Cleaning up & moving on.

I've developed a worry. I worry that I'm something of a hoarder. Proof? You should see my yarn stash. Or the thousands of photo files on my hard drive. Or the decade of back issues of Martha Stewart and Print magazines.

While no one will get injured by falling piles while in my home, I do worry that I keep stuff that I just don't need. One of those things: blogs. So today, I've deleted two of my blogs, ChvChick and PunkRockGardenClub. It was a bittersweet decision, but here's my thinking...

If you're a Cheverly resident, you're aware that CheverlyExchange (the listserv) has grown into a big information/opinion hub. When we (Stella Scott, Liz O'Leary, Katie Troyner and I) started the blog, it was in response to the main Cheverly blog (ChvBlog) -- there was no Exchange, there wasn't really a way to pose different points of view (other than comments, but we wanted more.) It was fun for a while, then posts dropped off, then we thought about changing the direction, but it never really took. And now, with Stella and ChvBlog co-founder Dan moving away, it seems like the right time to put ChvChick to bed. It was a good run. We still have each other. I love you guys.

I also closed PunkRockGardenClub today, in favor of concentrating on things that are closer to my heart. Maybe someday I'll revive something like it, but it's not in the cards right now. I still love DIY (if you know me, you know that) and I'l always try to figure out a creative solution before buying, but I've felt guilty about not posting too much about this one.

So there. Some cleaning. Now, about that yarn stash...

Here's what I want to say to each of you as we start a new week...

Also, a dear friend is going to have surgery tomorrow morning -- please keep this person in your thoughts. You don't even need to know who it is to send good energy out. That's the wonderful thing about postive thinking -- it flows through all of us.

God. I sound like such a hippie. Right. I'm off to listen to the only band that ever mattered at loud volumes.

I am not going to complain. I am not going to complain. I am not going to complain.

Well, maybe I am going to complain, but only a little. I promise. And -- truthfully -- I would really call it whining, so if you don't want to hear it, move on...

You're still here? Thanks for lending me a shoulder. Here goes...

1. Some of you are my pals on facebook, so you've already heard this, but it bears repeating: projectile vomit from the upper bunk to a wide variety of surfaces (including people) below is so far worse than your regular old garden variety vomit. It covers considerable territory. It requires significant cleaning resources. It's especially stinky when the ac fan does not appear to be working properly and the temps have hovered around 90 for several days. As the Boy says, being sick sucks. (He was worried that I'd be mad at him for using that word, but I have to agree in this case. Being sick sucks. As does the residual laundry and other related stuff.)

2. Why do people build computer viruses and worms?! What the hell? Why is that satisfying? Couldn't you just go play another game of D&D? Every time the Boy uses my computer (surprise, surprise, he really likes Star Wars games and videos) I end up with a nasty stinking virus that necessitates the ENTIRE recreation of my system. This sucks. A lot. It means I can't work.

3. Well... Actually, that's all I really have. Things are challenging for everyone right now, and we're very lucky. A reasonable house, wonderful family, friends and neighbors, lots of fun things to do and creative, musical people around us, good food... I don't have all that much to complain about. This does not suck.

See? You made me feel better already. Thanks!

(PS -- Related story to #1: I scared things 1&2 about flus yesterday. I really scared them. I didn't mean to go that far, but I really wanted to drive my point home. Now Paul is afraid that he's going to die. Awesome parenting...)