Delusions of Future Order
Saturday, Aug. 28, 2004, 11:48 a.m.

QUESTION: How many plastic containers does one family need?

WHAT I LEARNED: Sometimes we must ignore disorder and go to lunch.

The vacation is a week past. A week of back-to-work is through. My daughter is now officially a freshman in college. My son has another blissful week left before school commences again. The house is quiet with one kid at work and one kid still in bed and one husband working some overtime. I am still trying to catch up from the double-whammy of vacation and JournalCon. This may take a while. My house is definitely crying out for some quality time. I am wondering if Clean Sweep could do a whole house instead of two rooms � it could be the spectacular season finale. Yes, I need to do some cleaning up and some personal possession reassessments.

De-cluttering is one of the core goals of my life � as yet unfulfilled. I have a real problem with papers � as in stacks of them, and books � as in I have too many and keep buying more. I have also noticed my clothes are heaping and piling because my closet cannot accommodate them. I am amazed, therefore, by the cool way that my daughter assesses her wardrobe and deletes a huge pile of clothes from it in a couple hours on a weekday night. Why can�t I do that? Perhaps it�s because I have suites of outfits for different weight ranges � perfect weight, okay weight, I�m-cheating-on-my-eating-for-a-healthy lifestyle weight, and the it�s-all-going-to-hell-in-a-buggy-so-pass-out-the-pasta-and-pie weight. The last stage is the most fun and consequently, that�s where I�m malingering right now. My daughter has no sentiment attached to her clothes. On the other hand, I can�t toss something given to me 15 years ago as a gift even though it really isn�t my style and hasn�t been worn in over 5 years.

There�s other stuff too � like plastic containers. My husband likes them. We wash all the plastic containers we get from Chinese carryout, and from those delicious deli-thin sliced cold cuts that you buy from the grocery, and we save them. They come in handy but don�t open the cabinet door beside the stove or you�ll drown in plastic. Another thing I have noticed is that I probably have purchased 200 pairs of earrings in my life but I can�t find a matching set with backs to save my life. It�s sad when you buy a pack of earrings at the beach �9 for $2 � and the wrapper says � teen forever on it and you just passed the big 5-0. Finding bed sheets that match becomes strangely problematic in this house too, although I like to buy sheet sets and we have more than enough to provide linen for an army of visitors. The question always come down to this � where are the matching pillow cases?

So, I am going to go upstairs and make my bed with the pillowcases that don�t match while keeping my eyes averted from the closet area at all times. Then, and only then, will I indulge in a very late breakfast (i.e. lunch) with my son. I am going to wear those $2 earrings if I can find them. And I am not going to open the bottom right cabinet beside the stove for love or money.

DETAILS: Coffee: not yet + Listening to: suburban silence + Observing: household disorder + Thinking: how will I ever get this place beautified through organization + Weather: it's summer, baby.

Today�s Suburban Strategy: A dirty garden?

Today�s Scenic Cam: A restful garden view.

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