I'm going on this journey, guys. I think it was prompted by a sort of quarter life crisis. I made a list of all the things in my life causing me these little stresses that I think add up in a big way. I grouped these stresses into like-domains and assigned a month to fixing each category. March has been dedicated to cleaning up my digital life (facebook, computer files, papers for class, photos, dropbox, other dropbox, google drive, etc.). Next month is dedicated to fixing all these tiny broken things around me like how two of our cabinets are missing screws so the doors don't shut well and how the tupperware is basically a booby-trap and how the pots and pans and their lids are having some sort of cookware orgy in our cabinet. I'm also working on making my patio an oasis where I can ignore such things from time to time. That will be nice. The pots and pans are so noisy.
Anyway, I had this idea of documenting all my stresses for a while, but that seemed like the worst idea ever. I knew the list would be so long and the solutions to these stresses were all tasks I had been avoiding for forever (looking at you, Mr. Your-Device-Needs-Updating). But, I finally gave in one night and it wasn't that terrible. It felt nice to see exactly what was bothering me. And then it all seemed kind of manageable. They seemed to cluster themselves: digital life, closet-of-doom, little repairs, too-many-things. Giving the stresses solutions also helped me imagine how much better life could be. Tiny frustrations add up, you know? And if I have to fight with that cabinet every morning for the rest of my life, I'm going to Hulk smash it. The tiny things add up. I don't expect type of look-your-stress-in-the-eyes-and-squish-it tactic will work for everyone, but I"m cautiously optimistic for myself. I'll keep you posted.
Oh, and in case you wanted to see the list, here it is in all it's blunt honesty:
Things causing me stress:
My digital life: {MARCH}
Why aren’t all my pictures in one place
label events in iphoto
Why don’t I use my iPad?
need to update and sync with new dropbox
How should I organize the papers I read for class?
What can google drive do? (Pictures?)
Clean up desktop/drive/thumb drive folders (Yikes)
Why don’t any of our cabinets have the right screws? {APRIL}
Why is walking into our closet like walking into the hell mouth? {MAY}
Need uniform boxes from ikea to make it seem cleaner
Too many little trinket boxes. Need one big box.
Why are the kitchen cabinets such a wreck? {APRIL}
pots and pans need help
need to straighten all cabinets
tupperware needs permanent solution
Why do we have so many guitars? {JUNE}
Why is there so much shit shoved under the bed? {JUNE}
Croquette?? We have played that once.
Maybe all that stuff can go in the closet once we purge some stuff?
What is with all the aloe plants? They need to go outside our something {MAY}
Why is our porch uninhabitable? {EARLY APRIL}
Need to throw away rotting chairs, shoes, and potting soil
cover car supplies with outdoor table cloth (brilliant)
buy a hammock stand (ikea: $70)
Lets talk about the book cases. They could be a little neater. And maybe we don’t need all of them.. or maybe we need more. Undecided. {JULY}
Why do I hate my desk? {AUGUST}
not minimalist enough (too much clutter)
scared to open the drawers
need a new way to organize crafts
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Thursday, February 23, 2012
46 and Water Bottles
I had 46 page views yesterday. I'm sure a dozen or so were me checking for errors and asking myself "Do I really want to admit that I sang to a dying rat?". Ha. Anyway, to the 34 other viewers, thanks!
This will be a brief blog, and should probably be filed under "first world problem rants".
I have a love/hate relationship with water bottles. I'm firmly against buying bottled water (especially if you live in an area with fantastic tap water), but I do like water bottles. Please note the distinction. Unfortunately, I have had to buy so many water bottles that my plastic consumption probably rivals that of a months worth of bottled water. Here is a break down of my quest for the perfect water bottle:
1. This is the Intak (pronounced "Intake") water bottle. It was so great for so long. The seal stayed tight and it was quiet in class. It also had this neat ring under the cap that rotated to keep track of how many glasses I had consumed. So why wasn't this the answer to my water transportation needs? Mold. I moved to an apartment with no dishwasher and it became physically impossible to wash the bottom of the bottle.
2. This camelback also suffered the same fate. Why did I buy a water bottle that would obviously have the same problems? I bought this one before we moved to the dishwasher-less apartment. It was an impulse buy and I loved it.
3. My third attempt lead me to this rubbermaid container. I liked that it was short and thus could be cleaned and that I could fill it with things other than water. (The camelback is only good for water. Other things make the plastic taste funny and clog the bite valve). Its failure became apparent almost immediately. The awkward shape prevented it from fitting in any cup holder which is a big problem for the gym. Also, the cap became loose within the first week and failed a few times. Terrible.
4. My latest attempt has also been a failure. I was so excited when I got this new bottle last week. It had a screw on top instead of a tension top like the rubbermaid which kept it from falling off. Unfortunately, I think the one I picked is defective and doesn't thread right. It leaks. It just leaked on my laptop which lead to this rant. The internet seems to have no record of this bottle's existence, hence the lack of picture. Why is it so hard to find a good water bottle?
Anyone out there have a favorite water/tea transportation device they would like to share? Or a bad experience you wouldn't mind sharing so others would avoid the same fate?
(P.S. While taking this picture of bottle number 4, it leaked tea on my white duvet, my quilt, my sock, my PJ pants, and it started hissing at me. No bueno.)
This will be a brief blog, and should probably be filed under "first world problem rants".
I have a love/hate relationship with water bottles. I'm firmly against buying bottled water (especially if you live in an area with fantastic tap water), but I do like water bottles. Please note the distinction. Unfortunately, I have had to buy so many water bottles that my plastic consumption probably rivals that of a months worth of bottled water. Here is a break down of my quest for the perfect water bottle:
1. This is the Intak (pronounced "Intake") water bottle. It was so great for so long. The seal stayed tight and it was quiet in class. It also had this neat ring under the cap that rotated to keep track of how many glasses I had consumed. So why wasn't this the answer to my water transportation needs? Mold. I moved to an apartment with no dishwasher and it became physically impossible to wash the bottom of the bottle.
3. My third attempt lead me to this rubbermaid container. I liked that it was short and thus could be cleaned and that I could fill it with things other than water. (The camelback is only good for water. Other things make the plastic taste funny and clog the bite valve). Its failure became apparent almost immediately. The awkward shape prevented it from fitting in any cup holder which is a big problem for the gym. Also, the cap became loose within the first week and failed a few times. Terrible.
Anyone out there have a favorite water/tea transportation device they would like to share? Or a bad experience you wouldn't mind sharing so others would avoid the same fate?
(P.S. While taking this picture of bottle number 4, it leaked tea on my white duvet, my quilt, my sock, my PJ pants, and it started hissing at me. No bueno.)
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Lent: Day 1
My dumpster rat died. That's how I started my morning.
We have had this rat (possibly plural) nesting near our dumpsters. This would make most people recoil in fear or disgust, but my chihuahua/dachshund mix named Meeka takes great entertainment in hunting for the rat. I obviously don't let her catch it or even get near it, but she still looks forward to going on a rat hunt every night. It is kind of cute considering they are about the same size. It would be a fair fight. Anyway, I am a sucker for consistency and I love that this rat is part of our routine. I love routine.
This morning, the rat was laying in the middle of the drive. Meeka thought this was her lucky day. I kept her away, of course, but the poor little thing seemed dead. And then it moved its little brown head. My heart broke. My heart broke for the dumpster rat. I wanted nothing more than to help put it out of its misery. It had provided my dog with months of entertainment and I felt like I owed it something. I cried for the rat and sang a line of "All creatures of our God and King". I cried for the dumpster rat. I'm not usually like this.
I asked Henry if there was anything we could do, but we couldn't think of a quick remedy that would ensure success. When I came home this afternoon, the rat was gone (dead, I'm sure).
Why did I cry over a dumpster rat? Am I that tied to God's creation, or is it my intense desire for consistency and routine? Maybe it is a little bit of both (or maybe it's this new medicine I'm on).
The above anecdote has almost nothing to do with lent. I don't have any specific plans for the season, but I would like to become a more spiritual person in general. I'd like to make more time to pray and spend less time self obsessing and more time focused on pleasing meditations (Philipians 4:8 (NIV) And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.).
We have had this rat (possibly plural) nesting near our dumpsters. This would make most people recoil in fear or disgust, but my chihuahua/dachshund mix named Meeka takes great entertainment in hunting for the rat. I obviously don't let her catch it or even get near it, but she still looks forward to going on a rat hunt every night. It is kind of cute considering they are about the same size. It would be a fair fight. Anyway, I am a sucker for consistency and I love that this rat is part of our routine. I love routine.
This morning, the rat was laying in the middle of the drive. Meeka thought this was her lucky day. I kept her away, of course, but the poor little thing seemed dead. And then it moved its little brown head. My heart broke. My heart broke for the dumpster rat. I wanted nothing more than to help put it out of its misery. It had provided my dog with months of entertainment and I felt like I owed it something. I cried for the rat and sang a line of "All creatures of our God and King". I cried for the dumpster rat. I'm not usually like this.
I asked Henry if there was anything we could do, but we couldn't think of a quick remedy that would ensure success. When I came home this afternoon, the rat was gone (dead, I'm sure).
Why did I cry over a dumpster rat? Am I that tied to God's creation, or is it my intense desire for consistency and routine? Maybe it is a little bit of both (or maybe it's this new medicine I'm on).
The above anecdote has almost nothing to do with lent. I don't have any specific plans for the season, but I would like to become a more spiritual person in general. I'd like to make more time to pray and spend less time self obsessing and more time focused on pleasing meditations (Philipians 4:8 (NIV) And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.).
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