allergies, beware!

some people engage in spring cleaning. some people throw open the windows on a glorious 50 degree day in april, tear open the closets for goodwill, beat the hallway rugs outside, and actually use that dusting spray that smells so nasty. some people are spring cleaners. i, am not.

in my usual 8pm wine stupor last night, i was alerted that my roomie would have an entire bedroom set delivered the following day. in 12 hours, in fact. not only this, but it was my cue for the Room Swap. the Room Swap, you may know (if you've been privvy enough to have a roomie for a few years at a time), happens at the renewal of the lease. a fresh start to a fresh new year in the same old apartment. since roomie's stuff was not being carried up the 16 flights of stairs with help from yours truely, i had agreed (albeit 3 months ago) to have this be the Swap Day.

If i was a spring cleaner, i'm sure the dust would still have settled as thick as a fleece throw some 6 months later. if i was a spring cleaner, i'm sure the sheer volume of my reading habit would still have encouraged the overflow of literature next to my bed. if i was a spring cleaner, oh, if only i was a spring cleaner, my closet would surely house fewer garments.

i'm not a shopper (mostly due to monetary reasons). i buy only a smattering of new clothes & shoes each year: a new sweater for winter, a few dress shirts for work, a new pair of jeans & some trendy capris for the summer. not much when you add it into my collection. at one point in life, i shared a closet the size of a linen cuboard. shared.

however, spring cleaners usually roll up their sleeves and get down and dirty with clothes that havent been worn in 2 years. they assess the situation and discard each unused item into a hefty bag (preferably black) and never look back. they will then take their hard labor and donate it to a worthy cause, return to a clean home are satisfied with life. each fall, when it comes time to swap up the sweaters for the tank tops, they can enjoy a quick, 20 minute process of: open airtight rubbermaid container, take out reasonable amount of sweaters, place on bed, open bottom bureau drawer, take out summerwear, place on bed, put sweaters nicely into drawer, close drawer, put summerwear into airtight rubbermaid container, close container, wipe hands, walk away.

me? i run around like a crazy drunk woman (well, when am i not a crazy drunk woman these days?) throwing clothing in all directions, attempting to stuff wool, cotton and undergarments into every possible nook and cranny in my bureau, all the while creating a huge tornado of dust and cat fur because i am upsetting the delicate ecological balance of un-springcleaned room.

it was exhausting, folks, but my shit is moved. although, roomie made me take the dust with me, so here i sit, sneezing, writing while perched on top of the mound of jeans i had to store on top of my bed. perhaps next april i'll start... wait, arent these the jeans i wore to that football game in high school and that cute stoner spilled beer on them?? i cant get rid of these! ahh... memories...