Something I hadn't thought of before reading bemorewithless was the idea of mental clutter, the idea that there can be energy wasted on cluttery consumery thoughts. As suggested on the aforementioned blog, I'm trying to unsubscribe from the many e-mail advertising lists I've become attached to. It seems crazy, what with all the coupons and stuff. And it isn't going to make my desk look less cluttered. But a) mailing lists really do promote consumerism, promote buying things I otherwise wouldn't, and b) they completely dilute the e-mails that actually matter. So, I've just unsubscribed from : Gap, Threadless, Shop it to Me, Borders, and Living Social. I'm keeping the ones from Ballet Arizona and Ticketmaster for now, which I rationalize by the fact that they provide potential experiences not physical objects.
It was weirdly difficult (what about all those 40% off coupons I rarely use but always consider using???) , and I do feel like I might be missing out on deals in the future. But. There it is: my first step of something clarified: my e-mail inbox will be more personal again.
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Sunday morning (55 degrees, blue sky, post rain), I went for a long awaited run in the park. Part of it meandered near a skate park, in an underpass, under a few main roads. It's a cement-filled area of swoops and the sound of cars rumbling overhead. There was a bearded man with his bicycle parked, leaning against one of the concrete pillars, and from him emanated a hollow melody. He was playing what looked like an clarinet or recorder. The sound moved like traffic and skateboarders: constantly and fluidly. Beautiful.
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