It's just a shadow, but...

January is finished, and in the grand scheme of things, was a fairly decent month. Definitely better than the January of last year, although that one was not as bad as some initial months of years past. I managed to get back into the One Room flow, to some extent. A very small extent. OK, I didn't really focus on any single room, but I did send some things off to new homes. Did my part to stimulate the economy by making some money for eBay and PayPal. Did a few things to move forward on an idea I have been working upon. Oh, and I made a few rugs.

So, now that the month of the groundhog is upon me, I will keep with that slightest of forward momentum. Perhaps this month I will actually get a room cleaned.

Don't look now...

Has it really been THAT long? Wow. One could easily get the idea that things have been abandoned by the lack of communication, and one could be close to the truth. Sort of, that is. No, I've not given up on the project, but let's just say that the last year was not the most conducive for progress. That's an understatement.

OK, a new year is upon me, and much like the other lemmings of the world, a new resolve is upon me. This is sparked mostly by an inner dialogue along the lines of "good lord, look at all my shit cluttering up the place." Yeah, me telling me that. So, today I shall begin anew to make money for eBay, and perhaps remove some of the less important material items from my existence.

You Only Thought I Was Done

I'd like to say that I removed all the clutter in the last few weeks since I last posted. I'd like to say it, but it would not be true. I have removed some via the trash collection service, and I am preparing to remove other clutter via the online adoption service ( known by most as eBay). There have been some serious modifications to the living quarters, soon to be discussed. I was selected to participate in the advancement of medical knowledge. Oh, yeah, and I have a job.

Heh.

Think I will just leave with that last little bit of news taunting everyone...

Just a moment

Well, I have to say that there are moments, and then there are moments. Like most human beings, I attach a value to moments, defining some as good and others as less than good. Take, for example, that moment while watching the AFI 10 Top 10 and realized I had ALL ten of the animation films, and patted myself on my back for my good taste in film. Or the moment that I looked at the table my son refinished and felt great pride in what he accomplished. After just a little guidance and a few tips from me, he worked diligently and transformed an old, stained second-hand cast off into a beautiful piece of furniture that deserves to be given a place of honor in any room. Or take, for another example, the moment I watched the backyard bunnies run around the garden, happy in the knowledge that the fence I put up was keeping them out. At least, keeping out the larger ones. I have to make some adjustments yet, as I noticed that baby bunny was able sneak in and dine on some of the garden growth. I guess that gave me a moment of frustration, but not a long one. I'll be "huntin' wabbit" soon enough.

Then there was another moment, also in the realm of frustration, that occurred recently. It had to do with the project. Way back when, early on in the project, I decided to add to the clutter, if only for a short time, and for the purpose of raising some money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. One might recall (or can reread from the archived posts) that I bought a large lot of fast food toys. I sorted them, found a number of complete sets, a number of incomplete, and a few strays. The complete sets I listed, some of which sold, and made a few cents for the NMSS. The incomplete sets are still sitting...there. The strays, however, I put in a big, white garbage bag, so as to slowly ration them out into the 'Free Stuff' basket we use at our GaYaPo sales. Now, somewhere between the last sale and this moment I managed to, well, create a situation. During that situation, several bags of "garbage" went out to the local landfill. Fast forward to the current month, where I decided to sell items to raise money this time for the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America. Ready for the frustration? I searched and searched again for the complete sets that had not sold, all to no avail. A thought entered the chaos called my brain, and I searched for the big bag of near 100 stray toys. Not finding it, a new thought entered my chaos, and that moment flowered into further frustration. Yep.

Oh, well. Now the frustration has turned toward that fact that NOT ONE of the things I have listed for MSAA has sold, and I await a moment of joy to replace it. In the meantime, I continue on with the guest room...

Because of a cause

I was a bit distracted in late February and early March, the details of which I will leave undiscussed at this time. The distraction did cause me to lose track of the project, as I have mentioned earlier, and it also caused me to miss an event that is generally important to me. Just because I missed it, however, does not mean that I still can't observe it. In fact, I have even more reason to observe it now. Therefore, I am making June my own Multiple Sclerosis Awareness month.

Some explanation is in order. First, I have MS. Had it for some time now. Second, the disease has brought some health care procedures into my life that, well, are not cheap. The medicine I inject every day costs my insurance company nearly $2000 a month. While I don't have to pay that much for it, they manage to reclaim some of the cost by allowing me to pay a large portion of my annual MRI expenses. Some years our portion of the expense becomes quite a challenge for the Mrs. and me, but this year I am blessed. An agency known as the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America is paying for my portion of the cost. I am blessed.

In light of this, I am going to list some items on eBay during June and give 80% of the proceeds to MSAA. Kind of my way of giving back, since lack of employment makes it difficult to do anything else. I invite anyone reading this to check out what is available and pass along the word to others. Just look for "MSAA" in the title of my list of items for sale, and feel free to bid, bid, bid!!

Vacancy

Since I last wrote, I have put a fair amount of energy into the project. Probably more than I have in quite some time. Granted, I can make no claim that any ONE room has been completed, yet I have managed to remove a few items from the clutter. We also had a guest using the guest room for a few days, which made a bit challenging to do anything in the room, except perhaps take naps. Cats do love naps. Nearly as much as I do.

Yes, our guest was a cat. Not just any cat, not some stray we found sitting by the garage, which in truth we did. Beautiful little thing, too. Timid yet tame. Obviously a cat that has made some human happy. Yet, there was no room in our inn for that cat, as I was reminded, and so I told the cute feline to find the way back home. Then I went in and assured our guest he still had the room to himself. Mostly. Our youngest feline made a visit or two, or three. Or more. Sure, I allowed him in for most of the visits, but his longest visit was when he snuck in. When our guest left, our little guy had to follow and say goodbye.

So, time for me to get back to preparing our guest room for the next set of guests, who show up next month. Thankfully, I won't need to keep a food dish, water dish, and litter box in the room with them. Sadly, I doubt I'll be allowed to snuggle up and take a nap them.

Re-something

I was not sure how to title this post. I thought of 'resurrection' for a bit, but given that the word generally connotes something died, I opted out. Nothing died. Not me, not the project, not the intent and purpose of the project. All is still present. Me, the project, the clutter. Granted, there is a bit less of the clutter than the last time I put energy into it, but that only goes to prove the adage "a woman scorned" more than anything. Long story.

I thought of 'revival' for a bit, but that seemed more fitting for medical or religious topics, and while they both have some merit in the grand scheme of recent time, it still did not feel an accurate description for the project. Again, long story.

Recycle, reenlistment, reappearance. Nope, just not right. I admit that these words also work to describe the effort, and the life, but not the project. Once again, long story.

So I will just title this post as best I can, and pass the message along to anyone who reads this that there is stuff listed on SwapSimple, half.com, and eBay for the taking. Buying, rather. Please feel free to do so, and I will avoid the long story.