Bookcase Study

What:  Fairly recent novel.
Origin:   Book club.
Usage:  Yes, I read it.
How long kept:   I think about 2 years.
Why kept:  Inertia...it has been Out of Sight, Out of Mind on one of my bookshelves, having survived several bookshelf purges.
Destination:  Housing Works.

Confession:   One of the good things about being in a book club is the motivation to read books I wouldn't ordinarily read.   We're often reading new books in my book group, so means buying the hardcover.   If you don't like the book, you're stuck with it.   (This is another item in the case study for the Kindle.)   I didn't even like this book, which I found kind of depressing.   Why did I even keep it?   Aargh.

Digression:   We're currently reading Jonathan Franzen's Freedom.   It kind of makes me wish that I had been one of the people in the group who actually finished War and Peace, which another guy and I advocated a couple of years ago, after yet another book we read harked back to this classic.   Prior to the book club attempt, I had taken a class in college on War and Peace -- an entire 10 week trimester just to read this book -- but could only remember that Pierre was a bear, metaphorically speaking.   Re-reading the first half of War and Peace did at least bring the story to mind as I read Freedom, before Franzen actually referred to it.

Sigh.

Tin Can Alley-Oop

What:  Large-ish tin.
Origin:   It once contained caramel corn.
How long kept:   Probably since New Year's, 2000.
Why kept:  Of course, It Might Be Useful!   And it was in a rarely accessed cabinet, so Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
Usage:  Not so much.
Destination:  Recycling.

Confession:   This is the sort of thing that I always think I might cover with paint, papier mache or collage.   Good Crafting Intentions Gone Bad.

Confession, part deux:   This is an item I released in August, and neglected to blog.   I was flat on my back sick Wednesday, so I'm drawing from the archive of unused items early this rainy Thursday morning, and backdating it.   (I'm back in the game today, baby.)

Does that count double...that I'm blogging a saved but unused blog item?

Not my stuff

Not my stuff
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

However I've considered this! There were so many household items in this roll away dumpster. Mattresses, decorative pillows, tables and who knows what else!

Hotter than hot

Hotter than hot
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: thermometer
Last used yesterday when The Boy had a 102.8. I dropped it and it broken. I've had this thermometer since last century
Why kept: we may fix it but we have many others.
Destination: garbage

It also needs to go for other reason. Only "A" will get it HA

Adapting

Coffee Talk
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: "Adapter" for a replacement coffeemaker carafe.
Origin: Splat.   The glass carafe for my coffeemaker had a hard landing onto the tile kitchen floor.
How long kept: < 1 day
Why kept: I Might Need It.
Usage: Not at all.
Destination: Trash. (Non-recyclable plastic. It doesn't even have a number on it.)

Confession: I have a 4 cup coffeemaker, which I bought in 2003. (No, I didn't remember this. The receipt was in the manual, which I consulted in an effort to get a replacement from the manufacturer.)

These little guys are rare, and the manufacturer no longer makes them. I found a coffeemaker like mine, inexplicably, on ebay, buy it now for $77.00. WTH?

Thanks to the internet, I found that a generic replacement carafe not only existed, but was carried a few blocks away from me, at J&R Music. (They also have an appliance store.) The carafe came with two adapters, which can be clipped to the top of the carafe to adjust the height to fit different coffeemakers.   I'm discarding the one that doesn't fit.

Chances are that either the coffeemaker will go, or the carafe will meet the same fate as the last one. Either way, it's unlikely that I'd actually need the adaptor.

I have to say, that this is a change for me. Previously, I would have probably put this in my tool box. And then found it some time down the road, wondering what it was.

Another victory? Last week I went to a conference. The nice leather branded portfolios the conference hosts gave to us? STAG, not SWAG...my fellow conference attendees, well, "they" took the portfolios.

I did not. Thus, Stuff They All Got.

Digression:   This may be the last time I "never" go back to J&R again.   In deference to J&R being a local, woman owned business, I swam over in the rain yesterday.  I asked for help finding the carafe, which was shown as in stock at J&R via Amazon.  

A bright shiny young woman didn't find it in a computer.   She asked a supposedly more experienced woman, who told me -- without moving --  that they were out of stock.   I asked when they would get new ones, and she told me that I could get one at the supermarket.

I laughed and asked, "Don't you want me to buy it here?"    All of a sudden I realized that she was standing about 4 feet away from the display for replacement carafes.   I looked behind the front row of carafes and found the replacement carafe there.

The woman who had all the answers didn't move a muscle.   The bright shiny young woman wrote up my sale.

Digression, part deux:   In the 90s J&R was divided into "worlds" -- J&R Music World, J&R Computer World, and so on.   My friend AMO and I used to call  them "J&R Hit On World", as we were usually hit on by other customers in the computer store...IT guys on their day off, I always figured, striking up conversations about computers.

My whole life... on the frig

What: File of life. You are supposed to put your medicines and all pertinent information in this plastic sleeve. The paramedic in town know to look for it. We aren't on any meds and we lost the paper that belonged in it.
How long kept: 6 month
Why Kept: We might fill it out, it might be useful, the kids play with it on the frig.
Destination: Garbage



The Hubby picked this up at National night out.  I love that guy!

Grrr

Grrr
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Supposedly reusable tape dispenser.
Origin: Failed green ambitions.
How long kept: 6+ weeks.
Why kept: I might refill it, and thus It Might Be Useful.
Usage: Yes, think I refilled it once.
Destination: Trash.

Confession: It's pouring on and off today, and there's a Kinko's on
the ground floor here. I wanted to get a package in the mail for the
last pickup today. Bla, whine.

Well, the tape with no dispenser was more expensive, and contained
less tape, than the tape with a dispenser.

WTH?

Guilt.

Framing The Issue

I've Been Framed
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: The third of a set of three picture frames.  (The first two have been dispatched in prior posts.)
Origin: Gift from my sis-in-law.
How long kept: Closing in on 3 years.
Why kept: They Might Be Useful.
Usage: Not in a while.
Destination: Craftily re-created and transformed, and then regifted.

Confession: A couple of weeks ago I sent the second of these off to Chicagoland, also transformed, to give to my nephew for his birthday. I asked my dad to choose a photo of the little guy's dad, from the hall of fame childhood photos Dad has organized and stored. My older nephews, all under 5, love photos of their parents as children.

Dad and Mom liked different photos. I resolved the debate about which one was better by making a (more or less) duplicate of the first frame. We can give the little guy two photos for his birthday.

'Cause that's just how I roll.

Feeling Like The Vintage Idiot

Feeling Like The Vintage Idiot
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Damaged 1940s dress. (A Doris Dodson Original!)
Origin: Long ago thrifting extravaganza.
How long kept: My college friend S/PDX comes to mind.   It has been a mighty long time since we would have last thrifted together. Late 80s?
Usage: See Confession.
Why kept: Mostly, Storage Boxes are Evil, and Out of Sight, Out of Mind (the reason that Storage Boxes Are Evil).
Destination: Down the trash chute...sopping wet.

Confession: Earlier, I got rid of an oddly stinky clothing item, blaming the musty smell on vintage dry-cleaning fluid or cigarette smoke.

The smell seemed to stick to a few things in the Evil Storage Box, but to readily wash out of the washable items, and to air out of others.

This was one of the things I had saved. Frankly, I had forgotten that I had held onto it, until I found it in my closet today. I thought it has been aired out, but it still stank.

Confession, part deux: How do I describe the scent? It was kind of like lighter fluid gone bad.

And I mean gone bad like lighter fluid you might find, slightly congealing, in a bucket.    In a dark corner of Stephen King's basement.

Confession, continued: I had never really inspected this dress all that closely. It was a sundress, with straps that buttoned to the bodice. The zipper was broken beyond repair; the dress had been mended and taken in, both sloppily. There were splotty rust stains on the bodice.

Inspired by Marisa, I figured I could make a cute pillow with the unstained fabric, harvesting the lace for another purpose, and set about washing the dress by hand.

One of the straps had a stain I had never noticed. It made me question whether the "rust stains" actually happened when the last owner of the dress had been badly injured in a knife fight.

Son of confession: Laundry is my favorite home art. And I'm known for my stain removal prowess. I put this in a washtub and washed a ton of dry cleaning fluid out of the dress.

I soaked it with an enzyme tablet.

I washed it again and rinsed it copiously.

It smelled so terrible -- far worse when wet --  that I decided I couldn't even wash it with my laundry. (Those enzyme tablets not only work on almost anything that isn't supernatural, but they leave a very strong scent of "American Laundry Detergent" behind. No such luck.)

It would have to go to textile recycling on Monday. I hung it up to dry, started a load of laundry, and went to the grocery store.

When I came home, about 40 minutes later, I walked into my apartment and was hit by the lighter fluid smell.

Confession, part V: Green cred be damned. In a New York second, this thing was in a (recycled) plastic bag and down the trash chute.

30 minutes later, I have sprayed the tub the dress was hanging over with essential oils in water.  And boiled some water with cinnamon and almond extract added.   I still can't tell whether the scent is gone or not.

Like a ghost.

Spotlight on Two Other 365 Day Challenges

I've been enjoying two "sustainable clothing" blogs with a 365 day theme and an opposing tension.   One's about having less stuff, the other is about having a lot of variety.   Both are about styling by creating with materials that are already available.

The Uniform Project is a creative effort to avoid purchasing new clothes by basing a wardrobe on a single "little black dress."   Compounding the fun goodness, they engage with readers by raising money for causes they love.

Here's The Uniform Project's Sheena Matheiken from her year of experimenting with that little black dress...she raised over $100,000 for her charity project.   (And I snagged that set of photos from her website.   They had a darling animation showing all 365 days, which I had hoped to embed here.   They probably had to take it down because they used a Beatles song as background.   Too bad!  You can review the whole year of outfits here.)

This year, they're hosting women who will wear their own Little Black Dress for one month.   Love it. 

The other project, New Dress A Day, is a young woman who vowed to repurpose 365 thrift store dresses in 365 days.   Her budget?  $365.    Marisa Lynch is funny, goofy, and smart.   (She totally endeared herself to me by referring to her "chestal area," a phrase I thought I owned.   But I digress.)

Her starting point?   The.  Most.  Hideous.  Dresses.  Ever.

(I mean it.)

Then she sews, tapes, rubber-bands and safety pins them into clothes that look adorable on her.   Her focus is more on her vision than on technical details.   The photos, below, are from her blog post on Day 284.  

(And where she finds these dresses for a buck?  That's not her focus on the blog, though she opens the curtain on that from time to time.   Though she's LA based, she recently documented a visit to a Goodwill outpost in Queens where they sell clothes by the pound.   That's a little more adventure than I'm up for!)

Implementing either of these approaches require that you know what works for you, fashion-wise.  These women look great wearing things I could never "rock"!  (But I can rock both of their concepts, though I'm personally more inclined to the Little Black Dress approach.)
    
I salute both Sheena and Marisa for having mastered the art of self-promotion, something that's difficult for many of us.   Yet so important. 

Both of these efforts are testaments to creativity, and the possibility inherent in the boundaries of a challenge.   Kindness, good energy and a sense of humor trump all.   I love checking both of these blogs.  (Though this month, conversation on the UP has included some not-nice negative anonymous commenters.   It looks like they've been moderating a bit more closely of late.   Or the haters moved on.   Either way, good.)

You go, ladies!

Update, October 6:  Whoa, the lovely ladies of The Uniform Project both tweeted and FB'd a link to our site!   Thank you so much!   And if you're visiting us for the first time, welcome.   And thank you for your attention and time. 

You can find out more about our challenge here, here, and here.  If you want to join in, feel free to join our flickr group.

Swinging!

What: Baby Swing
How long kept: Well we got it with the Boy and used it with the Kid. We kept it about two months longer than we should have
Why kept: It's worth something and it might be useful for a friend
Destination: I decided to delve into Craig's list after not being able to sell it via my work bulletin board. I posted in for sale and got a nibble from Craig's list, but the person never responded. Two days ago, a friend at work found out he's having another grandchild and offered $20 from my listed $25. I took it!  I delivered it to work and it is gone!!! YAY!

I will try Craig's list again, even though it didn't work

Cutting It Out

Cutting It Out
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Flimsy plastic storage tray, part of a boxed set of X-Acto knives.
Origin: A weird family belief in storing things in the containers they came in.
How long kept: Probably 15-20 years.
Why kept: Hmmm. Let me think. Aargh probably encapsulates it best of all.
Usage: Yes, annoyingly so. See confession.
Destination: NYC landfill. Sorry, earth and neighbors.

Confession: My dad, I believe, gave me this great set of X-Acto knives quite some time ago. I heart them, and use them regularly. They came in a wooden box. One side of the box has various blades held in place by magnet strips. The other had 3 knife handles, stored in this molded plastic. 

The wooden box itself is more than a just a storage box, it's a safety device.   It will be retained. 
But every time I tried to peel the knives out of the plastic, I'm pretty sure that I swore. As you can see (lower right corner) even though the plastic was cracked, the fit was tight.   I risked cutting myself to get the knives out.   Silly.

This morning, I swore for the last time. (About this, at least.)

My dad and I talked about the storage of storage boxes when I visited home recently. Our people keep the boxes that things came in. We Might Need Them; They Might be Useful.

I broke this habit, mostly, a few years ago. In an NYC apartment, you don't have the space to store empty boxes...or even use the boxes that most things came in to store them. I have a steamer, for example, which I completely adore. It's compact enough to store in a tote bag on a hanger. The box was enormous, and would have taken up a significant slice of real estate in my closet.

Most storage boxes, I'm finding, contain more air than you think they do. Even when they look full.

I am not paying rent on air any more. (Except for the airy spaciousness I'm gaining in my apartment, and I'm kind of serious here, as I get rid of stuff I don't need.)

But I digress.

The fact that I kept the little knives stored in this plastic tray for 15+ years is kind of a corollary habit to the desire to retain storage boxes

Storage Boxes are Evil.

I'm quacking up

I'm quacking up
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What mildew duck
How long kept: too long
I could clean it but it keeps coming back
Destination: trash
The Boy said this was okay to get blogged :)

I Can't Be So Picky

I Can't Be So Picky
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Warranty address for a pair of not-so-pinchy Revlon tweezers.
Origin: See confession.
Usage: Nope.
How long kept: About a month.
Why kept: It Might Need It.
Destination: Recycling.

Confession: I can barely wear mascara (an occasional concession to my dealings in the corporate world) and I rarely even mani and/or pedi. But I'm closed to obsessed with a clean brow line.

Recently, I lost my tweezers, I think when travelling, I don't know.

I decided that the standard issue Revlon slanty metal pair I've depended on for years was, well, too lowbrow.

I'm funny.

I gulped at the $27 pricetag -- or was it $54, or $199.95 -- on the fancy Tweezermen, and thought that the Revlon knockoff would be a fine substitute.

Wrong, they were awful. After a week or so of usage, they no longer tweezed even the coarsest brow hair, they were totally out of alignment.

Revlon has a warranty, so I bought a pair of the old faithful sort. (Yay.) And decided to claim my refund, and set them off to the side.

Last night, some bobbin thread got caught under the throat plate of my sewing machine. (I was, get this, making microfiber mop heads for my old mop handle...so that I can sweep up dust and lint without the waste and constant purchasing required to be the owner of an actual "swiffer."   That's an update from an earlier blog post!   Swiff this, baby.) I decided that the sucky tweezers could be repurposed as sewing tools.

(And in fact, maybe that's what happened to my old tweezers...left behind on a trip to quilting class?)

Mind Flip

Mind Flip
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Unsolicited coupon.  The offer?  Spend $100, save $25.
Origin: It arrived in the mail, courtesy of a rewards program that I flippin' quit.
How long kept: About 6 weeks.
Why kept: I might want to save $25. Thus I Might Need It; It Might
Be Useful.
Destination: Shredder.

Confession: Having already quit the Staples faux-rewards program, I got sucked into a good 15-20 minutes of time-wasting contemplation about how I might "save" $25 at Staples.

No, it's not about saving the $25.  It's about Staples getting $100 from me...and in so doing, adding enough crap to my basket at Staples that I don't currently need.   Storing it, forgetting that I have it, or in the case of the inkjet ink they suggest you stock up on, perhaps having it dry out before I'm able to use it.

(And no, I can't use it to buy a gift card, where I could spend and "save" on my own schedule.   (Besides, Stored Value Cards Are a Trap.)  Nor is it transferable...otherwise I would have offered it up to one of our eight readers.  This consideration was part of the time suck.)

Much like the so-called rewards program, this is a total mind "flip."   I'm not playing.

Confession, part deux:  I recently met a retired senior military leader and his wife. He's a lovely guy who leads a volunteer organization where I did some volunteering. He punctuates his public speech with various versions of the verb "to flip." It was flippin' hilarious. I mention his wife because I'm sure that she's the author of this word substitution.

No belly full of jelly bellies here

No belly full of jelly bellies here
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: Old jelly beans
Why kept: I have no idea why there was an open package of jelly beans in my spice cabinet! EW!
How long kept: um, no clue but less than 2 years. I vaguely recall giving some to The Boy
Destination: trash

I probably put them away so The Boy wouldn't eat them. And then they got pushed to the back of the cabinet. They were unearthed when he requested we make my famous chocolate chocolate chip banana bread. Even further evidence that they are about 2 years old, back then I made beau coup amounts a banana bread, pear bread, apple bread for a charity bake sale for a co-worker's very sick niece or nephew. The Boy and I would get home and @ 2 1/2 he would ask what kind of bread are we making today. He's such a good helper!

None of My Business

None of My Business
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Stack of business books.
Origin: The disease of being a good student.
How long kept: Oldest from mid-90s, newest is probably 3 years old.
Useage: Uhhhh..
Why kept: I might read them, and thus They Might Be Useful.
Destination: Housing Works.

Confession: I checked resale value of a couple of these volumes.
From 4 cents to 4 dollars.

Hmpf. Business books aren't a very good investment!

Guest Post: Hi-ho! Heave ho! It's off to Good Will I go!

Hi-ho! Heave ho! It's off to Good Will I go!
Originally uploaded by heywattsky

Two-Buck Or I Chuck, the next generation...leftovers from tag sale goodness. Per "S":

"And after this haul I have another, mostly metal recycling,that goes to Beacon's Transfer Station (i.e. "the town dump," not to be confused with Manhattan Transfer). No, I never was the tiny teddy at xmas (or any other time)-type. Hmmm, but my friend Gloria is in Vienna, so I may "rescue" him for her! Good catch, S!"

Guest Post: Two Buck or I Chuck

Two Buck or I Chuck
Originally uploaded by heywattsky

From "S", and her famous and much awaited "Two Buck or I Chuck Sale" of this past weekend.

"This was my "Mad Women" tabletop--and I am happy to say that everything was sold or bagged for a morning trip to Good Will. A certain gold brocade clutch does have Kristen's name on it, so I'll swing up the hill on my way to Rt.9."

Fashion Hazzard

What: In every way inappropriate sundress.
Origin: Fashion experimentation.
How long kept: Since mid-summer 2009.
Usage: I think I wore this once this past spring.
Why kept: I might channel Daisy Duke again,  thus I Might Need It. It's Perfectly Good. It Might Be Useful.
Destination: Housing Works.

Confession: Last summer, I worked on a neighbor's campaign for city-wide office. It was hot out, and we went all over our district so that he could shake people's hands and we could hand out flyers.  Some neighborhoods seemed to call for more casual wear than others, and it was often beastly hot.  Looking for a sun-dressy-tunic I could wear with leggings last summer, I'm embarrassed to say that I bought this, probably for $9.99, at Forever 21. 

I haven't been 21 in, um, forever.

Confession, part deux: You can't really tell, despite my crack photography skills, but there's a sash around the bodice. Even with a bottom layer of a tank and leggings, I looked like Daisy Duke in this.

Confession, continued:   My yoga community is a maelstrom of peer pressure to make age-inappropriate clothing choices.   In my business life, it's challenging in a different way.  

More flotsam

More flotsam
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: the lid from the lotion that spilled (I lost the bottom of it), a gross foam ball and empty headache remedy container (with expired dated inscribed on it)
Why kept: might find the bottom, The Boy played with the ball but ewww and out of sight, respectively
How long kept: anywhere from 1-5 years
Destination: trash and recycle

This was stuck in my phone during the weekend of eww when we were all sickly. I'm getting caught up or am I just jumping in where I am like Flylady says? I say jumping right on in.... I hate to feel behind :)
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Spa-day

IMG00019-20100919-2202.jpg
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: more lotion! Argh
How long kept: I think maybe the turn of the century argh! Expired in 2004.
Why kept: out of sight. It blended into the linen closet wall. While I wasn't saving it for these reasons: it was a gift from "A". (From the nail bush with the broken pumice stone previously blogged) and I don't believe it was ever opened so it might be good. I decided not to chance it
Destination: trash

Thanks "A", I did love that set. And there will be one more to follow... Something I'm using from that set and want to finish it
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Sock it to me

Sock it to me
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: 10+ year old socks
Why kept: they only have a small hole
Last used: last week
Destination: rag bag for textile recycling

I could totally keep wearing these but they are OLD and it's time to let them move on. I found a for-profit textile recycling in the next 'burb over. U.S. Again I believe is the name. Once the bag is adequately filled, voila!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

More Ephemera

Aha!
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Business book.
Origin: Review copy I received from a publisher.
How long kept: 3 years?
Why kept: I might read it, and there for It Might Be Useful.
Destination: Housing Works.

Confession: "Seth" is a minor god on the internet. Bloggers fawn over him...obsequiously. "Seth commented on my post!" There's a certain sort of fanboy energy to this fawning that disturbs me a little bit. (Especially when I see someone I know bowing down to Seth in this way.)

This made me very resistant to his work. I tried reading this one twice, and opened it up again one more time before deciding to dispatch it.

(He wrote a very good, very slim volume called "The Dip", which is about when to quit a project or effort.)

Confession, part deux: There are several other business books on my shelves that should go. Business books are generally about a point in time. Sometimes the moment is gone almost as soon as the books hit the shelves...this is why I've sworn off purchasing these. If I can't get it at the library, I'm going to read it on a Kindle, where at least I won't pay rent to store it.

Formulating a plan

Formulating a plan
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What baby formula for the Kid
Why kept: might need it but he didn't like it
How long kept: we brought it home with us from the hospital last fall
Destination: well, my intention was to bring it to the food drive at work. When I got to work I saw that it expired september 1. I was disappointed since my plan to donate this had been formed a month ago. Sadly, I dumped the liquid and recycled the bottles. I would have loved this to go to someone that needed it. Oh well, I'll look better next time!!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Flame Thrower

Flame Thrower
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Various candles.
Origin: "M" is not the only one with a candle problem. If I may defend myself, I believe that all were gifts. (Some probably from "M.")
How long kept: At least 10 years.
Why kept: Out of Sight, Out of Mind...and you can see that they were in a storage box. Storage Boxes Are Evil.
Destination: Goodwill.

Confession: These went to Goodwill with a large brand-new gift box filled with ivory candles of all shapes and sizes, a gift from my former sister-in law.    It must have weighed 15 pounds.   Minimum.  They Were a Gift From...and darn it, They Might Be Useful!

The women accepting donations at Goodwill looked at me incredulously. My mom is my witness.

Confession, part deux: I wanted to make some grand gesture today to honor the Two Buck or I Chuck tag sale... oh well.

Hope it went well, "S"!

Off (With) These Rags

Off (With) These Rags
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Clean, but worn out, rags.
Origin: Kelly green ambitions.
How long kept: Hmmm. See confession.
Usage: Quite recently.
Why kept: Why, They Might Be Useful! I Might Need Them.
Destination: Textile Recycling.

Confession: I don't use paper towel or other paper products too frequently, or even keep them my apartment.   Instead, old t-shirts, towels and other items get repurposed.

Some of these are pieces of formerly baby-blue, formerly pajamas that were hand-me-downs from my much taller sister, "K". I loved the pajama pants, despite their toobigness, maybe because of it. How long kept? I think that I converted these from their pajama state in the late 90s, when I had worn them beyond wearable.

They later became white, and then holey, because of my guilty not-so-green secret...I use bleach for some cleaning tasks. (And vinegar and earthier products for others...) Sigh.

After washing them earlier this morning, I found that I could pull them apart with less force than it would take to open an envelope. Time to go.

Supplemented

Supplemented
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What herbal supplement for nursing mom (blessed thistle)
Origin: from Q. I wasn't sure I was going to use it but I figured what the heck
Destination: empty container in the recycle bin

I don't if this particular herb worked for me. I didn't notice a remarkable difference. Fenugreek seems to really help. That and the occasional amberboch beer (you know for medicinal purposes!)
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Exile, Period

Exile, Period
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: A stack of cassette tapes.
Origin: This was how musical stylings used to be delivered Chez "A."
How long kept: Some since the late 80s. Last purchase was probably around 1993 or 1994.
Why kept: I might listen to them and thus They Might Be Useful.
Destination: Exile On Chambers Street:  off to Housing Works.

Confession: When I saw the Liz Phair cassette, my heart fell. What a gigantic load of bad angry grrl chi...I had no idea it still lived in my entertainment center!   I thought I had exiled this one a long time ago.

Confession, part deux: This stack is far from all of my cassettes. Some are "sticky," and I need to listen to them once more before they find their Exile in Giveawayville...one way or another.

The bootleg Billie Holiday tapes I bought on Canal Street the weekend I first visited ('87) are an artifact that I may have to retain. Aaargh?

Confession, cont: I'm a big fan of ReadyMade magazine, which recently held a contest for people who had lots of cassette tapes -- how can you reuse them, or more specifically, the cases. The kids who responded all had ideas, so I know that these babies will find homes...hopefully not with angry young women.

It's A Frame-Up

It's A Frame-Up
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What:  A small picture frame.
Origin:  Gift.   This is one of a set of three, which used to hold the photos showing my now almost 4 year old nephew, when he was 1.
How long kept:  I took them down late last year, when I got newer framed photos of my nephew and his brother.
Why kept:  They Might Be Useful.
Destination:  I've recycled this into a gift...for my nephew!   A little fabric from my stash, a bit of gel medium, a bit of decoupage glue...crafty goodness.   Out of my house!

Confession:   Can't say I didn't warn you!

Trading This In For A No-Wheeler

Trading This In For A No-Wheeler
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Buddhist magazine.
Origin: Dharmic desire.  (Heh heh.)
How long kept: About 3 days.
Why kept: See confession.
Usage: I read through a good part of it, see confession. (And it had a recipe in it! WTH? I made it, sweet potato stuffed with a black bean concoction.)
Destination: I met with a group of meditation instructors last night, and I gave it to one of them.

Confession: There's a Buddhist thing about "dharma trash." You're not supposed to toss images and prayers. Technically, as I understand it, they're meant to be burned. An authority I trust has told me that shredding is an acceptable alternative.

I don't buy these magazines often, partly because I want to circumvent the desire to keep them "forever." Not just because of the disposal issue -- I have a shredder and know how to use it -- but because I think I might refer back to them for some wisdom.   They Might Be Useful.

Confession, part deux: I haven't read Tricycle in a while. This issue annoyed me, so I didn't read it as thoroughly as I might have. I'll leave it at that. 

I didn't pass my annoyance along to my colleague, she was glad to receive the magazine. (And she is hip to the disposal issue...)

I'm meeeelting

I'm meeeelting
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: rubbermaid container that didn't make it through the dry cycle (oops - I forgot to turn it off)
How long kept: 1 day. I tried to make the lid fit but even if it did fit, it's so mangled that I don't know what I'd store in it
Destination: recycle

We will have to find another container for my oatmeal that the Hubby mixes up for me. It is delish!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Parking This Paisley

Parking This Paisley
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Paisley capris
Origin: Capri mania, circa 2006 (?)
How long kept/Last used: I think I got them in '06. Maybe '05. I wore them in August.
Why kept: They're Perfectly Good.
Destination: Vietnam Veterans.

Confession: I thought I had posted these a while ago.

Confession, part deux: While these really are Perfectly Good, they had a soccer mom high waist that did not comport with my sense of style, however limited it may be.  Even though I usually wore them with a long top and nobody else could tell...I could.

When I arrived at my vacation destination, I found that I had only brought capris. I think I have to get over the capri thing. (Which, given my lack of attention to what is actually in style, may already be long over. Oops.)

Confession, part three: These high-waisted high waters had one short little leg out the door the instant they went into my suitcase: I planned to offer them to "M," and if she didn't want them, then leave them at my parents' for the Vietnam Vets drop. "M" declined.

Why did I offer these to "M"? Because I thought she might want some clothing that I deemed to be of the limited style?  (Ack, I've been re-watching my BtVS DVDs -- I don't have TV, but I'm not too high and mighty for some seriously good pop culture.    It's tempting me to talk like Joss Whedon jailbait.)

Aaargh.

Bonus: Someone actually will like these. Right?

Various

Various
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: school project (a pyramid made of sugar cubes) and misc papers
Why kept: sticky (hee hee) and they might be useful (the papers)
Destination: garbage
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Household Tips

Household Tips
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Gigantor box of Q-Tips.
Origin: Economy sized cosmetic, hygienic, and cleaning ambitions.
How long kept: A good long time.
Last used: Yesterday, when I realized that there were about 30 Q-tips left a box that occupied a large swath of real estate in my bathroom cabinet.
Why kept: They Might Be Useful.
Destination: Remaining Q-tips, to a smaller container; cardboard parts of the box; plastic parts of the box, sadly, trash.

Confession: This post was inspired by one of the Organizing Goddess' blog posts about the fate of another large box of Q-tips her mom had purchased.   I may have laughed out loud when I read it, my memory fuzzy that I was in almost exactly the same boat as her mom.

She and "M" would agree: sometimes "economy sized" is not the economic or practical choice.

Beyond repair

Beyond repair
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What. Favorite sunglasses
Last used: last weekend. I tried to wear them on Tuesday morning and there was a scratch right in the wrong place
Why kept: well, they were only kept a few days so I don't think that is too bad. They are a bit sticky (see confession) and I thought maybe I could fix them. Probably not so... Gone!
Destination: recycle bin (I figure they are plastic, therefore recyclable)

Confession: I have replaced these so does that break a rule? I don't think so because I've ridded (is that a word?) my house of something extraneous. My $14.99 Foster Grants are more fashionable I think. I'll try to add a photo


Who is that behind those Foster Grants

Not-Holders (Any More)

Not Holders Any More
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: 3 fraying and of the last century potholders.
Origin: The desire to hold pots.
Last used: In August.
How long kept: Probably since 1994-ish?
Why kept: Why, They're Perfectly Good. (And a bit Out of Sight, Out of Mind, as often as I cook.)
Destination: Textile recycling.

Confession: As a lower Manhattan resident, I thought a lot about what to post...if anything...today. But I realized that today of all days was a good day to let go, so I searched my memory for something I still owned that I actually purchased at the WTC.  

Nostalgia. The kind of weird and actually in this moment funny kind. Perhaps inappropriately so. It's complicated.  Sticky.

These babies came from Lechter's, which was on the street level of what I think was 3 WTC, near the Vesey Street exit. Lechters had closed that store maybe in 2000, and the chain had gone bankrupt at some point in 2001.

Confession, part deux: There's another black one. I hope it's in the laundry, otherwise, I'll have to give myself an "Aaargh." When it turns up, it's gone, too.

Confession, cont: The other thing I'm thinking of blogging is my neighborhood, which I've loved since I started working here in 1990; I moved here in 1994. All kinds of change upon change has been at times challenging, but (mostly) manageable.  But the passion and anger around the site seems only to become worse as time goes on.

We all used to talk about finding the "new normal".  Today, people who don't live here make careers by stirring others up...and actually shape the neighborhood itself.  It doesn't look like that's going away. Sigh.

Addendum: On a positive note, I'm going to get my sewing machine out -- right now -- and make myself some new potholders.

Update:

Thanks, Craftzine, for the instructions (which I didn't follow to the T).  Great for converting stuff from my fabric stash into something useful.  Both my sis "K" (who lurks here sometimes) and my sis-in-law "W" (who I don't think does) might recognize some of the fabric I used, since they were the generous donors.

And I'm Graduating Again

And I'm Graduating Again
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Red Wine Vinegar.
Origin: Vinaigrette ambitions.
How long kept: Vintage unknown. Possibly of the last century. See confession.
Why kept: Salad ambitions, It Might Be Useful. Out of Sight Out of Mind, a little bit.
Destination: Bottle, recycling. Contents, glug, glug, glug...down the drain.

Confession: This one took me back to high school and college chemistry, and the word "precipitate". There was so much flaky sediment in the bottle that it looked like an experiment. Ugh.

Confession, part deux: I discovered this when I was actually cooking. I used balsamic instead.

Rumination: I almost didn't post this. Why? Because I actually think I've graduated to the stage where tossing stuff like this is ordinary maintenance/garbage. Thus it would no longer be eligible for blogging under The Rules, any more than the 1/3 of a zucchini that I found languishing in my crisper drawer upon my return from vacation. Yikes.

(And in fact, I'm contemplating cabinet and fridge reviews on the first of each month, so that I can avoid ever finding something this old and unused/unusable in my cupboard. Ever again.)

Rumination, part deux: Why are these bottles so flippin' big? How much salad would I have to eat to use the standard size bottle of red wine vinegar in a year? (Personally, I don't do lot of raw veggies...my chiropractor, who has some grounding in Chinese medicine, recommended that I stick with lightly cooked.)

Paper cubed

Paper cubed
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: cube of paper
Last used: oh a few months ago
Why kept: might be useful and out of site
Destination: to The Boys school. The director mentioned that she needed note paper and I had this as extra. I also gave another one that I had at work to my officemate

I love paper and pens. I love going to office supply stores. I've been good and not buying things for myself when I visit them :)
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Fighting fires

Fighting fires
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

Broken helmet from the boy..m don't worry we have more. Kept this for too long. It was hiding in the toy box
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

I'm Graduating

I'm Graduating
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Alumni "resource guide" for my undergraduate institution. From 2004.
Origin: Someone else's fund raising agenda.
How long kept: 6+ years
Why kept: It Might Be Useful. (In some alternate universe.) See confession.
Destination: Recycling.

Confession: I found this in a file with the facebook from grad school, which I needed to check for a name yesterday. Frankly, I don't even know what kind of "resources" this guide contained. Files, when not regularly pruned, start to serve as mini storage boxes.

Storage Boxes Are Evil.

"S" is for Sister

What:  Fun mystery novels.
Origin:  Airplane reading.
How long kept:  Uh, probably 10+ years.   I believe that one of these was passed along to me for the flight back from an Asia trip, by a fellow traveler who had read it on the way over.   That would have been 1999.
Usage:  Yes, but not in this century.
Why kept:  Out of Sight, Out of Mind.   And, I might find myself without reading matter and thus Might Need It.
Destination:  To "M".  She mentioned having been up with The Kid in the middle of the night one night, reading another fun Sue Grafton tale, "G" is for Gumshoe.  I was going be visiting "M" a few days hence, and I asked her if she wanted them.   She did.   (And she knows that she can Freecycle them or drop them at the library when she's done.)

Confession:  I also gave "M" a bottle of Off Botanical, one of the fruits of the insect repellent purge.   It looks significantly less toxic than some of the more repellent repellents, and I invite her to dispose of it if it's too toxic for The Boy and The Kid.  

Bonus:  On the ride to the airport for my trip back to NYC, my dad and I stopped at the public library in my folks' Chicagoland community.   We dropped a good sized shopping bag of unloved books for their book sale/giveaway room.   Way to go, Mom and Dad!   (Not just the books, but now that my shopping bag stash is gone, look out friends and family:   your shopping bags are not safe around me!)

My dad and I also removed a couple of good sized empty boxes out of his attic.   Destination:  recycling. 

Scents of Summers Past, and Passing

WTH!?  Expired Sunblock.
Origin:  Various.   One of them was an SPF 4, left behind by a former in-law who was a tanner.
Last Used:   Ugh, who knows.  See confession.  
Why kept:  Mostly Out of Sight, Out of Mind.   They Might Be Useful (in future summers.)
Destination:   Down the drain with the contents, bottles to recycling.  (I'm in suburban Chicago, where this stuff actually gets recycled...)

Confession:  Note the expiration dates.   Ack.   I'm sure that the sunblock that expired in 99 has been used in this century.

Confession, part deux:  It smelled so good going down the drain.   Umm, Coppertone.   Nostalgia.   The good kind.

Confession, part trois:  I found a sunscreen in my mom's medicine chest that expired in 2007.  I asked her if we could blog this one, too.   (Not pictured, and I guess it doesn't really count.)

Conclusion:  I believe that this is the end of all extraneous sunscreens that could possibly exist in the 'verse of this blog.   I have a couple in current rotation, for various uses.   And lesson learned, again.   The large size is never a bargain, there's always some left when it expires.

Laboring No More

Laboring No More
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Retired bras.
Origin: Desire to use modern engineering to defy gravity.
How long kept/usage: Various, see confession.
Why kept: I Might Need Them. They Might Be Useful. And Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
Destination: Mostly textile recycling.

Confession: In the great closet purge, I emptied out each drawer. In a corner of my lingerie drawer, I found a tiny pile of suspiciously organic looking shreds, each not much wider than a hair and maybe one millimeter long.

Eew.

After totally grossing out, and cleaning out the drawer and trying to forget...I decided to try on all of the bras to see which ones to delete from my collection. Well, the 30 year old strapless bra shed more of these suspicious little shreds.  The weird shreddy stuff was the elastic on this bra, a bra I haven't worn since the late 80s.   Heaven only knows when it last fit.

Aargh.

Confession, part deux: At least one of these never fit, I may have worn it once. It was embarrassingly expensive. I gave that one to Housing Works. Is that wrong?

Regifted To Regift

Regifted To Regift
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Pine cone shaped candles.
Origin: Gift. See confession.
Usage/How long kept: Hmmm. These unopened candles were given to me in the early part of this century.
Why kept: I might burn then, and thus They Might Be Useful. Also, Out of Sight, Out of Mind.   They Were A Gift From...
Destination: To my sister-in-law and brother, for them to give as a hostess gift.

Confession: I can't remember who gave these to me. Hopefully not the family members who received the hostess gift. (And who hopefully can find the humor in this one, in the unlikely event that they happen across this blog.)   And hopefully not my sis-in-law and brother!

Confession part deux:   Stay tuned for more candles.   Sigh.

Container Shipped (To Goodwill)

What: Fantastic plastic container.
Origin:   Not quite sure.   I'm not even sure if it's mine (oops!), though I'm surely paying to store it.
Usage/how long kept:  It looks pretty darn new, and I don't know that this was ever used; it has been around for 5-6 years.  Minimum.
Why kept:  Out of Sight, Out of Mind...in a cabinet that isn't opened too often.
Destination:  Goodwill.