Let's get organized (or at least talk about doing so)

Here's the trend of the day, kids: let's clean up the squalor! But first, an anecdote.

The Boy, genetically related to The T, has been staying with us. The question arises: what does The Boy eat? Well, any food starting with a 'P' is a good candidate for ingestion. This list includes pizza, pizza Hot Pockets, pasta, Pop-Tarts, and pgrapes. I experienced what might have been a rustic living versus appliance technology gap when The Boy took his mug from phot pchocolate into the kitchen and put it in the sink. You might be thinking to yourself, where is she going with this? Well, when I say "The Boy put the mug in the sink" what I mean to say is that he balanced it atop the pile of drying clean dishes rather than set it in the empty sink just inches to the right. I took the scene in and realized he is a child of his upbringing. His parents went without an ice cream scoop for a time rather than bring one into the house that was not dishwasher safe. Everything gets put in the dishwasher. The Boy may not have recognized the pile of dishes for what they were: clean and drying and waiting to be put away rather a pile of dirty dishes waiting to be put in our non-existent dishwasher.

Add this perspective to the list of Beloit College Mindset List.

Speaking of lists, here's a list of Ten Things to do in 10 minutes so you can feel like you accomplished something and possible rediscover a flat surface in your home. I particularly like the suggestion to clean up something virtual (TiVo season pass subscriptions) and the comparison of closet hangers to Tribbles.

If books are your own version of Tribbles and happen to cover every surface in your abode, flat or otherwise, here's a list of 20 ways to set them free and/or possibly acquire others. Remember, if they love you, they'll return.

If you recently heard yourself saying, "Where's my %^&# hair clip?" you should curse no more. The iPod Shuffle has become a hair accessory.


That's all for now. I'm off to move a pile of books so I can sit and read anything other than the latest way-too-long tome by JK Rowling.

À boire ou je tue le chien! (brought to you by French expressions you won't learn at school...)