evlEwt

 Mow, mow, mowin' the lawn. No longer is this just a favorite dance move of mine, but also a favorite pastime. I love the feel of the fresh cut grass. I love being out, and feeling the sun on my skin. I love getting exercise without touching equipment that other people have recently touched.

This has become primarily my chore, because I want it to be. We have a 1930s, rotary-blade lawnmower that is completely people-powered. It does not smell like gasoline, is excellent for the environment, and it makes a purring sound as it cuts. Plus- I own very little land, so it doesn't take very long!

People have reacted very interestingly to my mowing the lawn. Most people see the lever contraption and say things like, "what a good workout!" While it is a good workout, pushing a newfangled lawnmower would be a better one. This is due to the fact that the new ones are far heavier!

Two of my neighbors were excited that we were using the rotary-style because they too had used them for upwards of 30 years. That's because these things are good quality! As former rotary-oweners themselves, I will take any advice that these men have to offer. After all they have mowed old-school before.

The confederate-down-the-street, who fixes lawn mowers, even gave us a kudos for trying out the manual machine. However, he did also offer me a discount on a new one if I ever changed my mind.

Then there's Mr. Mansplain. Mr. Mansplain wants me to stop mowing to listen to him tell me how much harder my mower's going to be than a modern day lawn-mower. I don't know what makes him knowledgeable about this. Owning a modern lawnmower? Being a man?

The fact is, he's wrong. I mow my lawn with the speed of a pouncing mantis shrimp. It's not difficult at all, and I love it.

 

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NEvEle

Recently, I succeeded at something that many before me have already attempted. I lost weight! This is not an easy task for anyone, but I was determined.

First, I did my research. I needed a diet plan that wouldn't annoy me too much, and would be easy to remember. This is not an easy task. Elimination diets and calorie counting both leave a sour taste in my mouth. If my diet was going to require too much focus, then it wasn't going to work. Period.

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In the end I turned to Michael Pollan. Michael Pollan isn't a nutritionist or physical trainer, but rather a food anthropologist. He knows more about food, food history, and culinary traditions than most of us. Through his studies, he has made a set of simple recommendations that manages to anger both vegetarians and meat eaters. These recommendations are straightforward and based on his research of how people around the world eat and have eaten through the centuries. Boiled down he is promoting a diet of food that is naturally found in the environment, rather than artificial concoctions. However here is his full recommendation:

"Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

Now that's a diet that I can remember and follow! Next in my research was the advice that surrounds hacking the process. I know that there is no easy panacea for weight loss, but I am happy to take every shortcut that I can get. The best shortcuts and aids that I could find came from this article appropriately titled "40 no-dieting tips to lose weight." Here is a list of my favorite tips from the list that I regularly use. 

1. food journaling (yes, everyday)

2. getting an online weight loss buddy (I have 33 of them at the free forum I joined!)

3. get a mantra (mine is "I am hungry for water)

4. sniff a banana when you're hungry (I sniff cinnamon sticks)

5. throw your fat clothes away for good (this occurred during my decluttering)

6. make one social outing this week an active one (Aerial yoga, hikes, paddle boarding)

7. eat 90% of your meals at home

8. If you're going to indulge choose fat releasing foods (Dark chocolate for the win!)

9. try hot sauce, or cajun seasoning

10. eat fruit instead of fruit juice

11. drop your milk type- my mom has had me hooked on skim for awhile now

12. snack on a small handful of nuts 

13. get most of your calories before noon

14. close the kitchen for 12 hours

15. put less food out and you'll take less in

Last but not least, I followed the cardinal weight loss advice: Move more and drink more water. I started drinking 8 oz of water as soon as I wake up to perk me up and start me off on the right foot. Then I counted my water intake for the rest of the day. I found that while full on water it's harder to be hungry for food. 64 oz a day is a lot! I felt full! Hence the inspiration for my mantra, "I'm hungry for water." 

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I also got my butt moving. I created a plan that would be too fun for me to fail. This meant two days of Zumba a week, playing dance games at home and running on the other days. Running is the most boring of the three, for me. However, I had a plan. I would listen to audiobooks ONLY when on the treadmill. That way I wouldn't be bored while I was doing it, and I'd be encouraged to keep going to hear the next parts of the story. 

It's quite a large plan, but I wanted to cover my bases. I wanted to succeed. You see, I didn't only attempt this goal to fit into my gorgeous structural Jessica Simpson dress. Losing weight also happens to be a strategy for managing Psuedotumor Cerebrii. Psuedotumor Cerebrii is a mostly innocuous condition that I have, that if untreated can lead to vision loss. I had no choice, I had to lose weight. So, I did. 

EnIn

Let the bell sound for ROUND TWO. DING DING DING!

I have officially decluttered my apartment for the second year in a row. I have now relentlessly purged and ordered. Hallways can be traversed once more, and knick knacks have homes. My apartment finally seems like it can breath.

The impetus for decluttering was The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo. I was determined to follow her regimen strictly this year, downsizing my giant katamari-ball of stuff. If done right, Kondo promises, I will love everything in my space, ideas will come more freely, and I may even detox and lose weight. Who knew such great perks could come from throwing away excess q-tips!

Determined to declutter dogmatically, I reread Kondo's manual and referred to it as I went. "I have just finished decluttering papers. Now I must declutter komono (miscellany). I just need to beware of mementos. Mementos must be saved for last. Mementos are the downfall."


Kondo has a specific order for how one must declutter in order to emotionally tackle it. She doesn't expressly say that this is why - but this is why. Since her methodology is based on "joy sparks" in the heart, she pushes you build up some stamina and kindling before letting you tackle the dreaded mementos. Even though you may love your sister, and you love the kindness with which she bought you the green "unusual words" book, you want it gone. It carries with it a happy memory that you are thankful for, but you still want it gone. This is ok! Strictly following Kondo's rules, I thanked the book for happy memories, and shipped it to Goodwill.

In order to sense the heart's "joy sparks," Kondo demands a sensory experience. You have to fondle each item and determine if you are madly in love with it or not. In order to fully have a one on one moment with each item, you own, you should first gather all items of that type into a pile on your bed before handling each one. During this process I learned that I love lace, the color blue, patterned clothing, and black accessories. I also learned that my love of stationary runs deeper than I knew. I've been collecting postcards from everywhere I've gone since my elementary school field trips (Yea Luray Caverns!)

Discarding in this holistic way did not strike me as strange and/or revolutionary. I have always cleaned by sorting this way. However, I have not always organized in the Konmari method. For the first time, my socks do not sit in balls. My pants are stacked vertically instead of horizontally, and my books, playbills, and empty journals all live in one place.

If you'd like to declutter using the Konmari method you can follow these steps:

 1. Read The Life-Chaning Magic of Tidying Up. It's a short book. It won't take you long.

 2. Do Marie Kondo's thought exercise. Ask yourself, "What is the lifestyle that I want?" Then, ask "why" at least 3-4 times.

Here's mine: I want a creative lifestyle, with lots of color, comfort, and room to move and dance. Why? Because movement and creation make me happy. Why? Because then I've either created something beautiful on paper, or with my body. Why? Because unlike my childhood self- I want to SHARE my beauty and creations with the world. I want to be a beautiful presence in the world. Why? I mean THE WORLD. I want to travel and be able to easily do so. I'd rather experiences over material possessions. 

3. Put everything of one type in a pile and discard everything that doesn't spark joy.

4. Reorganize neatly what remains.

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Did I lose weight using the Konmari method? Hell, no! However, I did end up reorganizing every room in the house for better flow. I can now have company over. I've rediscovered my fossils and put them on display. My hammock has been freed from it's proximity to the litter box, and I have enough space to hula hoop. It works for me.