not going to lie, it was kind of creepy.  These people came early, before we were even really set up, and looked absolutely hungry for our junk.  Now, I love a good deal as much as the next person, but wow.  Maybe, like not being so craft inclined, I'm also not as much of a bargin hunter as I previously thought.  I lack a certain patience required to dig through bins hoping to discover one great item.  

I discovered on Sunday, selling off various items that either no longer held any real value to me, or very little value, just how odd "stuff," is.  We collect these things over the years, these items that a lot of times aren't even useful, and we attach a personal value to the item.  This personal value usually goes far beyond any actual monetary value the item ever held.  Watching people find joy in items I no longer wish to store in a closet was actually kind of touching.  Knowing that a piggy bank that had been a gift to me, that was once a very prized possession go to a woman about to have a baby made me feel wonderful.  The look on her face when she came across the small white pig with pink polka dots was priceless. 

Even on days when everyone annoys me, I guess, for the post part, people are pretty ok ;)

With a little inspiration from Handprints on the Wall, I've started yet another phase of decluttering the kitchen. Our kitchen is like a black hole: many things are sucked in, but very few things ever escape! I've managed to finish one set of cabinets. Here's the result:

Ok, so I picked an easy cabinet that looks pretty much the same as when I started. But everything on the right came out of there and is being sent to a new home. I'll try to finish this week.

For more suggestions and "guidelines" for making sense of the clutter monster in your kitchen, be sure to stop by Minimizing Mondays at Handprints on the Wall.

Changing your ways is what the Discovery Health television channel's new show is all about.

The Mother May I tv series teams up young women, who just can't get their life together, with a life coach. The life coach communicates by text message, giving the young women assignments to change their life. The women are not aware that the "life coach" is really their mother.

In one episode, the young woman is unemployed, unorganized and unattached. Her apartment is heaped with stuff. Her dresser is so cluttered she hasn't dusted it in a year. She can't walk into her closet. The sink is full of dishes.

The first thing the Mom-life-coach does is direct the daughter to get organized. It sure made me curious if the mother was disorganized too or if the daughter was so disorganized because she was rebelling to be the opposite of mom.

Either way, mom was right. It's pretty hard to get your career on track when you can't even walk through a room. It's pretty hard to make and build that special relationship when you can't bring that someone special home.

You might mutter the "If you think I'm bad, you should see my mother" but don't  let that become your motto. You can set your own course and make your environment be the way you want it to be.

De-cluttering my house and my life.

I live in a five bedroom (one bathroom) house with a full basement, so there's room for a lot of stuff. And stuff it we did. Sports equipment, toys, clothes, books, furniture. You name it -- I had it. 11 years in the same house was taking its toll. It had gotten to the point where our home was next to impossible to keep clean, and having people had become extremely anxiety producing. 

Something had to give. 

It's taken an enormous amount of time and effort, (19 Goodwill donations in 2007 alone!) but my house is looking pretty good now, and having people over is (mostly) a breeze. It might not be your idea of perfect, but it works for us.

Max, one of the frequent, (and most entertaining) posters on The Compact Yahoo Group wrote up some specific advice for people just getting started with the decluttering process. He generously agreed to let me excerpt some of it.

Just start with something small--a kitchen drawer for example, that you can clean during the commercial breaks of your favorite TV show. Try and clear one square foot of space every day, not a whole room or even a whole closet. If you are busy you will never find the time to do a big purge in one fell swoop. Just chip away at the problem. 

 

That's why ten things works for me. It took me five months of getting rid of 10 things to initially see a difference in my house. Don't bring anything new in! Keep a tally so you don't cheat! Ten things a day is 3650 things a year!

 

You are not happy with the clutter. With every single thing you get rid of, remind yourself, "I am one step closer to happiness."

 

Oh, and set a TIMER! I set a kitchen timer for every chore because I'm a child, so racing the clock makes things easier. Clean your house for 15 minutes every day. Try and sort as much stuff for donation as you can in that time. You can endure just about anything for 15 minutes.

 

It's simple:  "Get rid of ten things" and "Clean your house for 15 minutes every day."

Who here can't follow that?

Who here doesn't want to be closer to happiness?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without"

As for the GTK+ 3.0 debate itself there is little-to-nothing I could add to Havoc's conclusion. Perhaps is worth saying that my employer Nokia hasn't pushed or inspired the proposal of the GTK+ maintainers and wouldn't rush to jump out of 2.x if there is nothing new above. I'm sure Miguel knows that, and for the rest his criticism is valid and valuable.

But actually this post is more about GNOME, 3 or not.

Confused in the last years about the lack of leadership? Confused now about the lack of vision? Depends where you look at and what you expect from. Darkness comes when you observe too close your own belly. Visions come when you look for interesting stuff around and beyond. Leadership is nothing you search but something that one unsuspected day pulls you out while you are at something.

Some guys are really into something in the GNOME context. Is it a coincidence that nobody seems to see heavyweight leaders there? Is it a symptom that they are in projects that many don't see in the core of GNOME? Is it a surprise that they argue less and do more?

Why do you think they enjoy wearing shirts in GUADEC with a big foot? Is it C? Is it GTK+? Federico's smile? The FreeFA? Find the answers and you will start getting a GNOME vision. Now go back to that toolkit debate and see how much it matters.

Also, who are those guys? Where do they live? Are they students, employees, entrepreneurs? Do they pay rents and phone bills themselves? Nappies? What are their real jobs? What products do they work for? Find the answers and you will start seeing a context of GNOME innovation. Now go back to that toolkit debate and see how much it matters.

I'm not saying the debate about GTK+ is not important. It is but... is it the central debate of GNOME? Do we need to find a vision for GTK+ in order to draw the future of GNOME or is it the other way round? Is the backbone of GNOME a one and only toolkit or is it something else?

All these heated debates about GTK+/Qt or C/C++... how sensible will sound to young and creative developers beyond 2010? Look the runtimes, look the Web. To build a vision around a toolkit and a native environment was a good strategic move ten years ago. Do you think the same strategy will succeed in ten years?

So many questions, it is confusing sometimes. This is why is good to have principles preceding visions and strategies. The principles have been always clear: freedom and collaboration. They brought us here and they will push us forward as long as we keep them in good shape.

Freedom, collaboration, one vision, a refreshed strategy, a context for innovation and... who will stop this? Only ourselves watching our own bellies. Toolkits and version numbers need to be reactors to reach the goals, not talismanic objects becoming an end themselves. Someone has to discuss and find solutions around them, but be suspicious if too many people spend too much time discussing.

Which reminds me to stop this post now.

Then, I read some articles 43Folders in which Merlin Mann talks about his own war on clutter.  Based upon Merlin's recommendation, I got a copy of It's All Too Much by Peter Walsh.

Now that we are in the midst of selling our home and moving, the clutter has brought itself to the forefront.  One of the first things I have done is to prune the bookshelf by selling off a lot of books to Powell's [hat tip to Unclutterer: Bringing your bookshelves back to order]. Even with that, I still had a full bookcase full of books that I will move with me.

Also, having a kid will definitely multiply the clutter if things are not kept in check. Another thing I started doing a while ago was to either take a digital picture or scan of my son's artwork. This way, only the 'keepers' would stay and the rest would be tossed.

However, there is a big looming monster over my head that needs to be confronted and that's the filing cabinet. Sure, I implemented some GTD (Getting Things Done) techniques to file things right away, but now I have way too much stuff in those folders. Time to toss those old credit card statements and utilities bills.

Tan KlubKloset

Golf club bags are like dominos. Bump one and they fall, one upon the other, into a heavy heap of clubs and bags.

But I did take pictures. I was hungry, so I went into the kitchen where I got a plum. And I bit into it, and it had this really nice red color, so I went onto the balcony and took some photos. I really like them :) I think because I remembered the idea with the pill cereal, that I kinda relaxed a little... and I just had luck :)

Plus my room is almost completeley "decluttered". I'm in the last phase, which I like to call the "surface". It means that I cleaned out everything and sorted it (like in the drawers/shelf etc.), but that the items that were in the wrong place, and don't have a category yet, are still lying around because I couldn't put them back in the shelf/drawer after sorting them out. So my room actually looks quite messy, but in reality, it's not :) It's all an illusion, an illusion I tell you!!

hokai, I'm getting a little overdramatic here o.O

But what I wanted to say, is that cleaning my room probably helped too. And I packed most of my clothes, so they're out of the way. And I put all my tchotchke in the empty drawers, so they won't catch too much dust while I'm away for a year, and then when I come back I don't have to dust them :)

I just watched "What happens in Vegas" on the internet. I kinda like it, it's cute. Even though I usually don't really like those kind of movies.

I'm gonna go to bed now.
I really like plums. Why do only cherries and strawberries get attention? Plums are sweet too! And they have a nice color. And an interesting skin. And apples too. They're crunchy. Seriously? What is it with strawberries and cherries? I mean I like them too, but other fruits exist too ya know.

I have since made peace with this news and am looking forward to the benefits that having a Friday off will hold:

• I will have my day off on a day that typically finds Mr. Grumpy working outside the home
• I will be able to look into taking a day class for the Fall semester instead of only considering night classes
• I will have a day with fewer child-based interuptions and can use it to work on the blog, work on homework, or even work on a book idea that has been coming together more and more (I have a good concept and a working title and everything)
• I will have a day that allows me to run to the post office, take care of Dr. appointments, or tend to other tasks which are difficult to do when your only day off is a Saturday

In other news I spent the bulk of my day off today cleaning the house for company tomorrow evening.  The entire downstairs is done and I even did some clutter control as I went.  I got rid of 3 kitchen-size bags of trash (mostly stuff from the kids art supply cabinet, broken toys, and so forth.  I filled 2 plastic supermarket shopping bags full of goodies for the 4-year-old daughter of a woman I work with. 

I even cleared the downstairs a bit with sound, walking around the house ringing a bell to break up any stagnant chi.  I lit a cake-scented candle in the kitchen before heading upstairs to replace the smell of cleaning supplies with a warm happy yummy type of smell instead.

Now, I am off to work on the upstairs.  More general tidy (with a dash of shoving things in our master bedrom) and a cleaning of the bathroom.  If I can get it all done tomorrow we can head over to the community pool for a couple of hours before its time to each shower, dress, and generally beautify for the reason behind all of this cleaning.

Tomorrow we are going out with various family members for dinner to celebrate Mr. Grumpy's birthday and then coming back to the house for cake.  I do not get along all that well with my family for various reasons, but the PC part of me will blame it on the fact that while age-wise they are between my father and I, they are part of his generation on the family tree and they are closer to him than they have ever been to me.

Translation ... Dad will have a good time, the kids will have a good time as my cousins' kids are the same age as my kids (though Miss Artistic is the oldest by a couple of years), and GamerDude & I will end the night (as we generally do) feeling a bit like outsiders.  I'd like to say that I'm used to having family-time evoke these feelings, but I never seem to get over feeling a bit bruised by it.

Oh well.  At least there's a restaurant meal in it for us.  LOL

WIsh you all well

Be Blessed

Mama Kelly