Fykall, Clean My House

Ever get those moment of epiphany, when everything you need to do or you need to achieve are suddenly visible to you, like walking drunkenly into a darkened room only to have someone switch on the light?

That happens to me all the time.

So after having a really freakishly awful time during October, I’m making an effort to get some semblance of order back into my life.

I went out for a walk this evening – something I’ve not done for over a year. Although its late Spring and we’re partaking of that nonsensical process that is daylight saving, this evening was heavily overcast, raining only slightly and rather cool. I enjoy my evening walks – it gives the body something to occupy itself with whilst the mind gets on with the task of sorting out the Thoughts of the Day. Plus I need to try and get fit again. Really.

With a rental inspection due in the immediate future, I felt it was time to have a big clear out. Over the last couple of years, I’ve accumulated so much excess computer gear that it had taken over both kitchen and dining area – my apartment was rapidly turning into Style’s Dad’s house; so much accumulated clutter that there was practically no room to move. On top of that, there’s a number of boxes of crockery and glassware that I packed up years ago when looking to move somewhere else due to unruly neighbors. I figure that if I haven’t used it in three years, I don’t need it anymore.

The same goes for my manga – I’ve decided to donate all the collected editions to the JAFWA library (I’ll probably end up putting the individual issues up on eBay or something since the library doesn’t want those).

I managed to find a new home for most of the computer gear – a customer who comes into my office on a regular basis is on the lookout for leftover bits and pieces to assemble systems for people who either can’t afford a system or don’t need anything powerful.

The next step is to change my lifestyle – eat better, drink less, exercise more. The past weekend I finished the last bottle of Falling Down Liquid (plum wine made by my parents) so that temptation has now been removed. With cosplay activities finishing up for the year, I now have more time to cook properly and can go back to planning my meals rather than cooking quick and easy (and typically unhealthy) things.

I’ve also made an effort to renew my interest in gardening. When I first moved here, it was the first time I’d had a decent size garden that I could shape to my whims. I started growing vegetables (bok choi since I do like my stir fries, cos lettuce, pumpkin, onions – nothing particularly challenging) but after the first successful crop, everything went to seed. I pulled it all out and started again, only to have that go to seed immediately as well. My interest declined rapidly after that and the vegetable garden was eventually given over to a decorative herb garden. Eventually most of that died as well, until only the oregano survived and threatened to take over that entire area.

So last weekend I pulled most of the oregano out and binned it. I have since made a mental note to remember to wear long sleeves when working in the garden – not because of the risk of sunburn but because contact with most plants brings me up in hives.

That was the other reason I lost interest in gardening.

I’ve still to dig up the mat of roots that the oregano has left behind, but once that’s done I’ll plant carrots, zucchini and broccoli and see how that goes – that’s a suitable Summer crop for this area I’m told.

Eating well has always been something of a priority for me so that won’t be too much of a challenge, but staying off the booze and continuing to exercise will prove more difficult. Since I got back from Rottnest with Mistijen back in September, I’ve been saving up for a bike of my own so I’m hoping that will help. Looking forward to just getting on the bike of an evening and going exploring.

If I can get back into the routine that I used to have many years ago, next time I go back to Rottnest with Mistijen, not only will I be much fitter, I will have a bike that doesn’t cause me so much discomfort that I feel like the seat has come off and I’ve been sitting on the pole.