back to abnormal

I was up at the "usual" time this morning. I've been decadently sleeping in - about an hour longer - on most days during the winter break, but today I was back at it and up at a respectable time. Later this morning, I'll take China to the vet's, then I've got some tutor biz in the afternoon. The kids are still out of school for two more days, which means I'm off from crossing guard duty until Thursday. We wouldn't want to be TOO responsible just yet.

I had an enjoyable run this morning while it was still dark. Most of the snow from that Christmas week storm has finally melted off, so my pathways were crunchy-free. Plus, I think I'm finally over the post-flu clumsiness and feeling like my usual running self again.  There aren't too many "resolution runners" out at that hour, but I've been seeing them around for the last couple of days.  Happens every year.

So, what to do with all of this responsible vigor?  Well, for one thing, facebook Judy shared this brilliant calendar:  The 2012 Declutter and Organize Calendar! 

Just do one little activity each day and you too can be clutter free by year's end!  Maybe sooner!  I despise clutter, I love this concept. 

As I peruse it, I see there are probably some days I can skip.  Like "Put all your cans together on a can shelf".  Cans?  Can shelf?  Then I see "Clear out one pile in a hallway".  Actually, that task shows up on a few different days.  Are there piles in your hallways?  We have occassional piles in the hallways which I routinely clear by shouting "HEY, get yer crap outta the hallway or it's goin' in the trash!"

Several years ago, while in college, I was looking at prospective rentals.  One was in a fourplex and the landlady met me there, only to find that she didn't have the key to the one that was available.  We knocked on one of the adjoining units and asked the woman inside if we could look around, as the layout was the same as the one I would possibly rent.  She said, "okay", and invited us in.

It looked like the aftermath of a hurricane!  I remembered when my mom used to look at my bedroom when I was a kid and say how it looked like a typhoon or cyclone had gone through it (Mom being Filipino was familiar with typhoons/cyclones rather than hurricanes).  But this... THIS really did look that bad!  Clothing strewn about, dishes and eating utensils in almost every room, random documents and piles of who-knows-what everywhere...

The landlady didn't say anything but I could tell by her expressions as we walked around that her thoughts were bouncing between "welp, there goes the chance of renting that available unit today", and "I'm evicting these slobs immediately!"

In the end, however, I did end up renting the available unit.  It was a great location, had off-street parking, and the slob neighbors never used the community yardworking tools made available to us.  And they were quiet.

So quiet, I sometimes wondered if they were possibly trapped under mounds of debris.

Anyway, today's mission:  Declutter the top of your cabinets and dust.  Let's party!
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