Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love

I just watched a video of a reading session with Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love. I haven't read the book yet, but people keep recommending it to me. And having bumped into this video--I was looking for something that was not even book related--I've decided it's time to get my hands on it. After the move.

Reading is the ultimate guilt-free procrastination method for me. And that's not something that I can afford mid-packing.

Anyway, here is the link to the post on which I found the video. And here is the clip for your viewing pleasure.

Life Without TV

Maybe not entirely without TV. We've been without cable or any other service with hundreds of channels for several months now.

It all started with a rude customer service agent. Long story short: hubby canceled our cable and remains firm on the Time-Warner-Doesn't-Get-A-Cent stance.

At first, I thought it would all blow over, so rather than get FiOS or Direct TV, I just waited. But the weeks went by, and he was still sharing his unhappy experience with the Time Warner woman with everyone we know. And we still had no cable.

After about two months, I sat down to show him the prices and plans for the other possible services, and that lead to a great conversation. We realized how much not having those channels enhanced our day to day lives.

• Productivity was up for both our businesses, as well as our personal projects.

• Sleep came more easily--though admittedly, not really earlier. We're night owls.

• Time to hang out together and with others doubled... maybe even tripled.

So we've made an executive decision to stick to our local channels and movies. No more getting sucked into the TV until some embarrassingly late hour. It makes for a nice news diet, too. Honestly, if it's dire, we'll hear about it or run into it online. Who needs CNN 24/7?

Pic by Chealion

Moving Joys and Tips

I admit that lifting boxes and dealing with dirt, dust, and bugs isn't my favorite situation to be in. Still, I love moving.

It's enormously satisfying to get rid of junk. Especially those unused things that we keep "just in case." Just in case what?

I look at our extra items, and I have to wonder what sort of calamity we're preparing for that can be solved with extra cork removers, random corner tables, and a box of pens--half of which probably no longer work. Aspiring to MacGyvering our way out of a pinch is nothing but clutter... that takes up square footage.

And then my favorite part: breaking in the new place. I admit, despite the rough night--new noises wake me up--I love that odd, dreamy feeling of waking up in a new place on day two.

As for the less pleasant aspects, it helps that hubby and I have moved a lot in our lives, so we're great packers. Here's a brief collection of our favorite moving short cuts:

• Shrink wrap clothes on hangers. - When you hang them in the new place, just rip the plastic off and tah-dah! Your closet is unpacked.

• Leave clothes in their drawers. - Remove them from the piece of furniture and shrink wrap the filled drawers. Fewer boxes and, yes, rip the plastic off and your dresser is unpacked.

• Use left over plastic grocery store bags to pack shoes in large boxes. - It keeps everything clean and takes up less space than individual shoe boxes.

• Use left over plastic grocery bags for dishes. - Your hands won't be black with newspaper ink.
  

• Pack a welcome home box. - It's great to have a few plastic dishes, a couple of sets of silverware, napkins, soap, toilet paper, toothpaste, and other immediately necessary or handy items in one box to make day one more pleasant.

• Start a coin jar. - I find coins everywhere. It makes a nice moving snack stash after several days of packing.

So those are the ones I can think of off hand. We are, of course, in the midst of this. So packing advice is most welcome. What saves you time or effort?

Pic by ahhyeah.

Margaret Mallory

To: Santa Clause

From: Margaret Mallory, age 8, Dallas resident, and honor roll student.

I know you probably have my file somewhere, but since there are over two million Margaret Mallorys on the Internet, I thought I would help you narrow it down. Christmas just ended and the portable DVD viewer I requested hasn’t made it yet. At first I thought delivery services just weren’t what they used to be, but then it occurred to me that your computer might have tossed me in the spam folder.

What could have caused such a mistake? Maybe the mention of my dead hamster, the complaint letter I left the tooth fairy, or the cussing fiasco. Allow me to clarify.
While it’s true that I did at times forget to feed the hamster, it isn’t my fault that he got out. Consequently, I can’t possibly be held responsible for him getting into street fights with varmints in the back alley. I tried to bandage him, but he got jumped by a gang of rogue bunnies. Honestly, it was out of my hands.

As for filing my objection with the tooth fairy, I feel it’s a proactive step that should be commended. That’s what mommy did when the company that cuts our yard messed up the hedges. I know people in the North Pole are much more forthright and responsible, but down here they’re lazy ass jerks. At least that’s what mommy mumbled while she was printing out her letter. Anyway, the tooth I left was in prime condition and had a fair market value of at least ten dollars. Ask anyone in my third grade class.

And the cussing, that was Lucy’s fault. My Spanish isn’t very good yet, and I didn’t really find out where I was inviting my teacher to put it until it was too late.

I do hope you will reconsider your stand on the portable DVD viewer. And I’m happy to provide personal references.

Yours Truly,

Margaret Mallory


Pic by eron_gpsfs