If cleanliness is next to godliness, then I am an atheist.

I cleaned out my Honda CRV a little over a month ago. It was an all-day event, a battle of epic proportions. But I did it. And it looks damn good.

(The fact that a dear [ex]friend of mine vomited in my car only days after I finished cleaning will not bring me down. I won't let that steal my thunder.)

My car has always been my personal junk drawer. Messed up, I know. But for some reason, anything I've been unsure of what to do with, ends up in my car.

Let us examine the facts, so that you may understand the how out of control my disorganization is:

• When I cleaned out my car in June, I found a lulav, a leafy branch that is used for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Sukkot takes place in the fall. This Jewish (and probably holy, oops) plant was in my car for the better part of a year.
  
• Immediately after my house was robbed, my housemates ran into their respective rooms to make sure nothing was stolen. I simply shrugged. My room? Floor wasn't visible, cups and mugs were everywhere, and all the drawers and closet doors were wide open. Looks okay to me, but who could really tell?


• Really anyone who saw my bedroom in college or had the pleasure of riding in my car (I cite MLawyue and KaitlinwithaK specifically) can attest to the out-of-control nature of my disorganization.

I joke about being messy and disorganized, but in reality, it drives me crazy. Tasks that should take a few minutes take a hell of a lot longer. And likewise, simple tasks are much more complicated.

So I've decided to, for once and for all, get myself organized. I'm using http://www.juliemorgenstern.com/ and Morgenstern's book "SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life" to assist in what will hopefully be a major change.

Photos of my progress to come. Wish me luck.

Oy vey

The meaning of my blog title, for those of you not well-versed in Yiddish:

kvetch
intr.v. kvetched, kvetch·ing, kvetch·es
To complain persistently and whiningly.

schmooze
v. schmoozed or schmoosed also shmoozed, schmooz·ing or schmoos·ing also shmooz·ing, schmooz·es or schmoos·es also shmooz·es
To converse casually, especially in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection.

So yes, I kvetch, and I schmooze (but usually not to "gain an advantage"). And I use Yiddish in everyday conversation. I think it gives me a sense of family. My great-grandmother used to bless me with the phrase "kayn ayn hor eh", which means "No evil eye!". When I was in middle school and these boys were teasing me, my mom's advice: "tell them to gai kukken afen yam" (go shit in the ocean). It's a ridiculously silly, wonderful language.

I'm hoping to kvetch a little, schmooze a little, and hopefully figure out where to get my naches.

And so it goes and so it goes and so it goes and so it goes (But where it's goin' no one knows)

I've tried to count, but I still feel like I'm missing some. If I'm not mistaken, however, I've had five blogs, this one being my sixth.

I started blogging in seventh or eighth grade with www.pitas.com and www.diaryland.com. End of high school and some of college I used www.livejournal.com. Mostly your typical I'm-a-teenager-and-everything-sucks rants, with some decent social criticism and general insight thrown in (usually where not intended).

I abandoned blogging around my sophomore year of college, when I found other outlets (ie: County College of Morris' Youngtown Edition, which I still miss dearly.) But now I'm back.

As a recent graduate, I have much to say on the experience of having absolutely NO clue what the future holds. It's simultaneously invigorating and freaking scary.

Writing has always been my go-to way to sort out thoughts, feelings, ideas and interests. Shall we begin?