In my quest to straighten out my life by Chinese New Year, I have spent all day today cleaning my room and trying to decide what I REALLY need to keep and what I can get rid of. I want to be clutter-free by Thursday. So, I have had to admit to myself that I am not going to read Sex and Temperament by Margaret Meade or Selections from Emile Durkheim or Pure Heart, Enlightened Mind (ok, I was never going to read that - this selection was one of the many, many gifts that John - my ex - gave me with no apprent thought to wether or not I would actually WANT it, and I have always felt too guilty about that to just throw it away). The thing is, I wish I were the sort of person who would read various Margaret Meade books or Emile Durkheim just for the fun of it, but I am not an intellect in that sense of the word. And while I'm at it, good-bye three of the four Chinese Calligraphy sets that different folks have given me througout my life. I apprently look like someone who would like one of these Chinese Calligraphy sets - and I am, but lots of people have already thought of that - so don't get me any more! Good-bye favorite purse from the 9th grade. Good-bye ugly shirt from Aunt Helen. Good-bye holiday socks - yes, I have a sock obsession, but how many pairs of Christmas socks does a girl need? The answer for this girl is "ONE." Good-bye red wrist-warmers with rainbows on - I wish I were that hip! Good-bye beautiful decorative box - you know you have too many pretty knick knack boxes when you are desperately struggling to think of what to put in this newest one.

I hope I can get this finished in time for Chinese New Year. I hope that my room looks less cluttered by then. It actually looks worse than when I started. I had tucked most everything away somewhere and now it's all over the floor.

So swing past my house later this week - there's going to be a "free" box out front.