keep it simple stupid

It's probably because I've had the week off from working out. Or maybe now that I'm not focused on the PAT anymore I'm stressing over other things (likely). Or it might be autumn snapping on our heels with this grey misty weather. No matter what, I'm eager for something more spartan, a rigorously simple life without knickknacks and trillions of errands. The attic is a sprawling geography of my what I used to do, used to be like. It's a lot of fun for Molly to go through (when she's not trying to find something of her's that she needs) but I could do without the reminder of my old nerdiness (not that I think I moved past that, I just know my current nerdiness very well.) I want less of the non-essential. I read a good website that advocated some, surprise, simple ideas to move away from a rushed, cluttered existance. Here is some of what this guy says... Be engaged in your downtime. I'm not going to lie, I've watched TV and been online at the same time. That's gross to me. Simply too much. And then you get a text message so you respond to that, while gmail chatting and trying to keep up with whatever's on TV... shit, where's my book. Call me a luddite but I think there is such a thing as too much, at least for this simpleton. I would love to spend more time reading. And I do like watching movies and TV series. But, Molly and I usually rent them so we can skip the commercials and watch way too many in a row. Another thing he said was to keep your e-mail inbox empty. Yeah right. Mine is as cluttered as the attic. I'm doing pretty well right now and I have 130 e-mails, 28 unread. I would not like to clean the whole thing out, although it would be pretty glorious when it was done. I should also check e-mail less often. I don't work much with computers but I still don't have any pressing e-mail contacts that I need to be refreshing the screen for. It's a weird nervous tic, maybe it affirms that I'm a person to be contacted regularly. What else... you're supposed to sort your clothes by season, so you can pack away those things that you seriously won't wear (like shorts now, apparently). I sort of already do this. I like to keep my dresser full of the clothes I folded the last time I folded clothes (looks like June or so from the geological layers) and then the floor is where I keep both a) the clothes I really where and b) the clothes that I don't actually wear but have been caught up in the laundry/floor cycle so keep getting cleaned and then walked upon, without being worn. It would be pretty sweet to have a) less clothes and b) to not have to paw through shorts in December or wool sweaters in August to find what I really want to wear. Besides, I could donate stuff I clearly never wear if I'm forced to pack or unpack it twice a year. Moving on, I'm supposed to be happy with my livlihood. I can't say that I really am right now. It could definitely be much worse but I'm really distracted by that glint of an idea that I could, someday, be a firefighter. I feel like a pipsqueak when I tell people that. And I get that same look you give a six year-old who professes the same vocational fantasy. It'll happen, I know that much. I'm just now sure when, or with what department. In this vein, I would do well to start studying for oral boards, just so I'm ready in case Tacoma calls me up for an interview. As 21st century creatures, we're supposed to be eating like it's the middle ages, no Coca Cola or Cheetos. Things that occur naturally in the world are okay (including beer, believe it or not), things that are created in a lab are not. I should probably follow this a little less loosely. Almost every night I feel like shit, probably the result of poor eating throughout the day. The rest of his list finishes out with such exciting endeavors as decluttering and organizing one's home, minimizing grass in the yard (less lawncare I suppose), live withing your means (rather than expanding debt), and buying less but buying high quality when you do buy. All of these things sound just great to me. The trouble is enacting them. It's way easier to clomp into the house after work, drop down my bag inside the door, track dirt over to the fridge where I open it up and crack open a cheap can of watered-down alcoholic goodness, and slump on the couch to watch something uninteresting. I'm actually preparing to enact something good for me right now. Can't you tell? Actually, I wanted an excuse to listen to NPR for half an hour and writing this blog pretty much took care of that. Speaking of which, what constitutes a recession because it seems like we're in one.

There is only one thing I would add to that guy's simplicity guide. I'd say everyone should exercise, in some fashion, every day. It makes you happy and it makes you sleep well.