StructuredProcrastination.com

I read this essay on "structured procrastination" in hopes that it would enlighten me in a way relevant to de-cluttering, as well as justify my incessant habit of procrastinating. (The latest task I'm dreading: a 10-page synthesis of my school observations and readings in a class about the sociology of education... due Thursday, nothing written, and the outline is pitiful. My F will be such a surprise.)

But sadly... I think it's missing a few things. Maybe turning "marginally useful things" into structured to-do lists with the real, important stuff at the end of the chain works for some people, but that's some people. The author, John Perry, makes sweeping statements about "procrastinators," but I think he might be forgetting the theory-defying new generation of procrastinators who don't do anything useful while they put off their lives. Today's skilled youth procrastinators don't really pretend Facebook is an immediately "more important" task that is just leading up to later real tasks... No, the smart ones actually realize that Facebook is unimportant. They simply dread doing real work at one point or another, and the Internet is there to soothe them with its warm, motherly bosom of vapidness.

These young people can accomplish an amazing slew of awesome things. To wit: brains at MIT change the world. And I can guarantee you that a good percentage of those kids spent some highly useless time online or on their iPhones buying stupid apps while they made their way to stardom. They had no delusions about the uselessness of their activities, but they knew how to manage their time. They're procrastinators - definitely structured procrastinators by Perry's definition - but they don't really fit the mold.

Maybe I'm wrong. (Lord knows the Internet has shown its wrath when I've had an "incendiary opinion" before.) Maybe these electronic brain-cell killers popular with the youth actually do have some "marginally useful" quality to them. Since you're probably procrastinating right now, I'm sure you can tell me what you think of this whole question. But you're probably more interested in going on your dimly lit interwebby way... Facebook calls, after all.

Variations on Themes

I've been thinking about movies lately. I've become a movie person, it seems. I love when movies happen to strike very neat chords of relevance in my life, such as when Im Juli (In July) reminded me to welcome and be open to destiny.



Wall-E was also great because it came out right in the middle of my de-cluttering project(s), and Wall-E had a great system for organizing his treasures. :)

Anyway, this got me thinking: what are your favorite movies or TV shows that feature themes like clutter and, for those of you coming here for NYU info, the NYU area/New York?

Clutter movies/TV could have a character who's into organizing (I can think of one you might know of...), or maybe a clutter-related conflict. As for NYU and New York, I know I liked seeing Washington Square Park in scenes from When Harry Met Sally, but there are plenty of others. Which ones do you like?

Junk Drawer 01

Martha Stewart's super-organized junk drawer, via Organizing LA.

Well, I'm home sick and I'm feeling legitimately guilty that I'm missing work, because normally today I work in a class of fifth graders and I miss them a whole lot. But, to brighten up my day and yours, I'm introducing a new post idea for the blog.

Every week, I will bring to you a hodgepodge of links that bring me unabated joy - the Junk Drawer of links, if you will. Most people in real life have that one drawer in the kitchen or the office that holds everything you can't be bothered to organize properly. Mine has printer paper, a sewing kit, cough drops, and old Blue Books.

That is the idea of the Junk Drawer post: everything I can't be bothered to organize into 13 Years of Clutter relevant posts, but that I want to share with you anyway. :)

• Aladdin from Compton. This hilarious re-dub of some scenes in Aladdin may be overdoing it, but it makes me laugh all the same.


• The Top Ten Benefits of Play. Even after seeing all those annoying "Be a player" ads (seriously, they couldn't find a better wording?) with Shrek on them all over the city, I never realized that playing is essential until I saw this. As for how I'm going to put that knowledge to use, well that's another story.


• Toilet paper roll sculptures. This is amazing. I feel like this type of thing is the ideal way to de-clutter: do something crazy awesome with some old trash, make it famous, and get people to buy it so that trash becomes worth something. Kinda far-fetched for other stuff like used paper plates though.


• Argenteuil student residence plan. Scroll to the bottom for pictures of this amazing French university dorm.


• Street With a View. Some awesome people in Pittsburgh, PA decided to make their "street view" on Google Maps more dynamic than others.


• Sushi no Suki. I played this game for hours the other night while avoiding work. I can't figure out what the title of the game is supposed to mean though. "Sushi no suck"?


• SkyDance. Beautiful aerial views of France. I just wish the video lasted longer!.


• SFGirlByBay. The title alone makes me homesick, and the photos on this blog are very pretty.

5 Reasons I love Gmail

Over the years, I have had so many e-mail accounts that I am almost ashamed. "Almost" only because I know in my heart that many people my age have also had similarly embarrassing Internet pasts.

I always just kind of dealt with the inefficiency of crap like Yahoo, Hotmail and once, when I was 12 and "rebelling" against my anti-e-mailing-strangers mother (yeah that whole debacle made everyone involved look real wise or whatever), Email.com. Wow, those were the days. I mean, when I look at Email.com now, it looks like a batch of email keywords threw up on itself.

In any case, I took a deep breath and switched from my most recent, main account at Hotmail to Gmail. It was a daunting task, because of how much personal stuff I accumulated in my Hotmail account. But now. Oh, now.

I am so in love. So in love that I have had to remind myself that saying "I love you" out loud to an abstract, unfeeling entity like Gmail would make me feel really stupid later. Here are some reasons why I love Gmail so much.

1. The themes. Mine is the "Bus Stop" one, and it was already great before I discovered that it changed with the real-life weather! When it rains, my Gmail is adorably rainy. Yesterday, when it was nearly as foggy as San Francisco, my Gmail was foggy and SUPER ADORABLE (see above, click for larger). Maybe I'm just a huge girly girl, but I love when my inbox is adorable.


2. The labels. I am a very organized person when it comes to my computer and my e-mail. Call it OCD, call it endearing (by all means), call it whatever you like. When my inbox is fresh and clear because my messages have all been tucked away in their proper folders, I feel in control of my life. And Gmail makes that very easy with labels - you can even attach multiple labels to one message.


3. The neatness and efficiency. I love how Gmail keeps track of your "conversations" so that each new reply between you and the other person is encapsulated in one little clickable bundle of joy.


4. The Labs. I consider myself pretty tech-savvy. I like knowing as many keyboard shortcuts as possible, I type like 100 words a minute (srsly, I checked with the uber-scientific Typeracer), I've troubleshooted (troubleshot?) a fair share of epic computer disasters. I like when I can make my Internet work for me. So the labs feature is perfect; I can customize my way up the wazoo. That said, I only have one enabled right now (toolbar drag-and-drop cause that shit is useful), but it's nice to know I have options.


5. The prestige. I may be a superficial girl only just out of my teenage years, but I'm not afraid to admit I'm a sucker for brand names. Especially nerdy ones like Google/Gmail and Sony. I can't help it, they're just so alluring and sexy. Having @gmail.com attached to my very own name makes my heart swell with ridiculous, misplaced pride, and God damn it, I like it.

Gmail. Switch today. This message not sponsored in any way by Google or its affiliates. :)

San Francisco fog image via Crazy-Frankenstein

Brain brain, go away

Memory of Rain
Originally uploaded by Tapio Hurme

The past couple of weeks, the weather in New York has been a super weird tease. It gets beautiful for a few short days and then rapidly descends back into awful awful rain and cold. So people are talking about it like it's the only interesting thing in life. This may be true (probably not), but it got me thinking about the irony of the fact that people demean small talk about weather so much yet allow it to dominate conversations when it acts up.

We're such slaves to the elements, and we barely even realize it. We talk about the rain and then the sun and the temperature because it is this huge thing that we can't control. Sure, we can try to stop global warming (which, according to one of my first graders, is caused by cows' farts), but beyond our measly efforts, we really can't control the weather.

So talking idly about the weather really isn't as lame as it always seems. Or maybe that's just my rationalization of the fact that I unashamedly indulge in that kind of conversation now that I live in a place where weather exists (in California, the rain is always good and the only kind of discomfort I felt from the weather was delicious delicious sunburn - hey look at me all idealizing woo).

I'm not entirely sure if I've ever met someone unaffected by Seasonal Affective Disorder, because to me, and people around me, the sunshine level so heavily influences our moods. When that sun comes out, I want to shout glorious, ridiculous things like "HOW WAS I LIVING BEFORE?!" Then again, I've also said that about the feeling you get when you shave your legs for the first time in a while. TMI right?

Incidentally, 1000awesomethings.com is a fantastic burst of optimism for rainy days (and all days)!

NYU: Gramercy Green Floor Plan

Click for larger. Here it is, friends. The holy grail you've been searching for. I'm about to explain this uninteresting image into the ground, so hold on to your hats.

Please note: I am not intimately familiar with every single room or floor in Gramercy. I am not responsible for the ultimate accuracy of this description. If you catch a mistake or have something to add, please comment below and I might make an updated version of this post in the coming days.

Do NOT post questions about specific rooms that I have not discussed in this post. I will not be able to answer them. If somebody comes along and provides accurate information about any other rooms, I'll add it. Until that happens, I do not know anything more than I have written below.

• My advice to you
  
  
  
  • If you're looking for a certain type of room, e.g. studio double, don't worry about figuring it out from this floor plan. When you go online to pick at your lottery time, you will be able to see all the studio doubles (or other setups) you wish. I'm merely posting this so you can get a feel for the placement of rooms on each floor.
  
  
  • When you go into the lottery, try to be as clear with your card-members on what you want in a room. There will be a lot of information on the lottery site for you to take in, and if you don't act quickly, especially with Gramercy, you could lose the room you want.


• About the floors
  
  
  
  • There are 21 floors and a penthouse, plus a cellar and subcellar. There is no 13th floor. So, technically, there are 20 floors available for NYU students (no rooms on ground floor), with approximately 18 rooms on each floor. Keep in mind that there are some non-NYU families living here, or at least there were in 2008-2009.
  
  
  • On the 2nd floor, the room numbers are completely different because of the huge study lounge (-02 position), CDE/ACDE offices and the rabbi-in-residence (ok I'm not sure if the latter lives on 2, but he and the other faculty- and people in-residence are scattered throughout the building). So, the first room available to NYU students is 202, which corresponds to -06 on the above image.
  
  
  • Floors 4, 5 and 6 have lounges in the -03 position, so that throws the numbering off as well.
  
  
  • Room sizes/numbers might be different on the 17th floor and above, because there is a terrace/balcony on 17.
  
  
  • I believe most RA rooms are in the -16 position. They have a single the size of a double studio and they have a nice leather couch. Make friends with them. :)
  
  
  • From floors 2 to 9 or 10, the -14 rooms, which on other floors have nice corner setups, are flush with the building next door, so the views might not be ideal. I have not been in these rooms though.
  
  

(Same image as above. Click for larger.)

• About this floor plan image
  
  
  
  • If there is no (#) indicated, then I do not know how many people are in that particular suite. Sorry!
  
  
  • I based it on the miniature floor plans given on the Housing site for Gramercy. It is accurate for the pieced-together knowledge I have of rooms on various floors. Specifically, I am familiar with the following rooms and can attest to their accuracy, if you're interested: 202 (-06 position), 204 (-08 position), 705, 1018, 1101, 1109, and 1114. However, because I know that rooms are generally the same on different floors, I can say this is a good general view of a Gramercy floor plan. /disclaimer haha.
  
  
  • For the rooms I have actually been in, I have drawn lines to show the approximate location of the A and B rooms (-05 has a C room too). The small square in the suite marks the bathroom. -05 has two bathrooms that I have not marked. Keep in mind that the rest of the space in suites will include kitchen space (counters, fridge, dishwasher etc.), possible closets and room for a table. Non-RA rooms in Gramercy do not have couches.
  
  
  • The number in parentheses shows the number of bed spaces in a given room. For example, -14 is a four (4)-person suite with (2) in the A room and (2) in the B room.
    
  • The grayed-out areas from left are: stairway, laundry (on approximately every other floor), and elevator/trash/other stairway.
  
  
  • The space between -18 and -01 is occupied by a terrace on the 2nd floor. This means that all -18 room residents can see into -01 rooms and vice versa etc. Same for -14 and -02 I believe. This was fun in the beginning of this year when everyone had their blinds open, but people got shy soon enough so it's harder to spy now. The views from these rooms are still decent because the windows are sufficiently large. For more on an -01 see my 1101 picture post.



• The "best" rooms
  
  
  
  • Honestly, I think they're all decent. And frankly, you're living in Gramercy with amazing kitchen appliances and building facilities, so don't complain if you don't get the exact room you think is the best. But if you're looking for a corner room with floor-to-ceiling window options, you'll want either -02, -05, -11 or -14. This only goes for floors 7 and above, because 2 through 6 are so weirdly configured.
  
  
  • The higher floors I'm sure have great views, but remember that that means you have to go down 15+ stairs for fire drills. We had upwards of 10 fire drills this year.
  
  
  • The rooms within some suites (to cite some, -09 and -05) are fairly small. They are livable, but they're not grand open spaces. The kitchens are likewise fairly modest. In updating Gramercy Green for dorm living, many of the apartments formerly destined for luxury family living were separated into several dorm-style apartments, so sometimes the shapes and sizes of rooms are awkward. For example, -01 and -02 on some floors used to be one full apartment.

All right everyone, hope that was helpful. If you have further clarification or information to provide, please add a comment below (it's the honor system, I want to give you the benefit of the doubt and trust your accuracy because this guide will be helping people in learning about Gramercy), and I may get around to adding it to the post soon.

Anticipation

Hey kids, here is an announcement to ease the fears of you NYU people fretting over the lottery:

Before the end of the weekend, I will have a post about Gramercy Green and the types of rooms, including a wide schematic of the floorplan (but not individual rooms). I do not know about every type of room but I will make it as complete as I can.

Keep your eyes peeled!

The Green Guide's What Happens to...

... Recycled Ink Jet Cartridges!



Now, I know that sounds supremely unexciting. But if you hadn't realized that recycling is a big deal yet, then you're kind of like those people who don't know what's going on with the economy, and those people are just a damn shame.

I know from personal experience that the mere thought of taking my old, useless printer cartridge all the way down to Staples (an absurdly un-horrifying twelve blocks) struck fear and laziness into my heart for nearly all of last semester. I even considered throwing the cartridges away - our course of action last year when we weren't quite sure of what was going on with this whole "ink cartridge recycling" notion.

The whole thing is pretty simple: your little baby cartridge gets taken with its myriad brothers and sisters to a plant where it gets disassembled (I can't vouch for any lack of pain here) and its components are used, along with those of its brethren, to make BRAND SHINY NEW INK CARTRIDGES. It's like they came out of nowhere!! Isn't that amazing! I mean, can you imagine the landfill buildup caused by those of us ignorant of this beautiful process? I'm sure big businesses and schools like mine go through tons of ink cartridges a day. I would really like to be able to know that those sad old cartridges were being used for something as glorious of out-of-nowhere-new-cartridge-making...

Check out the other recycling galleries and articles on TheGreenGuide.com for more moments of amazement!

Updated labels

Just a quick note with the purpose of directing your eyes to the right of the screen: I've finished de-cluttering my labels. I'm sure I might think of other stuff to put in that list, but for now this is a much better way of organizing the labels (tags) for my posts than what I had before. Now things are separated into clutter and life and stuff in between. Enjoy.