Random stuff

I'm actually a philosophical illiterate. I've never read any of the 'great' philosophers.

So I set about this week to read "Being and Nothingness" by Sartre.

I figured with a title like that, it would be right up my alley, but damn, it is slow going.

The truth is, I am just intellectually lazy. I'm not willing to make the effort required to satisfy my own curiosity.

I'm also reluctant to make the effort to clean up my own house. But I've had a burst of house-cleaning energy the past couple of days. I'd have to sustain this for a month or six weeks to get the house clean, and I probably won't last that long. But I have made progress in throwing some stuff away.

I have a tough time throwing away things that are still functioning, but that I no longer need. Today, for example, I threw away about eighty blank CD-ROMs. Some of them were seven or eight years old - 4x and 8x types. I used to buy huge packages of blanks, but I never burned enough CD-ROMs. I'd actually get rid of computers and CD-ROM drives before I'd use up all the blanks. So now I have CD burners that can use – I don't know, 56x, I think – but I had stacks and stacks of these ancient blank CD-ROMs. So, I threw them all out.

I also pitched four or five PC keyboards. I kept the best one I had, even though I no longer have any functioning PCs.

I have a chest of drawers I'm going to give away. I don't remember what I paid for it. I got it at Pier 1 several years ago, just to hold my overflow of clothes. It took up space I didn't actually have. I've decided now to cut back on the clothes and get rid of the dresser.

I'll mention briefly that the garage is still unfinished, 13 months after work began on it. I hope it will get done in January, but frankly I doubt that it will.