Computer File Clutter

Have you noticed how cluttered your computer files may be? Mine are an awful mess and while technically they are “virtual” and not out in the room for all to see, they are bothersome. 

This summer I have been trying to clean things up a bit in the virtual world. Currently I am working on my iTunes collection. It is a big task! I have thousands of songs and many are duplicates. Some of the folders of albums contain lower case spelling or all upper case spelling. Some have weird underscores or abbreviations.

Recently I purchased an external 1-terabyte hard drive to hold all my media files. The amount of media files is outgrowing my internal drive. With a recent purchase of AppleTV, this fact has become readily apparent as I continue downloading TV shows and movies. I am not sure why, but many of my media files will not transfer to the external drive in one bulk transfer. I now have to find the folders that did not transfer and individually transfer them. It is enough to make one go mad!

Once this phase is finished, the next phase is to rip all my CD's into iTunes so that I may part with my CD collection. Less clutter! 

I am determined to finish this.

Unexpected Treasure

This past weekend I came across an unexpected treasure. While my friend Melissa and I were antiquing in the mecca of Pinetops, North Carolina I found a rather large demijohn. It is of clear glass and made by the Pyrex Company and is probably between 70 to 80 years old. This particular demijohn was used as a wine jug at some point and has a hole drilled near the bottom where a spout was placed.

 Made by Pyrex

I could not resist such a thing and had to purchase it, especially since it was such a great deal. However, I did not purchase it immediately. In fact we returned home and I continued to think about it… so it’s NOT an impulse purchase! 

I made a terrarium of it. It has been many years since I have had a terrarium so it was a real joy making this one. My cats prevent me from having house plants so the terrarium will allow me to have a little greenery as well as making a wonderful conversation piece.

The process to make a terrarium is simple...

After cleaning the container and making certain it is dry, you should add about 2" of gravel.

The gravel will prevent the plants from rotting in standing water.

Then you add a layer of charcoal, which helps control odors from decaying matter.

After this you will add a layer of sphagnum moss as this will keep the soil from filtering down to the bottom.

Now add a good quality soil and your are ready to plant. Try and find small starter, sub-tropical plants.

Completed Terrarium

A terrarium should be closed so a humid environment may be created inside. Use a spare granite sphere you may have laying about as a stopper if you don't have a large cork.

Downsizing

What an odd word. It’s a euphemism, generally used in the business world, but which has found its way into everyday life and vocabulary… and I love it. It is what I have been attempting consciously since 2005… and with slow progress. I suppose I shouldn’t be too hard on myself as the things I have parted with are small steps that will lead to bigger steps.

I am a Taurus after all, and we do love our things! As I look back to 2005 I believe the parting of 16 boxes of books was the most difficult so far, but there is much more.

Currently, I am working on a project ripping my DVD collection to my computer and then converting the files to MP4 format so they will run on the AppleTV. Afterwards the plan is to part with all the DVD’s, which means less stuff.  A friend suggests boxing them and storing them so that I would have the originals in case of disaster. However, I think it defeats the purpose of what I am trying to do.

My DVD collection isn’t too large, but the process is not quick. The ripping takes only a few minutes, but the conversion may take up to 5 hours depending on the size of the DVD file. Still I think it is a worthwhile project because it would be expensive replacing all the items on iTunes.

Now what to do with the LP’s? 

First Post

… So this is the first post for this my new blog. This blog is going to be different from my last blog, which was a personal blog. This blog will mainly focus in on my appreciation of art and design, the things that catch my eye and most of all the art of living small. 

During the past several years I have been feeling burdened by my possessions and by the desires or feelings of wanting more. Sometimes I wish it would all burn up and other times I love all of it! It sounds crazy, I know, but it’s how I am. I am a dichotomy.

I feel like I want to change and so I plan on using this blog as a guide or tool to keep me on track and inspire me. I welcome your thoughts and suggestions.