LolaGeek

Another month, another set of bullet-point updates…

• I watched the 30 Rock finale twice. I was delighted by the ending the first time. The second time I really watched it and realized that everyone saying their goodbyes to each other was actually how they really felt about the actual show ending, and I did get a little misty…
• Watched the Super Bowl at home again, which is really the best way to do it because nobody’s interrupting the commercials. I actually paused the football parts, went and did stuff around the house, then came back to the TV and fast forwarded until I caught up to the commercials! (My favorites: Doritos with the goat!, genie granting wishes, old people getting Taco Bell, the one with Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen, and anything with a panda.)
• I was a little concerned about Katrina last week, because she was throwing up every time she ate. They all throw up a lot, so it wasn’t that unusual at first. And the first couple times, there were hairballs among the food she threw up, so I figured it was a hairball issue. But then she threw up a couple times without hairballs, and at that point it was like the third day of this, so I started to worry. Since she pretty much had no food in her stomach, I decided to see if she’d eat some straight tuna. She wolfed that stuff down and had no problem keeping it down! I sat with her all day (was working from home), and she didn’t throw up a thing, and hasn’t since. So… I think she was just being a brat and staging a protest against cat food.
• Survived the “blizzard” this weekend, which really turned out to be nothing here, but a lot of my co-workers in CT are still digging out from 2-3 feet of snow (not to mention power outages)! Heard we might be getting another storm next week though… Ugh. Weather is so inconvenient.
• Keeping up with my 2013 goals: about to finish my fourth book of the year, blogging more regularly… Didn’t send any notes last month, but felt weird about it since we just did Christmas cards. I’ll do double for February to make up for it.

One last note, I’ve started getting these terrible headaches when the weather changes. I often get a headache on rainy days, but the last two times it’s snowed now, I’ve gotten the most horrible migraine (seeing lights, feeling like I’m going to throw up, etc.). I assume this is related to the barometric pressure. I’ve seen a lot of friends mentioning that they’re getting headaches when it snows, too. Not cool, body, not cool…

So much for being a better blogger :o( Speaking of which, last call to take the reader survey!

Things I’ve done since I last wrote:

• Went to the PA Farm Show. Had a very long day looking at animals and farm equipment and eating all the food. Once again GG proves that you can’t take him anywhere! (At first it was kind of amusing, but after a while I think our friends L and S were getting just as frustrated as I was that he has to talk to every vendor or presenter… We wanted to go see stuff!)
• We had our big learning event at work. This is the third year and every time it’s been a little different. The first year, we had on-site events and tons of technical issues with the online part. Last year we kept it very simple and everything was online, very few problems. This year, we went back to having on-site and online events, and there are two 6-hour weeks (instead of one 12-hour week), one in January and one in July. It’s just as much work for us running it each time though, so it basically doubled our work. But everything went very smoothly, plus we had our contractor from Michigan in town, and it is always fun hanging out with her. I had a couple of the girls over for dinner one night, which was a hit.
• GG and I went to dinner with one of my very oldest friends and her boyfriend. She’s given me my last two annual haircuts, actually, and last year we decided that we should do dinner, but it took until this year to actually plan it. It was a lot of fun. We lost touch a little through high school and college (she moved away), but now thanks to Facebook we’ve reconnected, and we can still talk up a storm like we never spent any time apart. That’s the sign of a good friendship.
• I went out over the holiday weekend to take advantage of some sales and restock my work wardrobe. (Best deals: NY&Co was selling tons of stuff for $10 a piece. I ended up getting a bag full of clothes for the price of one of those items regularly!) Turns out every item I purchased was black, gray, or purple. (I would’ve gotten turquoise or teal things too, but those don’t seem to be in style this season…)
• I had two events for my side job. One of which was my biggest ever. The other required me to drive out in the rush hour snowstorm we had on Friday (it took almost three hours to travel what normally would take an hour), and GG came with me out of concern for my safety :o) (and because I talked him into it). I still made it and it went well, though!
• We went to see Jim Gaffigan at the Tower Theater! My friend J had asked me months ago if we’d be interested in going with her and her husband S, and got tickets. Then MB mentioned that she had gotten tickets to the same show for A’s birthday! So the six of us ended up going together, going out to dinner, and then to the show. They all actually met each other 5 years ago at my 25th birthday party, but I’m not surprised they don’t remember each other. They are the parents of all our favorite superbabies, so it was cool to get them together. Oh and the show was fabulous! My face hurt by the end from laughing the whole time. I loved the routine about shellfish and seafood, because I don’t eat it and feel exactly the same way!

Also, I’ve been reading on my Kindle, and watching TV (yes, I cried at the Fringe finale, and I will probably cry this week at the 30 Rock finale, and the upcoming finale of The Office).

Looking forward to a couple restful weeks coming up, because I see another busy period on the horizon…

To pick up where I left off… We decided to have a very casual, informal, early dinner party on New Year’s Eve (after which people were welcome to go out somewhere more exciting, go home, etc. before midnight). The number of people who were going to attend kept increasing, so on Saturday morning, GG accompanied me on a frantic shopping trip to get everything needed for the party. Frantic because it was supposed to start snowing sometime that day. We were out for a couple hours, and literally the moment we got home, it started snowing!

And then the snow continued… and continued… We had at least 4″ by the time it stopped around 5 PM. We’d been planning to see Les Miserables that afternoon, but that plan was obviously out, so I just resigned myself to the fact that was not happening. Then a couple kids came around to try to shovel our driveway, and I didn’t want to pay people for that, so I was like, “Well, I guess it’s time to shovel.” It actually was good shoveling snow – by the time GG had cleaned off his car, I had shoveled the whole driveway and sidewalk myself. And since everything was clear… we could go see Les Mis! It was awesome. I saw it live years ago and for most of my childhood I had the soundtrack memorized, but it had been a while. My one real complaint was that, while it may work on stage, just focusing on a single person’s face singing a solo piece doesn’t really lend itself to film so well. I wish they had done something more interesting, considering they had the medium of film to work with. For example, in “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables,” I always imagined it with the ghosts of the guys sitting around – couldn’t they have added in some ghost dudes? GG also enjoyed it (he was actually seeing it voluntarily, after being impressed by the cinematography when he saw a preview while at a different movie), but you should have seen the face he made when, after “One Day More,” I whispered, “And that’s the end of Act 1.”

On Sunday we went to the UPenn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology to see the Maya 2012 exhibit. I’d been wanting to go since it opened, and of course now that it was about to end we finally went. It was actually a really good exhibit. Lots of multi-media, different ways to get your interest. And pretty informative, too, even for a Maya geek like me. I also like the way it was laid out, explaining how the Mayan writing and calendar systems worked, then showing examples, explaining about specific sites (Copan), and then finishing up with modern Mayans. After the museum, we went to Percy Street Barbecue for lunch. GG had been talking this place (and their mac & cheese) up for weeks, but honestly… I was not impressed. Their claim to fame seems to be that they have the largest selection of canned beer in the country, and the food was not all that amazing. When we got home, I prepped all the food for NYE dinner that I could do in advance.

Monday was our NYE party, so I spent the day cleaning and cooking. I actually thought I’d started cooking kind of early, but I was actually still cooking when our guests got there at 6 PM. Oh yeah, at some point in the previous two days, the number of people we were expecting got up to about 12, which was way too many for me, and then down to six as everyone started coming down with some cold/flu thing. Everyone kept saying how bad they felt about canceling, but I was secretly happy. We ended up with two other couples (and our favorite baby), and that was pretty perfect. The food all turned out pretty good – it was mostly stuff I’d found on Pinterest. There were a couple things I wouldn’t do again. The big hit of the night was the Hot Chocolate Bar – everyone got a mug of chocolate, which they could dress up with toppings like marshmallows, sprinkles, caramel, candy canes, and cookie sticks. I would definitely do that again for a winter party. Anyway, everyone had cleared out by 11 PM and I passed out on the sofa. GG woke me at 11:59:55 and I counted down the last five seconds to midnight, drank my glass of sparkling cider, and fell back asleep.

Tuesday was my last day of vacation, and the first day that I could really relax. Obviously I’d given up on my home project by this point. So I spent the day on the couch with my favorite Christmas gift. I also finally ordered my Kindle! And I watched about 9000 episodes of “Buying Alaska,” which really makes those losers on “House Hunters” look like wimps.

My short workweek was a good introduction back to working, and luckily not everyone was back from vacation yet, so it was fairly quiet. A lot of those who were back were out sick. And eventually the cold caught up to me – I was sneezing and sniffling on Thursday, miserable on Friday and most of Saturday, but recovering by Sunday. I’m pretty much back to normal today. I would like to thank the power of Vitamin C!

Oh, and guess what arrived on Saturday afternoon, several days earlier than anticipated? My Kindle! It’s the new Paperwhite version. It’s so tiny, but really it’s the perfect size. I also ordered a case for it, which is due to arrive this week. I figured out how to get ebooks from my library, and have already almost finished The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

2013 Goals:

• Read 25 books (I think that’s doable)
• Send 2 cards/letters per month to people just to let them know I’m thinking of them
• Be a better blogger (more on this soon – watch for a reader survey!)

For the fourth year in a row (and just under the wire), I’m trying to put together a best-of review. I’ll confess up front, I don’t remember reading one actual book this year, so that category is out. [Edit - 1/7] According to my Goodreads list, I did read two books in 2012: Patton Oswalt’s Zombie Spaceship Wasteland and a book written by a guy GG knows about his experience with IBS. Neither was super impressive, so the category is still out. [/Edit] I’m planning to get a Kindle soon (!), so hopefully I’ll have lots to choose from for 2013. 2012 seemed to come and go so quickly, I don’t even know if I remember what all I did/saw in these categories, but I’ll try.

Movie: The Cabin in the Woods
I have to just say, this was a really tough choice for me, as I saw some amazing movies this year: Cloud Atlas, Les Miserables, The Master… However, Cabin in the Woods was one of the most original movies I’ve ever seen. It really turned the horror movie genre upside down and inside out, and I have been recommending it to everyone since we saw it.
Runner Up: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter – Ok, maybe I’m going sort of lowbrow with my choices here, but I reward originality! Yes, this was based on a book, but the story was so original and really wove the vampire thing into actual history in a clever way. The special effects were also great, and I think this movie deserved more attention than it got. (Also, I guess Benjamin Walker is just doomed to play badass versions of former presidents.)

TV Show: The Office and 30 Rock
Both of these shows are in their final season and they’re tied for my top pick. The Office, I felt, was going downhill for a while but they’re really turned things around in this last season and the story is getting pretty good. Also, I love that they’re throwing in little meta comments – like a couple episodes ago, some of the characters were trying to find a private place to have a conversation, and one of them goes, “Well, a documentary camera crew has been filming our every move for the past nine years, but I think we’re safe here.” 30 Rock is consistently hilarous and has the funniest lines to quote, so I’m really sad to see it go, but you can tell all the actors probably want to move on to bigger things anyway. I just hope they reveal what the deal is with Kenneth!
Runner Up: Fringe – Also in its final season, but not by choice, so the story has to be quickly wrapped up, and it feels like it’s moving way too fast. I wish they’d let this show go on longer, because it’s awesome.

Album: Janelle Monae, The ArchAndroid
Amazing, amazing, amazing. I would love to see her perform live (she was actually in Philly this year, but we had other plans). Definitely watch Janelle Monae, she is going places.
Runner Up: The Lonely Island, Turtleneck & Chain – Does this get an honorable mention because it was pretty much the only other album I bought this year? Perhaps. I think I like it less than Incredibad because there is more cursing, so it’s harder for me to sing along with, but musically it’s a step forward for them.

Restaurant: Poogan’s Porch
It’s hard to choose from among all the amazing places we ate this year, let alone on our Charleston trip, but this place wins for their amazing smoked gouda mac and cheese. Seriously, fly to Charleston right now and order a bowl, you can thank me later.
Runner Up: Amada – Second time on the list for this Garces Group restaurant, but it’s amazing and we ate here twice this year: once at the Revel Casino location when we were in Atlantic City, and once in December as GG’s Christmas gift to me (and, ok, for himself too).

Vacation: Charleston
GG and I took our first real vacation in several years, and GG told me on our last night there that it was the best vacation we’ve ever taken. We’re still talking about when we can get back. This trip had everything we like: food, historical stuff, food, sightseeing, museums, food, shopping, and food. Did I mention the excellent food?
Runner Up: Washington, DC – My only other overnight trip that was not work-related, but even this was work-related since I met up with some coworkers there. But we had fun doing the museums, and the weater turned out to be beautiful. I also had dinner with an old friend from elementary school who I hadn’t seen for years, so that was nice.

Oh goodness, what has happened in the past 9000 years since I last updated? We had Thanksgiving with GG’s family, that was nice, and it was also nice to not be rushing between two houses and trying to eat two meals. Then that weekend we went to MB and A’s for “Friends Thanksgiving,” which was even nicer because of course we all actually wanted to be there ;o) I cooked (brussels sprouts with bacon!), and a lot of people brought stuff, and MB and A had prepared a huge turkey. And my favorite baby R is just as cute as ever, and so smart! She says the best stuff and has the cutest giggle :o)

GG and I watched the new “Trapped in the Closet” episodes. Of course, we were disappointed in the end and I’m sure there will be more coming. (R. Kelly has said he wants to make like 80 chapters? Or 80 more chapters?! He said the story of Tina’s face twitch alone will take 3 chapters to explain!)

I got a lot of Christmas shopping done online, but I’m taking a day off this week and meeting MB and L for some hardcore last-minute gift buying. I also need to do all our Christmas cards! I have the list and meant to do them this past weekend, but I was lazy.

I had another very busy weekend with my side job a couple weeks ago, but it was a lot of fun and very very much worth it. Hope I can carry this momentum through next year! I’ve also been pretty busy with band. We’re in the middle of our holiday concerts right now, plus I’ve been designing and printing a lot of stuff (CD labels, oversized novelty checks, awards…). And speaking of designing stuff, I’ve also been asked to do some freelance web design work for a small business starting in a couple months (when the contract with their current design place is up), but in the meantime I’m helping them with social media. I met with the owner last weekend and helped him set up a Facebook page and Twitter, as well as claim their business on Yelp. Woohoo!

And I guess that’s about it! I’ve been so busy I feel like I don’t have time for my regular routines (when I went food shopping this weekend I had to dump out a bunch of expired coupons – usually I’m more on top of that; and I couldn’t even tell you the last time I vacuumed), but it’s a good kind of busy :o)

I already donated to the Red Cross today, and it was a lot more than $10, plus it was matched by my company. So I feel I am allowed to complain about NBC’s Hurricane Sandy telethon. It reminded me of the episode of “30 Rock” where they recorded celebrities talking about a generic tragedy that hadn’t yet happened, so they’d be ready to go – and just as this occurred to me, Tina Fey made an appearance!

I understand that this was a major tragedy for a lot of people. I was personally extremely lucky to not be affected at all, and I’m trying to pass along my luck by helping out others. And I know that there were some people who literally lost everything. But I found the telethon a bit over-dramatic:

• They performed songs like “Under the Boardwalk,” “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” and “Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway.” As one of my friends posted on Facebook, that’s like singing Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire” for a 9/11 tribute.
• They kept talking about how there were people who still don’t have electricity on. I know, it sucks. But remember the earthquake in Haiti? Those people didn’t have electricity on, and many didn’t even have electricity to begin with! We do not have it so bad here in the US.
• Not to put the blame on the victims, because this really was a catastrophic event, but a lot of people did not take the storm seriously or prepare sufficiently. Probably because Irene was not as big a deal as they’d predicted last year, but this was not like Irene.
• Even though it was clearly pre-recorded (referencing the Marathon that had already been canceled), they kept talking about how busy the phone lines were, etc.

And I won’t even start on the fact that in 1994, there was a huge blizzard and ice storm that knocked out our power for a week – we didn’t have electricity or heat, and couldn’t go anywhere because it was too icy – and nobody had a telethon for us…

Besides that, I have to say, a lot of places have been very cool about support for victims of the storm. My bank sent something out about how they’re waiving ATM fees and such; my company credit card is offering assistance in making travel arrangements and booking hotel rooms. I’ve seen lots of people from NYC sharing about restaurants and places where services are available, and doing nice things like this.

In related news, it appears that most of the local kids ended up trick-or-treating on Wednesday after all. But we were home tonight and ended up handing out candy to several groups of kids who did come around. Favorite costume: a blue Lego brick.

So it’s been a while, sorry. I had a whole thing I wanted to write about Chick-fil-A, but I didn’t want two topical posts back-to-back, so you’ll have to wait on that one.

We’ve been eating lots of corn on the cob. Except both GG and I prefer to cut it off the cob (a habit I picked up back when I had braces; we both hate getting it stuck in our teeth, plus it’s just a mess). How did I luck out enough to marry someone who eats corn the same weird way I do?!

Two friends had babies, and both now have a Jack :o) Natalie popped out her little nautical bundle on 7/17, and then a couple days later my coworker and friend H had her twins, Jack and Ryan, on 7/22. Those two were about 10 weeks early, though I’ve since been to visit H and seen pictures of the boys; they are healthy, eating, breathing, etc., just need to put on some weight before they can come home.

I’ve been half watching Project Runway 10 the past few weeks that it’s been on. It’s just hard to pay attention at this point when there’s still 10+ designers in the running. I’m sure I’ll focus when we’re closing in on a winner. Though this week looks to be saucy with Old Lady up and leaving in the night…

Lots of silly things happened at work, though this week will be a bit quiet since half my group is out on vacation. It’s a good time to catch up on stuff, though. (I’ve already caught up on a lot and it’s only Tuesday morning. I’ll have to pace myself.) We had this “breakfast with leadership” thing where we were supposed to mix and mingle with the leadership team, which barely happened, but I did meet someone in my own organization who sits down the hall but I’d not met in person before. Now we’re BFFs.

I stayed home from work with a one-day case of vertigo – I decided when I walked into a wall that I probably shouldn’t drive a car, plus I just couldn’t sit upright. But I could lay down, so that’s how I worked for much of the day, from my bed. (Thanks to working from home, there’s really no need to take a sick day anymore unless you’re absolutely dying.)

I watched the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics and then pretty much none of it since then. I either forget or I’m just not interested in whatever’s on. I watched some divers, and I would have watched gymnastics if I’d happened to catch it, but I didn’t. It’s ok, I learn what I need to know from NPR (just like the rest of my life).

Oh this was funny: I was out at lunch last week with my friend J – we just went across the street from our office. We were actually talking about religion, and vacation bible school and stuff (obviously I’m not particularly religious, and neither is she). About five girls came in and they were totally dressed like the Duggars: calf-length skirts, short-sleeved shirts, sandals, long hair. It was a little odd. Soon the restaurant was literally overrun with girls dressed like this, and guys in polos and khakis. It was like a Duggar convention! I saw some of them had name badges and looked up the name on them when I finally got a glimpse. Turns out there was some Christian music ministry class taking place, and they were all on lunch break. We just sat there, literally surrounded by these people, while we talked about Duggar-related issues. The funniest part was when J asked, “Are they saying grace before they eat?” and right then, this guy behind her closed his eyes and I assume said a silent prayer (and it was long) before digging in to his burrito.

And finally, my new business is going so well. Going into this, I thought, the minimum numbers you need to hit to remain active are so low, I should be able to make them, but I wasn’t really planning to being super successful or anything. They have this program for new Consultants where if you make certain goals within your first 30, 60, and 90 days, you get bonuses, and I hit the first one! And then the second one! And I’m on track to make the third one as well! For August, they’re doing another incentive with two levels – one at a certain amount, and one at twice that. I figured I’d be struggling to hit that lower one, but I’m actually almost at the higher one! The past three months with this have seriously been amazing – not to mention that it’s something I love doing. As has been my plan all along, I’m just going to ride this out and see what happens, but so far, the ride is going very well :o)

Things I’ve done in the past almost two weeks:

• Hosted a very successful Thirty-One party that included guests from every facet of my life, which was weird, but of course everyone gets along :o)
• Went to see Reggie Watts at the Troc, which was a totally awesome and bizarre show. I would love to see him again, though, because he does a lot of improvization, so I bet it would be completely different.
• Started acupuncture. It’s weird. I haven’t noticed any change yet, but he said I need like ten visits. I’ll write about this whole TMJ thing after I’ve done a few more acupuncture treatments and have some perspective.
• Teared up at the Kristin Wiig farewell sketch on SNL.
• Made some awesome foods, thanks to Pinterest, including Cilantro Lime Chicken, Honey Yogurt Berry Pops, and an awesome Black Bean and Corn Salad that is almost exactly like the one they made at this Mexican place we loved (now closed).

I have almost no plans for the long weekend coming up, besides going to a friend’s BBQ. But I do have a long list of projects I want to get done – wish me luck!

There’s been a bunch of stuff I’ve wanted to write about, and I just never get around to sitting down and doing it. It also doesn’t help that I’m so busy that I feel like I’m always just catching up with the internet – I’m so behind on reading blogs and stuff, I can barely keep up. I should just keep a running list of topics or something. Enjoy, I think this post is going to be all over the place…

1) Rhapsody in May: Our band concert was last weekend, and it was amazing. I think it was our best concert ever. The feature of the concert was that we played “Rhapsody in Blue,” which has always kind of been a dream of mine to play. As of concert day, we had still never actually played the whole thing all the way through! I have to admit, I was nervous. But everything went so well. The soloist was great, and we all got a standing ovation. I had been saying all along that after playing that, I could safely quit band or die or whatever, and I’d feel like I’d accomplished a life goal. But on the way home from practice the other night, one of the women in my carpool said something about playing “An American in Paris,” so… new life goal? (I do love me some Gershwin.)

2) The Shops at Target: I was kind of “meh” about these mini-collections when I first heard about them, but I happened to be in target last week and they happened to have a bunch of enormous signs all over drawing attention to The Shops, so I briefly checked them out. The Webster, I just walked past, it’s not really my style. I also didn’t look at the Polka Dog Bakery, since I don’t have a dog and even if they had cat treats (I don’t know if they did), we are very well-stocked on treats and toys for the kitties. The Cos Bar display was neat, but it was just like soaps and nail files, and as Target Addict mentioned, you can get fancy wrapped soaps and things for less at places like TJ Maxx. I just looked past The Candy Store, some of the things were cute, but I had no need for special candies at the time. The Privet House collection looked nice; I didn’t look at the prices on the serving pieces and things, but I liked them. However, they had this set of blank notecards with rubber stamps to decorate them (like “thank you,” “you’re invited,” etc.) and it was like $12 or $15, which I thought was a bit much. I’m kind of interested to see how the fall round of Shops does. I’m interested in the Curiosity Shoppe and Kirna Zabête; it’ll be nice to have something for the guys with Odin; and I already like Patch NYC, so I’m excited to see what they bring to Target.

3) Mother’s Day: I went out with my mom and grandmother for lunch on Saturday to celebrate Mother’s Day early. I got them both the same gift, a Scentsy warmer and some bars, and I think they really liked them, so that’s good. Lunch was good, and then we went to Charming Charlie’s, which was really fun with them, we are all big fans of accessories :o)

4) Fringe Finale: I was a week behind on Fringe, so I got to watch both parts of the finale in one sitting. It was kind of a weird turn for things to take, but they wrapped everything up at the end. (I may have shed a tear. Just one.) This show always seems to be up for cancellation and it keeps coming back, but honestly, if this were the last season, I’d be ok with it. I think they ended in a good place. But it did set things up to be where we need to be for that flash-forward episode from a few weeks ago, so I’d definitely be happy to see the show continue and finish up that storyline.

5) Get Offended Comedy Show: GG performed in a comedy show last night with the Get Offended guys. I went to this show, for once, because it was at a restaurant that was non-smoking. Well, the show started like an hour late because they were waiting for restaurant patrons to finish eating so they could clear out the area where they’d be setting up the stage. The last guy there was actually the restaurant owner, who was lingering over dessert with, apparently, his teenage kids. He finally moved to a different spot so the show could get started, and things were going really well. There was a good crowd of fans, and the comedians were good. Then this one guy cut his act short because three little kids walked into the restaurant. Who brings their kids to a bar for dinner at 10:30 at night? I don’t know, but apparently the fact that there were children there was enough to derail the show. Some of the other guys just got up and started singing. I prodded GG to go sing, which he did, and in between he made loud comments about the young visitors. I guess that finally got to them, because the dad in the group told someone that they didn’t realize they were interrupting a show, and to please continue. I don’t know if he knew what he was getting into, but the show did go on! GG was the headliner, he did a thirty minute set, and he was a big hit!

6) Pen Organizer: This is barely blog-worthy, but ever since we lost our kitchen “junk drawer,” we’ve been keeping our pens, scrap paper, scissors, chip clips, and other assorted items in a big cardboard box. This was hard to get into, hard to find things in, and generally stressed me out with its disorganization. I’ve been looking for a while for some kind of organizer thing with pen compartments, slots for paper, and drawers for our little odds and ends. Today GG and I were getting ready to go to the supermarket, and I sketched him a little picture of what I was looking for. We stopped at Michael’s craft store before food shopping, and I swung him through the scrapbooking department to show him these organizers I’d seen there that are similar, but not exactly what I was looking for. Guess what – in addition to those close-but-not-quite organizers, there was another item that was pretty much exactly what I had sketched! And it was 40% off! I was so excited! I have all my pens and stuff organized in the kitchen now and it’s making me smile every time I walk past :o)

Last night I happened to be watching HGTV when a new show came on, “Clean Freaks.” (And I ended up live-tweeting it with Amy and Natalie, which was fun!) It was amazing, I wish it was a whole series! Sabrina Soto traveled around and visited some of the most organized people in the country (one professional organizer, the others appeared to be bloggers). I consider myself a very organized person, but these people are just way beyond…

Nobody really convinced me to change anything, though. If anything, a lot of their organizing tips seemed kind of wasteful. Especially the first woman they featured. For example, in her bathroom closet, she had everything in identical plastic bins, and labeled everything. If you live there, can’t you probably tell what’s where? The labels are only useful to someone who doesn’t know where to find things. I opened my bathroom closet to see if I could incorporate anything from her, and I really couldn’t. Yes, my bins and baskets may not all match, and they are unlabeled, but I could quickly tell which held cleaning supplies, shampoo and bodywash, toothbrushes and toothpaste, foot care products (yes, I have an entire basket just for foot scrubs and lotions), etc. She also redid somebody’s closet, and ended up putting each pair of shoes into an individual plastic shoe box – which is great if you’ve got room for a million plastic boxes in your closet, but wouldn’t really work for me. Somehow my little shoe shelf system is still working just fine. This woman also recommended creating a chore chart, where you mark off with a sticker which tasks you’ve completed. What is the point of that? Now you have to keep a zillion color coded stickers around to fill out your chart, and then what, you throw it out at the end of the week? Why not do something online, or use a whiteboard or something?

One of the other women featured has pre-printed lists and charts for everything, like shopping lists. (In fact, she’s selling them on her web site.) I write my shopping lists on scrap paper, and somehow still remain organized while shopping. I don’t even color code them (most of the time). I just use different shaped bullet points for produce, grocery, and refrigerated items. I try to write them in order, but that doesn’t always happen. When this lady got home from the store, she decanted all her items into plastic containers. On one hand, I guess that’s a good way to be able to see how much is left in a box of cereal or pasta. But on the other hand, that seems like a waste of time to do, and a waste of space, as these containers are much larger than just the standard cereal box.

The one tip that I liked was to use plastic file bins to organize bags of stuff in your freezer. Right now there is not much in our freezer anyway, but when it does get messy, it’s usually because of half-empty bags of frozen fruits and stuff. Keeping all that mess organized in bins and boxes does sound like a pretty great idea.

Overall, even though I probably wouldn’t incorporate most of these tips myself, I enjoyed the show, and I think it was really inspiring for people. Plus, I love Sabrina Soto (is it because of her connection with Target? She just seems like a lot of fun). I hope they make this a real series!