Saturday 15 January 2011

How old is old?

My dad doesn't even throw away letters that come throught the post and is even reluctant to throw away leaflets/flyers "just in case" because they have "information". Up until recently we had bills from the last 15 years stashed away in my bedroom! I can't understand the logic to keeping them when you have paid them off unless you are seriously going to sit there and analyse the house phone bill form 10 years ago! (Sad!).
 I wasn't allowed to throw them away (irrational logic of a hoarder) but i got so annoyed with them taking up my precious inches of shelf space i shredded every single one, except my electric shredder was unable to cope  (i think the sharp bits have gone blunt) so i sat there for hours tearing away with my hands- well there wasn't much else to do in December with outdoor snowed under and indoors snowed under with paper.
But it felt good kind of like having a facial..clean and refereshed

Sunday 9 January 2011

Divine inspiration

Whether you believe in God or not i'd like to share a verse from the Qur'an with you:
"Verily Allah does not change a peoples condition until they change what is in themselves"

People whinge some say its a British thing to moan about everything from the weather, the cost of living, space and the list is endless. But i reckon it is a human condition. What i like about the about the above verse is the implication you yourself have to take the action by start from looking deep inside yourself and try changing that first. For example you're always angry so you look at what makes you angry and think is it really worth your energy? Solution: Anger management strategies and patience as a developing characteristic. I could write about what Islam says about controlling anger but that would be another post. Now i'm not a religous scholar so i don't know in what context this verse is written but i often remember these words when i am in whinge mode. In terms of my dads hoarding in particular the books, i tell myself to just endure it, a little bit of dust might irritate my nose and lungs but it's not going to kill me for now. I actually don't bother cleaning my dads bookcase on the landing in the hope it might prompt him to get rid of them it didn't work but at least i've stopped imposing responsibilites on myself.
I guess if my dad really wants to get rid of the excessive material belonging that hinder our everyday living space (especially when it inconvenieces him) then he should try to find out why, and once that 's clearly established start taking action.

Saturday 8 January 2011

Happy New Year!

It's been just over a year since i started this blog as a rant....but did i get anything out of it?  Know is the time to look back and reflect.
Well  i didn't write regularly but i have perfectly valid excuse-lack of internet connection.
I've had quite a bad flu and then my laptop lasts about 10 minutes where it gets hotter than my oil filled radiator and switches off. Even though kind brother has a laptop my dad the resident hoarder started hogging the laptop over the holiday period.

The hoarding has got worse. My dad even got me to buy a book about gliding of Amazon- he has been going through an obsession about gliding as his childhood dream was to be a pilot! My dad went through a camping phase and bough lots of sleeping bags simply becasue they were going cheap. One permanently lives at the top of the stairs-*HEALTH HAZARD*!!
I didn't share any pics did I? Honestly its my family home and i guess putting up pics of the hoarding crimes will be infringing others privacy.
The BBQ boxed set is still being used as dressing table.
Before making this years new resolutions why don't we look at last years below:

1.BE more organised with storing MY belongings- it sets an example-ACHIEVED- BOXES AND BAGS!

2.REFUSE TO BUY BOOKS-borrow from library! ERM I BROUGHT ONLY THREE-ONE WAS WRITTEN BY MY FRIEND.

3.continue to persuade to dad to get rid of useless books-who needs a book on idioms from 1956 or "A dummies guide to Windows 95"-nobody wants them! apart from a computer book antique collector? (if one exists) FAILED-"get out my house" was the usual response


4.Continue to state how the book collection is causing extra dust mites- which is bad for my health. :(
FAILED, what happened when little brother had a nose operation and needed a clean space- dad left the books in his room and even went and bought some more.

5.what junk does not belong to mine should not be in my room-however small or large. ACHIEVED!!

6.sell/donate any of my junk and encourage others ACHIEVED

7.write every month ANY ACTION taken and RESULTS achieved . NOPE

8.Write on this blog! NOT AS REGULARLY I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO

Now i think thats an achieveable set of resolutions don't you? I GOT 3 OUT OF 7 MY MATHS AIN'T GREAT BUT THAT'S NEARLY A HALF. The glass is half empty or half full depending on my mood.