Happy Holidays to all!

I know it has been ages since I have written, because the holidays can be so thrilling (minus the drama, which can be thrilling in a rip your fingernails out type of way).  So far I have caught up with old friends, spent time with my family, caught up on my napping and Harry Potter watching, and am now ready for some homework (I know!)

I did want to update from my -(Christmas) post, where I declared to get rid of much more than I got.  I did manage to get rid of 66 items, which I was quite pleased about, but with the triple whammy of being cold, Christmas, and my birthday, I acquired 29 new items, although twelve of which are pairs of socks, and many more involve battling winter (gloves, hat, long undies, blanket).  Overall I am quite satisfied with the departure of things from my life, although I still feel like I have too much.  Alas, such is the American curse.  Perhaps I should move to Australia in a backpack.  Perhaps I will!

Let me make one thing clear. Mr. Splashy Pants is the best name for a whale ever. I am not the only one that thinks so.  Don’t know what I am talking about? Become informed.

Don’t listen to this fool. Take part in the democratic process, and help Mr. Splashy Pants realize his full potential!

After much advertising, purchasing, and all the other strange things that go on during this holiday season, I have decided to make the absolute value of this Christmas to be negative (haha, not possible). Most years I accumulate more and more things that I have to move around and feel guilty about. This year, this will not be the case. I mostly hate stuff. Unless it proves useful on a fairly regular basis, there really is no need for it.

I am not the only person that hates stuff either. Much smarter, more accomplished business people hate it too. I highly encourage you to read that essay. There are also people that do completely without purchasing anything new! Anyways, back to the pack rat in me. I have too much stuff, as do most people in our country. So, I am proposing a Christmas Challenge, or “miracle of de-clutterification and giving”. This year, I would like to have a net outflow of possesions and goodwill. You can join me. I will be posting my triumphs and tribulations in this area throughout the month, or perhaps in one shebang at the end, tbd.

*A note about purchases that I find worth their salt: experiences, income generators, health and education-ers, and life improving gifts for my closest loved ones. I am not without spending fault. One day perhaps.


Also, I dislike the bitter cold of winter and its demotivation for being outside, but I love the sunsets. I have concluded that my bedroom view is amazing, and that my camera is a jerk for keeping the best photos from today locked up.