In addition to getting rid of stuff, successful decluttering also requires that you stop bringing stuff home. Stop buying, stop thrifting, stop dumpster diving, stop online shopping, stop bringing more clutter into the house. A couple of days ago I was walking to work and listening to Dan Savage’s podcast
Continue readingTag: F. The Whole Enchilada
knitnut.net: Bowls I love
I love this bowl, too. Chandler Swain, my favourite potter, made it. I haven’t actually used it, since it hangs on a wall, but I’m pretty sure my Shreddies would taste great in there. Here it is with my Chandler Swain fruit bowl, which I also love. There’s a William
Continue readingknitnut.net: Decluttering, again
Everything tastes better in my Maureen Marcotte bowl, which I bought at the 260 Fingers pottery show last Fall. I’ve launched a new decluttering campaign at my place. I’m trying to guide myself with this: “If you use it, keep it. If you love it, keep it. Otherwise, give it
Continue readingknitnut.net: Last chance to join
I’ve pretty much always voted NDP, but now I’m an official card-carrying member. I signed up last week so I can help choose the next leader of the Official Opposition and the first New Democratic Prime Minister of Canada. Woohoo! There are a number of impressive candidates running for Leader
Continue readingknitnut.net: Spam and philosophy
This morning, while I was out for a walk, my computer was sending spam to everybody I’ve ever corresponded with. I’m sorry if my computer spammed you. I thought Macs were above that sort of thing. I’ve been sending email for 23 years now, and this is a first for
Continue readingknitnut.net: An unusually romantic Valentines Day
We don’t usually make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day, but this year we got swept up in it for some reason. Maybe it’s because you can’t ignore Valentine’s Day when you’re surrounded by symbols of romance, like lovebirds and a dog named Rose. Speaking of which, every time
Continue readingknitnut.net: Some cuteness and some happy news
I found all these on Pinterest.com. I hope they’re not too cute! In other news, blog reader Dawn contacted the NCC about my Skateway Robbery post, and the young man who was charged for 13 hours of skate rental received a significant refund. Yay! (See the comments in that post
Continue readingknitnut.net: I love public outrage
Sometimes I feel bad about how hard it is to change the world. It seems that change for the worse happens so much more quickly and easily than change for the better. It feels like we’re fighting a losing battle, because all the power and money is concentrated on the
Continue readingknitnut.net: Yoplait says it’s not actually their insect
The other morning I went to grab a yogurt out of the fridge. I buy the 16-packs of Yoplait Source. Eight containers on top of eight other containers, all wrapped in a cardboard sleeve. But the bottom of the yogurt container I wanted was stuck to the top of the
Continue readingknitnut.net: Skateway robbery!
GC and I went skating on the Rideau Canal Skateway yesterday. We weren’t actually planning to, and we didn’t have our skates with us. But it was such a gorgeous day and the ice looked so inviting, so we rented skates at the kiosk at Dow’s Lake. While we were
Continue readingknitnut.net: Rosie’s a happy dog
Rosie’s a very happy dog. I can tell because she smiles and her whole back half wriggles when she wags her tail. GC took her to the vet yesterday for her third set of shots, and she has gained another 1.2 kg, which is a total gain of 2.2 kg
Continue readingknitnut.net: Peanut butter blues
A naturopath recently told me I should eat nut butters. I hate peanut butter. Even the smell of it makes me gag. One time my mother married someone who loved peanut butter. We had meat and potatoes for dinner every night, and he always had to have a stack of
Continue readingknitnut.net: The politically (and otherwise) incorrect former mayor
I see Larry O’Brien has apologized. At the official unveiling of his portrait at City Hall last night, he told a reporter he was sorry about the racial slur. Instead of saying “The Spics are getting too much air time,” he says he should have said the Latinos were asking
Continue readingknitnut.net: Larry O’Brien steps in it again
Our former mayor, Larry O’Brien, has managed to publicly disgrace himself once again. This time it was by being openly racist on his public Twitter account. David Reevely, of the Ottawa Citizen, blogged the details, including the follow-up exchange with O’Brien. Now Larry has blogged about it, giving himself a
Continue readingknitnut.net: I borrowed a blind octogenarian
The Human Library took place yesterday at the War Museum and five branches of the Ottawa Public Library. There were sixty “human books” which people could borrow for one-on-one 20-minute conversations. They included: CBC radio personalities OC Transpo bus driver Muslim woman Sex worker Peking Opera performer Children’s Aid worker
Continue readingknitnut.net: You’re only as old as other people think you look
I have new next-door-neighbours again. In the five years I’ve been here, I’ve had five different sets of people living on the other side of my east wall. The most exciting set was the 23-year-old couple with the five kids (six, now). The last set was several young men who
Continue readingknitnut.net: He’s got altitude
Guess who flew??? Yup. All the way from me to his house, which was about five feet. It was a wobbly and fluttery flight, but a glorious one. I’m SO happy for him.
Continue readingknitnut.net: A little scattered
I’ve been a little scattered lately. I arrived home from work on Monday to the sound of Kazoo cackling in the dark. The whole time I was taking my boots and jacket and stuff off, she kept saying “Hello,” and laughing, and I kept saying hello and laughing back. As
Continue readingknitnut.net: A sign
Yesterday morning I was walking to work along Gladstone Avenue when all of a sudden a dead bird came hurtling out of the sky and crashed head first into a snowbank right in front of me. It was a pigeon: I could tell by its little pink feet sticking out
Continue readingknitnut.net: The high cost of loving an animal
Oboe at the Vet's I know there are people out there wondering why anyone would spend twelve hundred bucks to save the life of a bird that could be replaced for $75. It’s a reasonable question. Reasonable enough, in fact, that I asked it of myself several times last week.
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