declutter my life

Spent the last two days defragging the computer and going through the standing file in the office. Scanned the documents I need to keep for tax purposes, culled those clippings and to-do lists that are just taking up space. New mantra: File, Action, Toss (FAT). Also a great reminder that I could easily lose ten pounds and it wouldn’t hurt on the declutter route as well. Next is making copies of the electronic files and storing one off site and creating a routine back-up program for the other iff the defrag actually cleared up the issue with the cd/dvd drive. If not, then I guess it’s a trip up to Fry’s. Gah. More stuff. I think I may just use my laptop as the primary computer. Too bad some of my necessary programs don’t have the same capabilities for the mac version as for the pc; I may have to find the time to install Leopard after all (I’ve been waiting for the initial bugs to work their way out). Now if only I could get my buns to boot camp …

I wonder if having a mouse infestation is a sign? We’ve been catching a mouse a night in our borrowed have-a-heart trap—on top of the ones the kitten is catching (and often eating. * sigh *)
The count is up to ten now. We catch them, walk them up the block, and drop them off at the huge empty field that will be the transit stop in a few years. I think they’re coming from the mueller redevelopment (lots of field quickly turning into houses), but I wish they weren’t coming in to our house. But catch-and-release mouse hunting isn’t exactly a clutter-free life, since we have to seal up all the access points and deal with the mouse detritus in the attic. Squee!

We have a mouse in the house. It seems to be a little confused about the difference between “field” and “attic”. Our borrowed have-a-heart trap caught-and-released one, the dogs killed one, and the surviving kitty has now killed three. Or at least we think three. Two we found and removed from her claws, the third was based on a suspicious blood stain at her favorite spot (other than in my lap or on my head). She is now an inside kitty until this killing spree is out of her system, and I’m hoping the peanut butter in the trap in the attic will lure the one scritching above me right now. I don’t mind mice, just not in my house. And I’m hoping it’s a mouse and not a squirrel. I’ve had squirrels in the attic at a rental house. They’re a messy pain. At least mice are vaguely cute.

One of my spouse’s friends took it upon himself to try to ruin our marriage by coming over to our house and telling me everything that he thinks is wrong with me. He even told my spouse that he hated me, but liked my spouse, and he hoped it wouldn’t complicate their friendship. What do you say to someone like that other than WTF? I value friends and will always forgive them for stupid mistakes, even if they’re hurtful, if I feel they said it in quick judgment, but seriously regret doing so. However, sometimes it’s easier to let go of people if all they do is complicate your life. This is the fifth time he’s attacked me on things he’s fell are wrong with “my” personality (including calling me insensitive to rape victims, even though I was raped by a total stranger when I was 16 – not something I ever told him, because I didn’t really think it was any of his business). I hate to call another person “clutter,” but emotionally, there’s no other word for him. If my spouse continues to be his friend, I’ll question his judgment, as this man is seriously unstable. Crazy. Complicated. Clutter.

Our cable deal expired in December, and I just now canceled the HDTV/DVR service and returned the box on Saturday. Now no more food network or comedy central sigh ... that is, unless we go over to our friends’. What a great way to spend more time with friends and help declutter our debt!

Yay Craigslist! I just set up for some vaguely useful computer books to find new homes. I get a smarmy feeling whenever I take books to half priced books (they used to be cool – I’m not sure if it’s my attitude, or I’m just going to the wrong one), and they weren’t moving on half.com, so free was where they needed to be. And they’re still useful, so i don’t have to recycle them at ecology action. And they won’t be in my life much longer. Yay!

I’m shredding a bunch of bills and important documents (first scanning them, thus creating electronic/hard drive clutter, but still, it’s not on my desk and I can put off dealing with it until later). I also went through a bunch of old instruction manuals (for things that we don’t even have, or would never use anyway) and put them in the paper recycling bag. They’ll be leaving on Friday. It’s just paper, but still. Nice! (And if I get enough done today on some document proofing, I’m taking a road trip to ecology action and setting some books free from their confinement on my shelves. I say road trip. It’s maybe three miles.)