Cleaning, It's Good for the Soul

Brooks Adrenaline GTS 15

Yesterday morning, I went for another jog. But something was different: NEW SHOWS! I went to Boutique Endurance to buy a new pair of running shoes. It really makes all the difference. I didn't realize how little padding my old shoes had left! It's like walking on pillows! I still didn't get through the whole workout, but I did about 20 minutes. Then I went for a walk around the neighbourhood as a cool down. It felt good. I'm still trying to figure out what to wear on my jogs. Yesterday was -2C, so I wore a long sleeve thermal type shirt under a sweater and one of my new pairs of pants. It was good, but my hands and ears were cold. Maybe I need a tuque. I'm really nervous about running in the actual winter, with snow and stuff. I don't know if I'll actually keep up with it. I need to, though. I want to run a 5K this summer.

That's not all I did, though, yesterday. With the help of my mom, I cleared out a closet (not Eminem style). These aren't your normal, average, tiny closets. This one is HUGE. It's essentially a walk in closet where I had kinda just shoved a bunch of crap.Not just my crap, but all the crap that my grandmother (I inherited her fully furnished apartment) already had in there. After a whole lot of bags for donation, bags of garbage and recycling, I have all kinds of room in this mini-room/closet.

Here's the thing. I'm not a hoarder. I'm just lazy. I have no problem getting rid of things, when I put my mind to it. But finding the time, or the willpower to actually do it is difficult for me. I get overwhelmed by the prospect of all this effort and work and I'd honestly rather watch TV or read a book or dick around online.

But it's done. The closet at least. Next week, I'll attack another room!

It is done.

HOLY MOFO I FINALLY FINISHED CLEANING MY ROOM. Everything is either in my upstairs, in boxes to be sorted when I come back in August or in bags to be dropped off at the Salvation Army. And it only took... what 4 years? Holy shit. Whatever will I do with my spare time? Oh yeah, a TON of laundry before I leave...

But not tomorrow. Tomorrow, my bff PM and I will be spending the day together. Our plan is to stalk Bradley Cooper. He's in town shooting a film and PM's mom saw him (she thinks) in the film crew that set up outside her work, so we're starting there. Holy effing 8 pound baby Jesus is this boy ever HOT. Like, really hot. Like, he speaks perfect fucking French, hot. Yeah. That hot.

Star of The Hangover, Limitless and The Hangover 2, he's been the subject of my most creative fantasies since 2009. His character in The Hangover, Phil, is also who I think I'd be if the situation ever presented itself. Phil is calm, Phil is cool, Phil is sexy, Phil is the voice of reason (or something like it). He's a school teacher who knows how to separate his career from his "down time" (by ignoring kids after school ends or making sure every one understands that a drunken night of debauchery mus remain secret). He's the guy every one wants to be. He's the one who keeps his head in the game and tries to solve the problem before admitting defeat. Yeah. I'm totally Phil and not at all full of myself (haha).

30 Day Movie Challenge, part 2

Day 2 - Favorite Death Scene

A death scene is someone dying, right? So here it is. By far the funniest accidental on screen death!

Finding Stuff

Designer jeans (too small), an evening gown (gorgeous and it fits), 3 different kinds of jackets (to be offered to a friend), ice skates (still fit), shoe boxes (empty), pictures (from a grade 8 music field trip)... All from my closet.

Memories...

And no, I don't mean the song from Cats.

I've been cleaning my room (yep, still doing that) and, obviously, I've been finding old photographs. From music competitions in high school to concerts and random fun in CEGEP to the printed digital photos of my cruises... And a very entertaining one of my friends at my "surprise" 17th birthday party. I say "surprise" because my boyfriend and best friend (at the time) did a horrible job of keeping it a secret. I remember C calling my house, talking to me for a few minutes and then asking to speak to my sister. And A taking me out for the day and asking what my favourite cake is and then disappearing to use the payphone. And telling me we couldn't go back to my house yet because he had to make a phone call first... to my parents. I mean, it was a good effort! Just, you know, a failed one. It was a great party, though.

So, I want to take some time and go through all these old photos and categorize them, organize them, stick them in scrapbooks and tell all my friends the stories behind each moment. I want to be the annoying older person (cause, you know, I'm soooo old at 25) who tells all the youngsters (you know, my 23 year old friends who are soooo young) how it was in the "good old days." Thing is, it's starting to sink in that the "good old days" weren't the best times of my life, as I previously believed. I'm starting to think that I actually can have way more adventures in the future.

It's 100% official, by the way. I am going back to Europe. I've been having some issues with the Spain people, what with them not being sure they have a place for me. I've now decided that I'll just pay for my own damn ticket to Milan and just work in Italy is Spain doesn't have the camps. You know, it's a little silly for them to STILL be waiting on the Spanish government for answers about how many tutors they need. So, I'm going. No matter what.

And here's Memory:

My goals

My (short term) goals are as follows:

1. I want my room to be perfectly clean.
2. I want to lose enough weight that I feel comfortable in a bikini.
3. I want to write (and publish) a book.
4. I want to go to Hong Kong to do my final field experience.

Let's look at these one by one, starting with... well... the first one.

1. I want my room to be perfectly clean.
Okay, for my room to be perfectly clean, I have to clean it, right? Well, I'm trying. I really am. I'm up to what, part six of my room cleaning saga? This is a goal I can control, and I am controlling it. I'm setting some time aside as often as possible to clean as much as I can. As I clean, instead of just moving things from one side of the room to the other, I'm actually packing it in boxes and reusable bags. This way, I can easily stack, store, and (later) find my books and DVDs (which seem to be the stuff of which I have too much). This way, everything has it's place and it's place isn't randomly strewn around my room. This is a goal that I am in control of. I can (and will) achieve.

2. I want to lose enough weight that I feel comfortable in a bikini.
Ahh, this old thing. Yep, the weight thing. So, I'm fat. I'm not delusional about this, it's a fact and I'm okay with it. Well.. not really, if I want to lose weight, right? This is a health thing, not a vanity thing. I'm out of breath all this time, my knees hurt, my heart beats so freaken quickly... I'm too young to have all these problems. Also, I have an awesome tattoo that NO ONE SEES because I'm too ashamed of my fat belly to show it off. So I'm eating better, not dieting. Dieting is a deprivation of certain foods. I'm not ready to (nor do I think I have to) cut out whole items from my daily menus. Instead, I'm eating less bad stuff and more good stuff and making better choices in my day to day life. I'm also exercising more. I'm not going to the gym because a) I'm poor and b) I don't think I need to go to the gym right now. Gyms are great for those with time and money and I have neither at the moment. We have an elliptical at home and if I use it more and walk the dog more, then I think that'll be enough for now! This is a goal that I am in control of. I can (and will) achieve.

3. I want to write (and publish) a book.
I think this may be the easiest of the goals to accomplish. Now a days, anyone can write and then self publish a book. The thing is, I don't want to be a self-published author. I want to be a real author. A good author. I want to write something that people who are not my family and friends will buy, read, and love. My mom says all I need to do is get an idea and run with it, but that's a lot easier said than done. I mean, if it were easy, I'd have already done it. My mother raised a good point by asking my what kind of book I want to write. Well, I have no idea. Whatsoever. Not a clue. But, if I persevere, I might actually succeed. This is a goal that I am in (somewhat) control of. I can achieve it, if I try.

4. I want to go to Hong Kong to do my final field experience.
Seriously, this is a possibility. It would be a DREAM COME TRUE in more ways than one. I'd be teaching in Asia. This could open up a whole new bunch of possibilities: I'd have my foot in the door of a teaching job in Asia. Also, I'd be going to Asia on my school's dime, which really isn't that terrible of thing, is it? Hong Kong is a beautiful city. I really want to be chosen for this... That's right. Chosen. This is NOT a goal that I am in control of. I've written my letter of intent and all I can do is hope that it gets me an interview. After that, I can just pray that I've impressed them enough to pick me as one of the lucky 8 people from TESL to go. I hope I can achieve it.

Cleaning my room, part six

Yep, I'm still cleaning. This is getting pathetic, but at least it's getting done. The main problem is that I have too many books and not enough bookshelf space. The books then go in bags and boxes and then boxes and bags take up floorspace. I'm trying really hard to organize this a little better, though, since I may be moving into my "own place" (and by "own place" I mean my nonna's apartment upstairs).While it won't actually be my apartment, it will be a place to put all my stuff. Hopefully, I'll have room for all my stuff up there!

Do you want to know what I found this time? Let’s see: some extra wristbands from Ships and Dip III, some long lost books, a million socks (not all have partners), school supplies, some American change, books, about a year’s worth of Cosmo (from 2007-2008), some books, course packs and essays from CEGEP, a couple books and, have I mentioned books? SO. MANY. BOOKS!

Okay, I can understand why I have so many books: it’s no secret that I buy a ton of books. If I see a book I want to read, I’ll buy it, I don’t borrow from the library. I also have a lot of books I’ve had to buy for school (textbooks and such). I feel that having many books (that I’ve read and can display and talk about) is a sign of my intelligence. Weird, right? Cause there’s no way I can look smart with my room in a complete mess. It just doesn’t work.

Ugh. Well, I guess I better get back to cleaning. I’ll keep y’all posted!

Cleaning my room, part five

Cleaning my room. Again. It seems this is all I do. I guess it would go faster if I cleaned more and blogged less, but that would also mean it would be less fun.

I cleared another laundry basket full of, well, crap. I did get to hang up all my teaching clothes, which I really should have done a while ago. AND I took some pictures of really nice pieces of clothing that I've only worn once or twice. If my loyal read(s) want(s) anything, let me know.

Alright, what else did I find? Some old essays from when I was in CEGEP and could write a 2000+ word essay in 3 hours and still get a 90%; way too many o.b. tampons for someone who NEVER uses them; a toy gun, still sealed; one silver sandal (I thought I had given them away, so now I think I only gave one away... oops); the charger and earphones that go with my old cell... Yeah, and a bunch more stuff.

Lately, I find that all my doing is shuffling stuff from one place to another, without really knowing WHERE to put things yet. The night table and dresser, which I was so proud of for cleaning, is now all cluttered again. I still have a lot of work to do.

I thinkI want a yogurt now...

Cleaning my room, part four

It's been exactly one month since my last "cleaning my room" blog. I haven't done much since then: in fact I think the lack of doing anything made my room regress a few steps. Whatever. Today, I'm finishing the left side of bed, possibly starting on the right side. One of the big things I've noticed though is that I seem to have A LOT of books (and no where to put them). Textbooks, novels, cookbooks... just a lot of books with no home other than on the floor or in a drawer or on my dresser.

Along with cleaning my room, I need to somehow find the time to clean my bookshelf in the computer room. That bookshelf holds my painted ceramic pieces (which are really really crappy and I don't understand why my parents display them so proudly), all my books from before I graduated high school (as in, my La courte échelle series, my R. L. Stine series, my The Cat Who series and my Bruce Coville series), and a couple of CEGEP textbooks. I don't really want to get rid of all this (except the ceramic, it's really crappy), but I don't want to leave it all there either: there's no room. Maybe I should get a bookshelf to go in here when I'm done cleaning? One to match the new bed my parents will buy me? That might work...

I do have some shelves in here, but they serve no purpose, really. The top two shelves are too high for me to reach without a step-stool and the other three house my stuffed animals, my dictionaries/MELS info, my CDs and (surprise, surprise) MORE BOOKS! I never thought I'd say this, but maybe I have too many books?

At least I've read them all. Some, I've read multiple times. And I'm a reader, so it's normal, right? It's a sign of intelligence, isn't it, to have read so many books? Not all of them (read: a very small selection) would be considered "high literature," but I learned in my Sci-Fi class this semester that "literature" is what you make it, not what a critic tells you. A book does not have less value because it doesn't fall into a specific category, every book has something to offer.

K, well, I guess I should clean?

Ugh.

Cleaning my room, part three

I'm inspired. I've got my laptop in my room, blasting the new Barenaked Ladies album All In Good Time along with the rest of my mega awesome iTunes library. I've got the new Chris Moore book Bite Me on my bed, in case cleaning gets too unbearable. I've got a bottle of water at my side and the determination to finish my long dresser.

Want to know what I've found so far? Notes from the summer class I took in 2008, the USB key I used in CEGEP (graduated in 2007), a chemistry textbook (the last time I took chemistry was 2005), some sheet music from my high school band (played sax!), directions to a new store, it just opened (in 2004), two pattern packages for sexy dresses, scrabooking crap, half a dozen books and CDs that belong to my ex friend's ex boyfriend. And I haven't even looks IN my drawers yet to see what kind of clothing I've got in there. My prediction: bras in like 4 different sizes that don't even come close to fitting me anymore.

Most of what I just mentioned is completely useless to me right now, except maybe the pattern packages. They're for "plus" sizes, so I must have already been fat when I bought them. As you can tell from these pictures, the dresses are super cute. I just need to commandeer a sewing machine and, perhaps, some time and I can maybe make a dress or two this summer...

Maybe not this summer, actually. Two summer classes and a trip... I'll be pretty busy. Better than being bored all summer, I guess. It's not like I can get a job, as a university student with a job waiting in September, no one is going to hire me for 45 days during the summer. 45 days where I'd be unavailable on Sundays and weekday afternoons from 1-4pm. Nope, not getting a job. Not happening!

On another note, I also found 3 pairs of sunglasses. Couple that with the two pairs I just bought and the four pairs I keep in my basket in the washroom and, well, I've got a lot of sunglasses. They're my main summer accessory! I can't wear red sunglasses with a pink shirt, I can't wear pink sunglasses with an aqua shirt, I can't wear my big green sunglasses other than on St-Patrick's Day and wearing the same black sunglasses get boring. Here's where I need your help, dear faithful reader(s) (I'm still not sure I actually have more than, like, 4 "faithful readers lol): How should I store all these sunglasses? They don't have cases, so telling me "in their case" is not a valid suggestion. My current thoughts are either in individual ziploc bags in a small drawer in my dresser (provided I can clear a small drawer) or in a basket on my dresser. I'm not liking the basket idea too much, because I'll lose space and they'll get all dusty and eww.

So, leave a comment and let me know your opinion. Oh and let me know if you want the scrapbooking crap :P

Cleaning my room, part two

For Pete's sake, how the HELL did I let my room get to this state? This is terrible! If I were underage, I'm sure my mother would have been reported to Youth Protection, although my room's messiness is no where near her fault. You may have dust bunnies, but I have dust godzillas (did I already make that joke? No matter, still true). Last time, I attacked my night table, which was an incredibly cathartic experience. I relived some high school moments when looking at photos of my then best friend (who is currently not even in my wide circle of casual acquaintances). I was able to part with old love notes from three different ex-boyfriends. I found a bunch of expired painkillers (you'd think I had a problem!) and parted with $100+ of useless old face creams. AND I cleaned off about 3 feet of dust (okay, I'm exaggerating, but it was still a lot).

Today, I started on my long dresser (I have two, a long and a short one). Guess what? MORE CRAP! I haven't finished it yet (took a break to transfer coins from my Carnival Cruise cocktail glass to my actual piggy bank), but I've already got half a bag of garbage and half of bag of clothing to donate to charity. I've also found more jewelry than I know what to do with. Not good jewelry, not gold I can send in to those TV commercials to get instant cash, noooo... crappy jewelry that I've accumulated over the years. Jewelry that I'm not sure why (or when) I bought and that may or may not be tarnished beyond recognition. Jeebus, when did I have all this money to spend on garbage?

I wish it was the kind of garbage that people would pay for on Ebay or something... But this is just crap and it would probably cost more to ship than someone would be willing to pay for it. So, I throw it out. Or give it to charity. Or offer it to my friends...

I hate cleaning, but it needs to be done. I'm going to Italy for 5 weeks or so this summer and my mom will most likely throw everything out (and she would be full within her right to do so) while I'm gone if I don't clean up.

Cleaning my room, step one.

People don't go in my room. I rarely have friends over to begin with, but when I do we stay in the kitchen or living room or outside (during the summer). The reason for this is that my room is a mess. It's horrible. I have clothes and suitcases and papers and books and jewelery, well, everything on the floor. I've never been good at keeping my room organized. When I was younger, my mother and I would throw everything on the floor and do a HUGE clean-up once a month. As I got older (and had more personal items that I didn't want my mom to find) I told her I'd do it on my own. I failed.

It's been at least 7 years since I rearranged my room into something that I thought was more "grown-up," but all it did was divide my room in two parts: easily accessible and where I dump all my crap. This has resulted in me not cleaning my room properly in at least 5 years. You know dust bunnies? I have dust Godzillas. It's terrifying.

I tried to clean it this summer before taking off for PEI. I managed to put almost everything boxes or giant reusable grocery bags... and then put it on the "dump all my crap" side of the room. I didn't touch my night table or either of my two dressers. In fact, there's one dresser than I haven't used in at least 10 years. it's full, but don't ask me of what, I can't remember.

Today, I made a choice. I started cleaning my night table. I found: info for applying to university (I applied in 2006), medication that expired in 2005, a bracelet I had been looking for since 2007, lip gloss I haven't worn in 3 years and a multitude of empty cream and lotion containers. Why have I been keeping all thing garbage? I filled a HUGE garbage bag with crap from my night table alone! That's not normal!! I can't live like this anymore. The dust can't be healthy and there are books that I know I have and just can't seem to find. I think if I rearrange my room back to how it was (with an open space in the middle instead of having my room divided by my bed) I'll not only be able to keep it more organized but I'll be able to work better (right now, my desk is on the "dump all my crap" half of my room, with books and papers and randomness all over it... and my desk chair is in my closet).

Wish me luck! I'll keep you all posted.