Today's soundtrack is Arch Enemy: Doomsday Machine, a melodic death metal album from 2005. One of the things about the band that intrigued me was the fact that the powerful growled vocals were performed by Angela Gossow, one of the few female death metal vocalists that I've heard of.
Last night, I decided to check out the show "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo." I'm a pretty organized person, though having three kids makes keeping the house clean an ongoing battle, so I thought the show might help give me some tips. I made it through half of the first episode, and though I found her overall message to be pretty hokey (talking to your old clothes, silently communing with your house) and the family that she was helping to be fairly obnoxious in a "first-world-problems" kind of way (dad works hard - 60+ hours a week - while mom stays home with two pre-school aged kids, but mom can't keep up with the chores while her husband is at work, and they have so much clothing that they need a maid to do their laundry), it inspired me to go through my dresser and get rid of some shirts that don't fit, some shorts that I haven't worn in a couple years, and a pair of jeans that I'd rather not even be seen mowing the lawn in.
After I'd cleaned up my dresser, I went through my books and reassessed what titles I wanted in my Randomizer. I took out a bunch of books on squids, myths, and legends. I'd used them during my research before writing Cephalopod, Eater öv the Void; now that the project is complete, I no longer need to read those books. I also had a few books that overlapped topics; I took out the ones that I felt to be not as well-written or informative. For example, I had been reading "Plato's Podcasts," an attempt at connecting ancient western philosophy with modern living. With such chapter titles as "The Psychology of Shopping," though, it was a bit too on-the-nose for me. I want to read philosophy and interpret the writers' ideas for myself, not be told what to think about what I read.
For anyone interested, my updated list of books that I'm currently reading is here. Also, if you're a fellow Goodreads user, feel free to add me!
What do you think about Marie Kondo's method? Have you watched the show or tried out what she's recommended? Alternately, have you been taking advantage of the influx of donations that thrift stores have been receiving since her show became popular? Click the link below and join the discussion on Twitter!