Day 48 (or: I Blame Harry Potter)

Catchy title, no? But don’t get me wrong, I’m not just trying to lure you in with the Harry Potter label(although, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Harry Potter’s pretty huge right now, and I wouldn’t mind a piece of that), I actually mean it. It’s all Harry’s fault.

Harry and ultra-neatness. Yes. I visited The Spotless Bathroom again today, and I realized something. Somebody probably cleans that bathroom at least twice a day. Somebody who probably begrudges cleaning it. And maybe they really lament cleaning it with every fiber of their being, and maybe they'd do just about anything to avoid it, and maybe they gripe about it at night when they get home to their family. I know I would.

Now. How does this relate to Harry?  I'll tell you in a minute.  But first, an update: The Leckenby bathroom has stayed clean for almost 24 hours, but that’s likely largely due to the absence of the Leckenby boy. Of course, the Leckenby boy is due to return to his house (along with his dirty socks, toothpaste-cap-leaving-offness, and general dust-bunny-ness), and the bathroom’s fate is looming in the balance. And here’s the thing. This sort of struggle is pretty much a constant. Because, of course, the necessity for order and tidiness is a constant, as is the entropy which drags all order toward chaos. And therefore, I’m pretty much on the same wavelength as the poor soul who cleans The Spotless Bathroom. Constantly lamentable.

Which brings me back to Harry. Here’s what I do: I assuage lamentable things by indulging in compulsion, and for the last year and a half, I’ve used a particular tool to calm my brain (and alright, I admit it, to avoid cleaning the bathroom…and other things): I’ve re-read the Harry Potter series (all 7 books) over and over and over and over again. Probably 5 or 6 times over again (in varying order). Haven’t picked up a single novel other than Harry Potter since July 2009. Yep. Weird. So today, Day 48 of One Thousand Days, in accordance with blogging as therapy, I will (mid 5th book, no less) admit that I’ve been self-medicating with Harry Potter, and will stop.

I feel a bit like Linus without his security blanket, but 48 down, 952 to go.

Day 47 (or: The Bathroom's Come Down With Refrigerator Disease)

Hello, beautiful day! Beautiful, gray day! Beautiful, wet, muddy, gray day! Oh, okay, there’s nothing beautiful about today, which is just downright soggy. Nothing, that is, other than the bathroom. 

Day 47 of One Thousand Days, I drove my mother to what is the end of 2 weeks of a total of six weeks of daily radiation. And was inspired. Not by the drive that is by now rote (I swear, the car could drive itself), but by the bathroom at the clinic. Yes, indeed, potty inspiration! You saw it here, first! At any rate, the bathroom in the clinic is spotless. And smells like nothing. NOTHING. Not like soap, not like potty, not like clinic, not like antiseptic, not like a new car, or new money. It smells like nothing.

This, I surmise, is because it contains practically nothing. Nothing but a toilet, sink and towel dispenser. And it was so clean. No dust, no soap scum, no socks on the floor, no toothbrushes cluttering up the sink counter…nothing. And I’m in love with the nothingness. So much so, that I drove home, marched into the bathroom and emptied it of things. Now MY bathroom smells like nothing, too! Hurrah!  The bathroom and the refrigerator are now in the same club...the Ridiculously Clean Club.

And then I found this short video about a family who live a zero waste lifestyle: http://vitality.yahoo.com/video-second-act-the-johnson-family-24454760

Which just pushed me over the edge. And very directly toward nothingness bliss. Is it possible that my desire for nothingness is directly correlated to my recent inner clutter?

Whatever the inference, I can happily say: Watch out, THINGS, I’m coming for you! Yes, YOU!

Day 47 down, 953 to go.

Day 46 (or: What To Do With The Next 954 Days)

Have you ever felt stuck? Like you’re in a situation, a scenario, a scheme that dictates your movement in ways which annoy you at your core? I’m there right now. Stuck. And as a result, I’m about to force myself to embark on a journey. Another one. Spoiler alert! This journey, while it’s definitely One Thousand Days worthy, focuses pretty heavily on me.

The truth and reality of living in this human body, is that change is a constant. We humans are blessed and cursed by constant change in feelings, surroundings, body and mind. Change in occupation, change in lifestyle, change in friendships, yearnings, longings, needs. People are born, people die. People change.

Sometimes that means that the world is full of loveliness and light. Sometimes it means that the world is full of sorrow and grief.

I regret to report that a very large percentage of the recent Days, in between official Day postings, have been dark in ways that they shouldn’t be, and if I don’t do something about it, I have the feeling that I’ll be stuck all through the summer (if you live in the Pacific Northwest, you know how precious those summer days are, and how much we need to enjoy them while we can – all 10 days of them).

Now, this low place is not foreign territory. It’s a low in which I occasionally become mired, and have a difficult time extricating myself from without making Very Big Changes. Usually those changes come externally from a change in jobs or in circles of influence or in surroundings or habits. But right now, the world is fairly static, and the changes aren’t just going to pop up on the horizon, I have to make them happen in a more conscious and purposeful way.

After my last posting, I asked friends to tell me what my next Thing should be. One friend intrigued me by suggesting that I should tell myself the truth, no matter what I tell anyone else. So Day 46 of One Thousand Days, I’ll start by saying: Carita, my dear, you’re not happy, and you’d better do something about it. Blogging as therapy.

46 down, 954 to go.

Day 45 (or: Walk it, Baby, Walk it!)

Yep.  It's valentines day again.  Can't seem to avoid it.  At least once a year, inundated by pink, and red and sugar and mooshy love. 

Meh.  Forget that.  I'm'ona eat steak, drink bloody mary's and shop.

And once again pledge to walk to raise awareness and funds for the National MS society.

In April, darling child and I will be walking in the area "walk" with our friend the who shouldn't be suffering from this terrible illness on the "Sole Sisters" team.  Nobody should be suffering with it.  Least of all, someone who's spunky. 

Day 45 of One Thousand Days, I do exactly what I was doing about a year ago on day 28. I pledge to walk.  Want to join us?  Or fund us?  Or point and laugh at us?  Just click the links below to check out the possibilities.

45 down, 955 to go.  

Day 44 (or: Great Gulping Gargoyles, What IS That?)

Todays thing is mildly disgusting.  And sort of amusing.  And enlightening.  And disgusting. 

It's the fridge, you see, it's a massive vortex which sucks in leftovers and doesn't give them back until they're completely unidentifiable.  Sometimes it sucks in non-leftovers.  Actually, a lot of the time it sucks in non-leftovers.  Something that went into the fridge red, comes out green, something that was yellow is now black.  It's sort of scary.  Really, worse than the results of a few weeks time spent in the fridge, are the statistics about food waste.  According to Next Generation Food, and Jodie Humphreys, the following disturbing food waste statistics are worth a second look:

• In the US, food waste has increased by 50 percent since 1974
• 40 percent of all the food produced in the US is thrown out
• Food waste accounts for more than a quarter of freshwater consumption and 300 million barrels of annually.
• Food is the third largest waste stream after paper and yard waste
• 8.3 million tonnes of food is thrown away by households in the UK annually
• In the UK, city dwellers generally waste the most food, with the worst culprits being single men, aged between 25 and 35

Blech.  Really?  Well of course, really.  Judging by the contents of my fridge, I'd say that all sounds about right.  And is also fairly disturbing.  Especially given the hunger in the world.  What's left out of this nice little list, is the dollar amount associated with these statistics of waste.  Maybe a realization of the hit to the pocket book would help? 

Might help me, anyway, as I have been a horrible, wasteful, mindless and absurd glutton.  And it must stop. 

So here it is:  According to the Stockholm International Water Institute, all that food waste amounts to 43.8 billion bucks in the U.S. alone.  Gack!

So, after recovering from sticker shock, I cleaned the fridge, and now the garbage can is halfway full, even though pick-up day was yesterday.  And today, Day 44 of One Thousand Days, I pledge to not throw any food away for the next 7 days.  I figure this is a good start, and gives me a chance to report back at the end of said days.  I'm well pleased with my progress today, and now my fridge looks like this: 

44 down, 956 to go.

 

Day 43 (Or: Sell All The Things!)

New!  And improved!

Me, that is.  Did you know, that since my last post (in November - wow, does time fly) I began living my 40th year on this planet?  That is to say, I turned 39.  I'll celebrate the 40th anniversary of my arrival on this green and splendiferous earth next December, but in fact, I am now living my 40th year.  Weird. 

What's that got to do with the price of tea in China?  A heck of a lot!  You try turning 40, and tell me that it's not a seriously important and momentous thing, full of yearning, and joy, strife and struggle, excitement and promise. 

The whole tenor of my "Things" has altered.  I'm feeling rather self involved about my "Things."  For example, I've been leaning toward tattoos and piercings, and image issues such as:  Why the heck don't I wear my strappy sandals more often?  or:  Does my hair really need to be the color of a field mouse?   I imagine doing "Things" like taking up sky-diving as a hobby, or running for office, or walking from the West coast to the East coast.  "Things" that are momentous and reputation building, and life affirming and loud and colorful. 

I guess that's what you do when you turn (or at least are looking at turning) 40.  I know, I know, it's really very typical and boring, isn't it.  Would you like a little mid-life crisis?  Yes indeed, I'd love some, thank you.  And if you could throw in some bristly hairs on the chin, a nice crop of crows feet and a gray hair or two, I'd think myself the luckiest woman in the world!

Well, it's not all tragedy.  I finally did something that I've been wanting to do since I turned 18.  I opened a store, and I'm selling vintage, kitsch, retro, interesting, quality, fun things.  And better yet, before I sell said things, I get to SHOP for said things.  Okay, I admit, it's an eBay store, but still!  I get to shop!  And maybe I'll even make money!  Don't let me fool you, true to self, I've planned the heck out of this endeavor, devised several pretty serious mathematical tables and algorithms to ensure success, and I've given myself 3 months to make a go of it or else I'll drop it flat, which is the joy of eBaying (instant start and instant stop!)

Day 43 of One Thousand Days, I'm proud to announce Diamond L Co. Vintage and Eclectic.

May it be fruitful!

43 down, 957 to go.

Day 42 (or: Garden Party with The Soprano's)

I have a brand new obsession:  The Soprano's.  I'm currently beginning season 5, and haven't been able to put a finger directly on the appeal of it.  But boy is it appealing.  Goombas...Goomas...Italian food and a whole heck of a lot of moral ambiguity.  Or straight up moral ineptitude.  Take your pick.  Either way, I'm loving it, and am relishing spending the Holy Day immersed in the disgusting under-belly of New Jersey in my own living room, no less.  Heaven.

But the REAL good things that were the bulk of my work today, involved coordining soccer snacks, hot drinks, canopy for a cold game, coach gifts, kid gifts, and working on a gift certificate for my church's annual service auction and dinner.  My "service" being a garden party hosted in the gorgeous garden made possible by said church.  My beautiful yard was made possible by my fellows at church (more than 30 of them) who, 2 1/2 years ago, came to the house with cuttings, clippings, snippings, bulbs, seeds and divisions from their own yards. 

My first spring in this home was a constant surprise, watching things I didn't know were there coming out of the ground, watching cuttings grow by leaps and bounds.  My yard, which is one of my very favorite things in my life, is entirely the result of the love from my church.

Day 42 of One Thousand Days, I made my pledge of $200.00 in service to my fellows.  Lovely fellows.

42 down, 958 to go.