h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I am not one of natures tidy creatures. I don't get orgasmic about neatly arranged cupbaords and my idea of nothing to do is sorting out one's wardrobe into colour/seasonal sections. I like to think I have a life. But I do like a semblance of order - and nine times out of ten I know roughly where things are.

So far, so good.

I have mislaid a letter I need to reply to - it won't blight my life if I don't, but I feel it is a courtesy to cancel the hospital appt. to which it pertains so some other poor, misbenighted sap can have the NHS inflict - oops! sorry, help them. And so began a bit of a cull of papers, that have been "filed" on a little used work surface in my kitchen. It is little used, because thats where I keep all my bits of paper I need to respond to at some point. It is a handy place. Well, I culled; I have disposed of the equivalent of two oak branches into my local paper bank. I have discovered immortal bits of writing I've been meaning to edit for the last... um.. 3 months?
At least. I have found all sorts of interesting information I meant to act on, and have begun a new file of "Useful bits of paper" (DON'T tell me I can put it on the PC.. I expect I can, but if I can't riffle through it with my hands I don't trust it. I think the appropriate term is Technophobe. Or is it prat?). HOWEVER, I have run out of shelf space, so it has now become necessary to cull the bookcases a little to make room for the new files... or.. hell, now I'm half way through, perhaps I'd better just put up another shelf?
So now I need to go to the loft to search for wood.... and then to another set of storage to find the necessary screws, rawlplugs and polyfilla - all vital components in my lexicon of shelf putting upping. Especially the polyfilla. Ah.... and the plasters. H'mm
none in the first aid box, but never mind, once I've sorted it out and culled a bit more.... and put in another little shelfette in the first aid cabinet... then perhaps, just perhaps I can find my debit card - which I put down somwhere quite safely the other day, withdraw some cash and get round to the chemists to buy some before they close for the half day.

And then, maybe I can't.

And all this because I wanted to find a letter.

I'll give up now, I think. I have just found a diary - I'm good at diaries, if nothing else. An end of May entry has just informed me that I have already cancelled the hospital appt. Small wonder I couldn't find the wretched letter! I'd obviously culled it the last time I had a blitz on the house....

Ah well, there's still a bit of plastering to do I guess.

Quick little thought.................................Loft / wood.....................errr ........try NOTto take a saw up to the loft to get wood!




Will read this again and reply properly later

Define 'tidy'???

Oh, I am definitely the wrong person to ask.

I like to think that I keep my home (and myself) somewhat tidy - at least enough to function. But like you I end up with stacks of papers and STUFF that seems to have no real place. My box of files is bulging at the moment with years of paid bills stubs and bank statements and other such things. On top of the file box is about half a year's worth of similar papers that I have not managed to file yet. I often wonder why I bother.

Anyhow, I think a house looks more like a home when it is not *so tidy* that it looks like nobody lives there. *Homes* need to have a certain amount of disarray happening so they look lived in and comfy. At the moment my living room (where I have my computer) is looking quite lived in with a stack of newspapers on one table, a few piles of books here and there (will put them back on the bookshelves one of these days) and of course the ever-present cathair tumbleweeds which is quite normal for this time of year. I mean, when one has three cats one cannot get too fussy about this sort of thing. Not to mention the light dusting of dust that seems to cover everything within 24 hours of cleaning. Have sometimes considered going all Quentin Crisp in my cleaning habits. Apparently he once lived in a room in New York that he didn't clean for 30 years! He said that after the first couple of years you really don't see much difference.

But it does seem like I am always tidying *something*. And yet the place never ever looks immaculately clean. Which makes me wonder how people with full-time jobs (including commuting time) and kids and all of that manage to keep their houses tidy at all. On the other hand, self-discipline is not one of my virtues. It seems there is always something more interesting to do than clean out cobwebs from the ceiling corners and suchlike. Perhaps I should start wearing my sunglasses in the house? It's a thought.

az

Isn't it something to do with the difference between a house or a home??

STUFF is an essential part of life - whop can function without it??

hi Shhhh,

Yes, well, I definitely NEED all of my stuff! Or so I think. And I think I did make the difference clear between having a house or a home. Homes are full of stuff, all the time. Which is what makes them a home.

I had a friend in Toronto that had the tidiest house you could ever want to imagine. Her kitchen was always totally spotless, her bathrooms totally shiny and super-clean, her living room never had a stray paper or book lying anywhere it wasn't supposed to be. Her white sofas were pristine. Cushions and strategically placed coffee-table books were postioned as if she expected to have a magazine shoot happen at any given moment. And well, one day she told me that her father had come to visit her and his first comment on seeing her flat was - 'My god, girl, it looks like nobody lives here!' She took umbrage at this. I laughed out loud. I mean, honestly. How much fun can that be?

az

Have you considered shaving the cats? I threatened my cat Fang with a number one all over, and it was AMAZING the lack of hairs shed over the next few weeks! (And they say cats/"dumb" animals don't understand! Hah!)

Hummm - there has to be a distinction between the two states - house and home
A distinction not including cat shaving and other odd persuits!

Oh - excuse me


Hiya Az - Piacere

Humm - this needs more thought - I'll go tidy up my car and come back with thoughs anew!!!

piacere?

Don't ask me... I've got me tin hat on incase you got miffed at my suggestion of threatening the cats with the clippers!

Take that tin hat off already, it looks silly. Nope, the hair clipping idea is not a bad one - but have you ever seen a shaved cat? They look sillier than you in a tin hat.



az

(off for tapas - yipee!)

Si piacere.................pleased to meet you!!

Well please do explain what the heckity 'piacere' is - it is not a Spanish word. At least not one I have ever come across.

az

Oh.......


and have a nice Tappas

I came to define "Tidy" (A-n-a-l retentive do as a definition?) and discovered there was much to read.

As whatsisface said "I'll be back" (though I'm sure he didn't mean "after I've fed the children").

hehehe, I'm glad there are other folks like me. I'm trying to have a blitz at the moment. For instance, unpack most of the rest of the boxes before I go into hospital (and deal with the mail that was waiting for attention at the last house and just got shoved into one of them ), just in case...

For some reason the family get very upset with me every time I threaten to shave the . Admittedly she would look rather silly with all her pink skin showing.

hi Tefkat,

Going to hospital? Do you mind me asking why? I hope you will be okay. Yes, this is usually a good motivator for tidying! Knowing you will be away for awhile.

Really I cannot imagine ever shaving my beasts. I actually don't think it is healthy to shave cats. Just like it is not a good idea to bathe them, though some people do. They have extremely sensitive skin. Though I have a friend who has two angora cats and she has their fur cut (not shaved) in the summer, which she says provides them with much relief from the heat.

az

- was it Mac???

or was it Arthur??

Wasn't it Patton? Though actually I was thinking of Sylvester.

Well az, Dr Frankenstein is going to stick some bovine material between a couple of the vertebrae in my neck and pin it all together with titanium, so I'll look like this:

The theory is that once the nerves are no longer being compressed they'll regenerate and feeling/movement/strength will replace the pain/numbness/formication/electric shocks. Of course the other alternative is complete paralysis of everything below the injury site (though apparently there's far more chance of that if they DON'T do it), so I thought I'd better sort out as much of my stuff as possible beforehand just in case - so I don't have to feel guilty about other people having to do it afterwards

The trouble is Snowy's hair is about six inches long (Probably longer in places) and no matter how often she's brushed she still manages to shed constantly. Also we live in the country so every time she goes out in wet weather she comes back absolutely filthy (and she hates baths).
And she gets matted 'cos she hates being brushed. If we do it she tries to bite us and the Great One has neither the time nor the inclination.

I keep pointing out a lethal injection would be the best cure, but no-one else seems to agree with me.

Tefkat,

Well goodness, in your situation I'd have everone around me doing absolutely EVERYTHING for me while I stood around (or better yet, laid about) giving orders.

Sounds like quite the procedure - what is the recovery time meant to be? I can somewhat sympathize as I have a badly compressed disk at the bottom end of my spine, which in combination with my wonky hip makes for a LOT OF PAIN at times. Though I don't have the threat of paralysis (at least, I don't think so).

What happened? An accident?

az