Good News!

Well, guys...I have some good news!  After years of waiting, four years of high school, four of undergrad, and three more of graduate school...I am finally a librarian.  And I don't mean in that way that most of my coworkers refer to "Oh, you have your MLIS, so you're a librarian."  I mean, I'm an official librarian in an official librarian position.  I have finally done it!

So, There's This Guy...

I can't remember the last time I posted a legit "lovey-dovey" entry on here. But, for those of you who have been around since the beginning, you know that Em has fallen for her fair share of men.  Today, there's a new one.  And by my calculations, this is the first real crush I've had since Movie Boy back in college (three years ago!).

So, to keep things short and sweet, there's this guy who comes to the library a lot.  We talk a bit, and he comes to my programs.  We're friends on Facebook, but he's rarely online, so I can't use this as a consistent means of connection.  I've "known" him for about two years.  We've not hung out outside of the library, so I can't say that I know a lot about him.  I do know that he's very sweet, a little shy, gets along well with everyone, and is Catholic, which is perhaps the biggest deal for me.

I've been trying to figure out how to talk to him more.  But, I'm usually busy (since I'm at work) and I give him about as much time as I can muster.  But, I'm going to try to spend more time with him when I see him, try to break the ice, and try to get him to talk a bit more.  He's not so shy that he doesn't talk, but he seems like the kind of guy who might have trouble taking the first step to initiate anything.  From what I see of him online, he likes to keep busy, but it doesn't appear that he has a lot of super-close friends or that he's dating anyone.  Mostly spends time with family (that's how I am, too).  I don't mind initiating things, and have asked guys out before, but I want to stay professional (nothing professional about asking out patrons!) and honestly, I would like to be the one pursued instead of the one doing the pursuing.  You know?  I asked Movie Boy out years ago.  I wish it would have been the other way around.

Long story short: Emmy likes a guy.  Not sure if he feels the same way about me (although, it's not as though I've been super-obvious about it on my end, either).  If you have any suggestions for moving things along, then feel free to share.  If not, stay tuned, and hopefully I'll have a little more to tell you about in a few weeks.

Work Update

I have a job interview on Friday.

For a librarian position.

Wish me luck.

Graduation, Japanese Food, Rant

Hey....So, I know I haven't been writing real posts in a while.  So, I thought I'd pop back in to update everyone on how things are going.  First, 31 Days of Halloween is a bust.  I tried, but I've just got too much going on to keep up with a creative post every day.  So, um...I apologize in advance to anyone who was looking forward to that.  It's over for the year.

I've not been posting much because life has not been that exciting.  I mean, I'm enjoying it, but it's not really something you post on your blog about, you know what I mean?  But, I do have a few big things to announce.  In August, I got my MLIS, so I am officially a librarian (in educational status only).  In job title, I'm still doing the same thing I was doing before.  BUT...there have been some postings in my area, so I'm applying for jobs and will keep y'all posted if something comes up.  Right now, though, I've not heard anything.

In other news, there is a guy I'm somewhat interested in.  He comes to a lot of my library programming, so I see him at least once a month.  Sometimes more.  And he's super sweet, my  parents have met him and they like him (although I don't know if he knows those are my parents....).  Yeah, so I finally sent him a friend request on Facebook.  And we've talked a bit.  But, mostly, I'm the one initiating everything.  So, I can't really say that he's interested in me.  But, he's cute, sweet, a hard-worker, and he's Catholic.  So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  Let's just hope that he also loves anime and we'll be good to go.

But, in all seriousness, I'm not really sure that he's interested.  Conversations fizzle out pretty fast, and he never starts them.  Doesn't sound too interested to me.  But, that's okay.  I'm not head-over-heels myself, either. 

Since I'm now out of school (and still single) I've been picking up new hobbies.  One of which is Asian cooking (mostly Japanese).  I can make onigiri (rice balls) easily enough, and have started rolling my own sushi using canned tuna.  But, my latest trip to the Asian market brought back a box of sweet rice flour and some Adzuki beans.  That's right--I'm making sweet red bean mochi!

Finally, I just want to have a little rant against one of my Facebook friends.  This is a girl I went to school with, but we don't really talk anymore.  I probably should just unfriend her, but for some reason, I've stayed in touch.  Anyways, long story short, her boyfriend broke up with her.  It happens.  It's hard.  I get it.  But, all of her posts lately have been about how terrible he is (because he broke up with her) and how hard her life is now (because he broke up with her), and how strong she clearly is (because she's taking this breakup so much in stride), and how she is SUCH a good person (because she would do ANYTHING for people, but they won't do anything for her).

Okay, so I'm going to break this down piece by piece here....

1.) Your boyfriend dumped you.  This happens to people all the time.  It's sad.  It's frustrating, and I'm sure you wish you were still with him.  But, how does that make him a bad person?  I know I wouldn't want to be with someone who didn't want to be with me.  Don't make him the bad guy for wanting something different in life.  It's not as though he cheated on you.

2.) You were dumped, but that's not the end of the world.  Your life does not suck.  You don't need to post about how you are so lonely and always drinking wine.  That doesn't sound healthy.  Go out with your friends.  Get a hobby.  Do SOMETHING instead of moping around like this, and looking for crumbs of affection from your Facebook fan-base.

3.) You're not being strong if you have to keep posting about how strong you are.  Strong people don't talk about how strong they are (at least not without prompting).  They just live their lives and show you they can handle themselves.

4.) She is NOT the kind of person who would do anything for people.  We used to be friends, and while she expected the world of me, she let me down time and time again, to the point where we stopped talking.  That's why I'm wondering why I'm still Facebook friends with her.

End rant.

I hope y'all are doing well.  I'll try to post more to keep you in the loop.  Goodnight, and sleep well! 

31 Days of Halloween #7

Today, I would like to share one of my all-time favorite movies.  While not a horror film, per se, this creepy, atmospheric, and surprisingly funny film is one that should be watched at least once, and then again and again.  About a day or so after borrowing it from my local library, I went to the store and bought myself a copy.  I have absolutely no regrets.

Delicatessen is a fascinating tale of a post-apocalyptic world.  We are introduced to the residents of an apartment building, owned and run by a butcher known as Clapet.  When a drifter, and former circus performer, Louison turns up on Clapet's doorstep, he's given a room and a job as a handyman around the building.  What he doesn't realize, though, is that Clapet and the rest of the tenants have a craving for meat in a world where food is scarce.  And when circumstance presents drifters, loners, and the like to the apartment, Clapet prepares all of his guests a sumptuous feast of the poor, cannibalized individual.  There is a hitch in Clapet's plans, however, when his nearsighted daughter falls in love with Louison, and tries to warn him of the danger that is waiting for him if he stays any longer. 

This hilarious, suspenseful, and artistic film includes two of my favorite French actors, and my favorite French director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet.  As for the actors, they played the roles of Clapet and Louison, respectively: Jean-Claude Dreyfus, and Dominique Pinon, sometimes known as the man with the rubber face, due to his eccentric and expressive features.

If you watch this film, let me know in the comments what you thought.  Either way, I'd love to hear your opinions!

31 Days of Halloween #6

 

I love short stories.  They're bite-sized pieces of literature, just right for a busy schedule.  This was just a little something that I had stumbled upon online.  Nothing special at first, but very creepy as you continue reading.  While I wouldn't say it was the best thing that I've read, I will say that it was a chilling and certainly original, which is more than can be said of a lot of pieces of writing nowadays.

So, if you're ready for a chilling short story about a man and a watch and a horrifying creature from the depths of a depraved imagination, then I present to you:

If You Ever Hear Someone Talk About The ‘Tick Tock Man’ — Stay Far, Far Away

31 Days of Halloween #5

Fans of horror literature cannot escape the reach of these two writing greats.  Whether you prefer the classic gnawing chills of a Poe story, or the more visceral, aggression of a King story, you are guarenteed to find something to chill you to the bone in one of these author's collections of stories.  I'd say that mostly I'm a Poe fan, but for now, let's just enjoy a rap battle between two of the greatest minds in horror.

31 Days of Halloween #4

So, I participate in a librarian group on Facebook.  And the best part about being a librarian group on Facebook is the book recommendations.  Everyone always has some cool suggestion for your next read, and it can be a lot of fun finding other readers who also happen to work in libraries.  Lately, the big post is regarding scary stuff.  Namely, what's the scariest book you ever read?

So, I thought for today, I would share a list of the scariest books that my fellow librarians have read.  And as you can imagine, these are pretty well-read folks, so I'm sure you'll find something to make your blood run cold.

• NOS4A2 (Joe Hill)
•  House of Leaves (Mark Z. Danielewski)
• It (Stephen King)
•  Dracula (Bram Stoker)
• Koko (Peter Straub)
• I Remember You (Yrsa Sigurðardóttir)
• Fangland (John Marks)
• Salem's Lot (Stephen King)
• Amityville Horror (Jay Anson)
• Sybil (Flora Rheta Schreiber)
• Uzumaki (Junji Ito)
• Ghost Story (Peter Straub)
• The Shining (Stephen King)
•  Three (Sarah Lotz)
• The Offering (S.J. Hill)
• Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
• Silence of the Lambs (Thomas Harris)
• Communion (Whitley Strieber)
• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series (Alvin Schwartz)*
•  Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson)
• Through the Woods (Emily Carroll)

*I would like to add for this one, the scariness comes not just from the stories, which are creepy on their own, but from the nightmarish illustrations that accompany each tale.  Newer editions of the book have "sanitized" illustrations that do nothing to set the mood.  Either read them as Schwartz intended or don't read them at all!

31 Days of Halloween #3

I love a good online game.  But, since my coordination is not the best, I prefer to spend my time playing puzzle games.  There is less pressure to time things "just right", and it can be fun wracking you brain to find the secret and advance in the game.  Since we're in something of a paranormal mood right now, allow me to suggest Vortex Point as your next online game.  There is a whole series right now, with at least seven games.  You can find the whole collection on Arcadestreet, which is one of my favorite sites for online gaming.

Each game focuses on the fictional town of Vortex Point, where a detective agency comes across weird and unusual cases that you get to solve.  Sounds fun, right?  And if you enjoy these, CarmelGames (the creators) have a whole bunch of other titles, which just get increasingly silly and fun.  Vortex Point is probably the most serious of the bunch, but either way, I think you'll enjoy them.

31 Days of Halloween #2

 

I love Japanese culture, food, art, and language.  I hope to visit Japan someday, and have been (slowly) learning how to speak, write, and read Japanese.  Of course, for every wonderful thing about Japan, there are some totally creepy things, including today's posting for 31 Days of Halloween.  While it's not some crazy yandere looking for her sempai, these crazy creatures from Japanese mythology are nothing to mess with, and will almost certainly kill you if you crossed their paths.

From demon cows to giant skeletons, these are just a handful of the monsters of Japan!

31 Days of Halloween #1

Welcome to this year's first of 31 days of Halloween.  I know I've said this for the past few years, but this is going to be the year that I finally get through all 31 days with posts and videos.  And to do that, I'm going to streamline things considerably.  So, instead of long posts with lots of exposition, I'll just post what I have, and offer a little bit to say about each thing.

Vsauce is one of my favorite channels on YouTube, because of its fun take on science.  Plus, it tackles a lot of strange questions that we would never think to ask.  For example, what does human taste like?  Gross, yes, and of course very creepy (there is always something nightmarish about cannibals), but an interesting question.  For those of you who are interested, follow the link to learn about this and other interesting things from Michael at Vsauce!

Halloween Month is Coming!

My favorite month is coming, and that means I'm going to be trying (once again) to complete my 31 Days of Halloween goals.  So, hold onto your hats; there are some spooky, creepy posts coming your way, full of haunts, and ghosts, and ghouls...and trivia and videos...well, you get the idea ;)

So, consider this your final warning...Halloween is coming, and this blog will be bursting at the seams with all manner of sweet and spooky things!

ASMR IRL

So, I while back my blogger buddy Robby wrote up a blog post about ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response), that tingling sensation you get along the scalp, shoulders, and back of the neck when you hear certain sounds (like whispering or something really crinkly) or when someone plays with your hair, etc.  Ever since seeing that blog post, I've been watching ASMR videos almost daily.  I love them, and I love the sense of relaxation that comes with the videos.  But, I never get that tingling sensation that everyone always talks about, or if I do, it's just a hint of a tingle.

Well, the other day I was at work, and I had this strange feeling.  A woman was shuffling some papers at the desk, and I realized after a minute or so that the sound was giving me some serious ASMR, because my head, shoulders, and neck were all tingly.  Who'd have thought that after all those videos and all that trying to experience this sensation, it would have come from a completely random source?

100 CC #1: Tortilla Flat (John Steinbeck)

When I was in high school, John Steinbeck was my favorite writer.  Rereading Tortilla Flat after all these years has reminded me why.  When it comes to books, there are those that you read, those that you experience, and those that you climb into and live in for a while.  Steinbeck's short novels have always had that effect on me.  In particular, it is those novellas that focus on a group or a small town that really had the most profound effect, especially Cannery Row, Sweet Thursday, and of course Tortilla Flat.

This is the story of Danny and his friends, a group of paisanos, which Google tells me is a group of Spanish or Italian peasants.  Growing up, I always looked at them as poor Mexican/American immigrants, so I guess I was a bit close.  Basically, they are a group of poor ruffians who go on adventures, stealing wine and chasing women until they accidentally draft themselves into the war in a drunken fit of courage.  Upon returning, Danny, who becomes the leader, learns that his grandfather has died and left him an inheritance: two houses.  In a social circle where no one else has a house, let alone two, this is a huge boon for Danny, but his friends worry that it will make him distant and aloof.  But, instead, this newfound property draws to it a ragtag group of characters, including righteous Pilon, clever Pablo, and the humanitarian Jesus Maria.

Despite taking place in 1930s California, this story is a retelling of the exploits of Arthur and his knights.  Our heroes go on adventures, feed the hungry and shelter the homeless.  They give offerings to the saints and punish scoundrels and cheats.  It is a beautiful, romanticized story of a group of men just living out their lives.  I have two quotes which I think apply here.  One came from the back of my copy and is attributed to William Rose Benet: 

The extraordinary humors of these curiously childlike natives are presented with a masterly touch.  These silly bravos are always about to do something nice for each other, their hearts are soft and easily touched: and yet almost absentmindedly they live with atrocious disregard for scruple.

And this second comes not from Tortilla Flat, but from another Steinbeck favorite, Cannery Row:

Its inhabitants are, as the man once said, “whores, pimps, gamblers, and sons of bitches,” by which he meant Everybody. Had the man looked through another peephole he might have said, “Saints and angels and martyrs and holy men,” and he would have meant the same thing.

This is one of my favorite books, and for good reason.  It captures an essential glimpse of humanity, and romanticizes it so that each character becomes more than himself, larger than life.  It's hard to really capture the essence of Steinbeck in a review like this, not if you really experience him the way I do.  That's not meant to sound pretentious.  I'm just saying that my experience is hard to put into words ;)  If you're looking for something to read, and would like to try Steinbeck, this is a great place to start.  But, be warned: this is not a book that can be read fast.  It must first be experienced and savored, like a fine wine or a rich dessert.  Never rush Steinbeck.  You'll miss out on so much.

100 Classics Challenge

So, I know it has been a little while since I've posted, but I'm excited to announce a new reading challenge!  I'm finding that my summer reading theme of "professional fan-fiction" is just not working for me right now...because I'm finding that I would rather read the classics which inspired these books than the adaptations.  So, I had an idea.  What if I just read the classics and skipped the rewrites?  So, I decided to do that instead.  But, summer is almost over, with just about a month left.  So, again, I had an idea.  This challenge, which I'm calling the 100 Classics Challenge (or 100 CC for short) is going to be an ongoing program, starting now and going until I finish (few months?  few years?  Who knows?).  I'm not going to read just classics in the time it takes me to finish, but when I do read one, I'll include a review of it here.

As always, if you would like to follow along, please feel free to do so.  Also, feel free to suggest titles in the comments.  And if you want to participate on your own blog, let me know so I can see what classics you're reading!

As for what makes a classic, here's what I'm going off of.  These are the books that are still be published today, even if they were written twenty, thirty, or even 100 years ago.  This means no "modern" classics.  I'm not going to be reading Harry Potter, for example, but I might pick up Ragtime, since it's more of a "classic".  Titles like Silas Marner, David Copperfield, and Frankenstein are all fair game, as are more obscure books by writers of classics, like some of the lesser known works of PG Wodehouse or GK Chesterton.  For more ideas of what I'm going for, feel free to ask, or check out this guide by Italo Calvino.

As for what I'm reading right now, it's not a classic, per se, so I won't be posting right away.  But, I'm excited to start a new reading challenge and share this with all of you.  Hope you'll join in the fun!  Happy reading :)

Library Boy

So, there is this cute guy who comes to the library and attends my programming every month.  I've had my eye on him for some time now, and we talk a bit, but I don't want to come across as too forceful (since the librarian shouldn't be making her patrons uncomfortable).  But, anyways, we talk a bit when he comes in, and I've really enjoyed our brief conversations (I still have to work, and he seems a bit shy).  Well, anyways, my coworker told me that he asked for my full name today.  (I think someone might be looking me up on Facebook....)

Fingers crossed, lovely readers!  I would love to get to the "let's grab a coffee" stage of things with him someday.  He seems like a really nice guy.

SR 2016: Romeo and/or Juliet (Ryan North)

Romeo and Juliet is one of those classic plays that most students have to read for a literature class at some point in their academic careers.  In my case, I've read it twice--once in junior high, and again as a freshman in high school.  It's a good play, of course, being Shakespeare, but if there was one thing I would say it was missing, that would be the opportunity to make your own decisions instead of being forced to watch two hormonal teenagers act out the tragic path that fate has in store for them.  So, of course, when I found out there was a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure equivalent of Romeo and Juliet, I jumped at the chance to read it.

*N.B. This book takes a really long time to read, since you have so many options to choose from, and so many endings to find.  With that in mind, I'm actually writing up this review before I complete the book, but I've found at least 10 different endings so far, so I think I'm qualified to start writing about it now.

Anyways, back to the review.  This is a hilarious book that really takes a classic tale and turns it on its head.  Whether you liked the Bard's original or not, this is a really funny book.  So, you know the story: two teens meet at a party and fall in love.  Even though their parents are enemies, the two get married, plan to tell everyone later, and then things go to hell in an handbasket and they both die.  What a lovely story!

Well, Ryan North's version is a little different.  In this tale, you can play as either Romeo or Juliet (as well as other unlockable characters) and try to live out your perfect love story.  Romeo is what you'd expect: he's a love-sick puppy who makes horrible choices and really loves brunch.  Juliet on the other hand, is a muscle-bound bodybuilder whose hobbies all involve boys and muscles.  So, pretty much what you would expect here, too.

So, basically, just like those choose your own adventures that we read as kids, you get to make choices for each character and try to find the most happy ending.  Some of the more interesting subplots involve Romeo's encounter with a creepy librarian, and Juliet's decision to kill or not kill the fiance her parents arranged for her.

And without giving away too much, some of the endings involve lions, getting chased by a naked man with 30 swords, and literally becoming a glove.  Some of the plotlines will make your laugh until you cry, and as for the others, well, the last thing you could call them is boring.

Oh, and did I mention the illustrations?  Yeah...those are amazing!  And each one is by a different artist :)

I'm be trying to finish this up over the next few days so I can post about it on Goodreads.  But, in the meantime, this is one down for my Summer Reading 2016 experience!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there, but most especially to my father of the blogosphere, O.F.  I miss you, you know.  I hope you're well.

The Big Boss

So, I have a performance review coming up.  And that always gets me thinking about my ultimate end-game for my career.  The more I work in a library, the more I realize that the only mobility after librarian (the next step up from my current position) is manager.  And the more I think about it, the more I think I might want to be a manager.  I want to be the big boss.

Naked Snake AKA "Big Boss" (Metal Gear Solid)

Okay, maybe not that Big Boss...but I want to be the boss.  Normally, this is not something I would ever consider.  I have always hated being in charge, because I would always butt heads with someone bigger, louder, or older than me, and that power I grasped for a split second would fizzle out.  Then, I had a couple of really frustrating group projects in grad school.  And I realized that being the group leader (aka, the boss) was actually pretty nice.  Being in a position of power, doling out the tasks to everyone, actually gave me a sense of satisfaction in a job well done, and allowed me to keep things organized.  It was very freeing.  Sure, the group didn't always listen to me, but that was because we were all on the same authority level.  The only difference was that I assigned tasks.  Being a real boss means that I actually am in charge.

And being in charge means I get a gold statue of myself, right?

So, I'm hoping to talk to my current managers about getting some management experience.  I don't want to leave my library, and I don't intend to, but if a management position opens up, I want to be able to apply for it.  Heck, if a librarian position opens up, I would like to be able to apply for it, and I believe that showing some initiative in the management portion will look good for me in an interview.

So, yeah...that's what's going on with me.  Until next time, dear readers!

Coming Clean II

Today, I tackled the closet.  Just to put things into perspective, my closet was so crammed with clothes that I was not wearing, that most of the stuff got wrinkled just from being pressed up against the other clothes!  And good luck fitting everything in there.  Oftentimes, you'd find my shirts and pants hanging over the backs of chairs because there was just too much stuff and not enough space.  Well, not anymore.  I got rid of 25 shirts, and I have a few more that are in the "consideration" pile.  Now, Kondo does not suggest using a consideration pile, but I'm not quite ready to commit to just tossing or keeping...at least, not just yet.  What I've decided to do is put the items that are up for consideration back into the closet, and once I go through all my clothes, I'll do one more sweep and see how I feel about them at that point.

It was hard to get rid of a few things.  Mostly, because I really liked the item, but A.) It doesn't fit, or B.) It's out of style.  But, I'm feeling pretty good right now, even after a few of my old favorites went to the donation pile.  Kondo points out that this is okay.  The memories you had of this outfit will still be there, and what is the point of keeping a shirt you'll never wear again?

I'll be honest, I've never liked cleaning, but I'm feeling pretty exhilarated about this whole process!  It's exciting, and I like seeing the drastic change.  My usual procedure is to get rid of one or two things at a time, pause, wipe the sweat from my forehead, and think "Well, that was a job well done!" and then go back to my cluttered little life.  This was a lot more involved, but I feel much better about it.  Plus, I was able to find some old t-shirts that would make great pajama tops, and I can discard the pajama tops that I'm currently using.  It's a win-win :)

Next, I'll be tackling the miscellaneous clothing left on the backs of chairs and stacked in piles when I didn't have room in the closet.  After that, the dresser, and then I move on to my books.  I'll keep you posted!

Until next time :)

 

Coming Clean

My living space is something of a mess.  Now, I wouldn't call myself a slob, per se, but I tend to be messy.  This is mostly because I'm something of a clutter-bug.  I stock up a ton of stuff, and just can't bring myself to get rid of it.  When your cleaning routine is basically just shuffling too much stuff into different spaces, you're not doing it right.  Now, I've cleaned my room many times before, and had it looking amazing.  And then, six months later, its back where I started.  My mom has stepped in once or twice and cleaned it.  And it has reverted the same way.  After a certain point, we both decided that it was probably never going to change, and no one has touched it since.

Then, while I was hanging out with a friend, she mentioned that one of her other friends had just read Marie Kondo's book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and supposedly, it changed her life.  So, finally fed up with tripping over the same pile of junk while trying to get to my slippers, I went online and requested it from the library.  It's a small book--just over 200 pages (including the index), and I'm almost done with it.  This book has the potential to change everything.

Of course, that sounds silly.  How can one book change your life that drastically?  Well, remember--I'm a book person, and books do have a profound effect on me.  But, there is a simple beauty in Kondo's theory for tidiness which makes me think that this could work for me.  My biggest issue with getting rid of things is quite simply guilt:

• I never wore this, so I feel like I wasted money if I give it away
• This was a gift; I didn't like it when I got it, but I don't want to make that person (who probably forgot they gave it to me) to feel bad
• I'm going to get rid of something and someone well-meaning says "Oh, are you going to get rid of that?  It's so [insert word here: awesome, nice, cute, sentimental, etc]

Kondo's approach is to take each thing in hand, and decide if it brings you joy.  It sounds silly, but makes a lot of sense.  That skirt I bought but never wore doesn't make me happy.  It hangs in the closet like a guilty reminder of money poorly spent.  Those books given to me by family and friends that I read once, didn't like, and never want to read again?  Of course they don't make me happy, since they take up space and I didn't like them.  Or, that outfit I used to fit into but got just a little too chubby to wear?  Doesn't make me feel good to see a constant reminder of my weight gain.  Cleaning these things out not only helps me to clear out clutter, but also helps me to clear out the clutter in my heart and start fresh.

Kondo recommends starting with clothes, and dumping every single piece of clothing you have in the middle of the floor, and going through all of it at once.  I'll be honest, that's just too big of a project for my current schedule.  So, instead, I'm tackling one thing at a time, and I started with my sock drawer.  And I'm blown away by the change.

Now, these are not actual pictures of my sock drawer, just images I found online, but I want to show you the difference:

Before:

 (If you can believe it, this is not as messy as mine was)

After:

When I went to clean the drawer, I could hardly get it open.  Once I finished, I didn't want to close it, because I was too busy admiring my work.  If this is what it will feel like to keep cleaning, then I can live with that.  I got rid of a ton of stuff, and while this new method does not allow me as much room as before, I feel better having less stuff.  My methods of storage were great, since they allowed me space for more things, but more things means more clutter, and I feel so much better right now.

Stay tuned for more cleaning updates.  I'll be tackling my closet and dresser soon, so this should be interesting......Part II: Shirts!