ARGH.

Good thing: The weather is super nice today. I kind of hate the sun - ironic, considering it's dang CALIFORNIA. Last night was nice also - cool, breezy, and today is overcast and NOT HOT.

Hooray: for getting a new garbage disposal! I NEVER use it, basically. I only run dirty dishwater down that side of the sink when I was dishes by hand - and seriously, it's only worked like, three times since I've lived here. I thought it was rusted. Not sure how that would happen, since it SHOULD be built to withstand, you know, water.

THAT THING WAS STINKING TO HIGH HEAVEN. Reek-OCITY. There are no WORDS. I have NO idea what the frell was going on in there, but it was broken, not spinning, and then it started getting all clogged. At first the water was going down slower than molasses, and then I just stopped putting stuff in there. But I dumped some cider vinegar down there to attempt to clear it out a bit ... and when it started reeking, half a box of baking soda as well.

I was ready to pass out yesterday. SO disgusting. AND yesterday was like brutal hot, so the stench was well nigh unbearable. What rots and smells like full-on vomit???? I didn't get it.

So I put in a call to the landlord and the maintenance guy came out today!!

Bad thing: The terrible state of my existence. I admit it - I am a messy Bessie. Actually, worse than that. I know of few people who are messier than I am - PROBABLY because the people who are, are just like me, and just don't invite me over to see the freaking DISASTER ZONE that is the living space.

I honestly wonder why I am like this. I remember being messy from when I was a whee lil child. I never liked cleaning. I don't remember doing much cleaning as a child - not much organizing of the closets, or bookshelves. I think we did dishes. That was kind of our chore. I don't remember sweeping, mopping, none of that. I remember getting yelled at all the time for having a messy room.

Truthfully, once it gets into that state, I think I have the personality where I am just utterly overwhelmed and don't even know where to begin.

So while the nice maintenance guy was up here in my "Oh, I am SO sorry it's a huge mess, I'm in the middle of cleaning a bunch of things [hah, it's like a constant state!]" - and then he needs to step over boxes and stuff KITCHEN ... I cleaned the bathroom. Just a bit. The counter, and the sink. I nearly always leave the windows open, because I cannot stand stuff like hot wet and humid bathroom CLOUDS. Blech. The freeway is also not too far away, and it's California, and the apartment is on a major street, though set back a bit, and it's California, so the black dust piles up like sand ... because it's California.

So I had gray grout on the bathroom countertops. It's all pure white along the walls, etc., but gray and dirty (and YES, even ORANGE, because the rusty pipes are just ... let me stop there) along the horizontal surfaces.

So I cleaned it a bit. Got out my 75% off Target find of pre-moistened vinegared wiping and cleaning cloths, and went to town. Took stuff off the windowsill, wiped those down, scrubbed the grout ... the pack of wipes is so old that even with the sticky flap closed, it's kind of drying up ... but they are good cleaning clothes. I'd rather use those than an old rag. I scrubbed the rag all holey.

And I realized JUST how much I actually visually, asthetically, and psychologically ENJOY a clean, white, bright and shiny sink. I gave up after a while in trying to get the grout blinding white, but I also know I am unduly attentive to detail and a bit perfectionistic, in the totally-unproductive, ADD way ... and just focused on the sink. Scrubbed that puppy down, and it was WHITE like bleached teeth.

Gosh. Nice. Reminds me of the dang Fly Lady (cleaning and organizational guru) and her "shine your sink" routine.

And immediately after, I also realized to myself that as much a clean sink is a GREAT thing ... I don't really love it as much as I loathe cleaning it. Like, the 20-30 minutes I spent spiffing it up, were not QUITE worth the 15 seconds of pure, calm enjoyment that I got afterwards. You know? I can totally live in filth. I admit it. I do my part for the environment by CERTAINLY not taking too many showers. The showers I do take, I may spend a bit overlong in them. But two showers a DAY??? The water here is so dang hard, I'd be cracked like a dang Old Master painting in a week! I just think it's kind of stupid to dry yourself out with multiple hot showers a day, and then spend more time lathering on lotions and potions. That is not what I want to spend a majority of my life doing, thank you.

At the end of my life, really, I am not sure I want to (not that it will ever happen, really) be known for having a spotless house. Because that really does take so much time. GAH!!!!

So I have a clean bathroom sink and counter, and a kitchen sink that doesn't stink anymore. Hooray. Now for dishes, etc. Hand-drying is tedious, but it prevents the HORRENDOUS water spots that go everywhere with our super-hard water.

:)

I also just have to say - I have had Domino's pizza for three days in a row now, and today was the best yet. Medium thin-crust with grilled chicken, bacon, and beef, light on the sauce ... and then as soon as I took it home, I dumped a can of corn all over the top. Wednesday night (laaaaaaaaate night craving!) I had a medium with ... um, pepperonic, Italian sausage, ham, beef, and bacon. Yikes. I forgot to ask for thin crust, I was so sad. It was pretty good, still, though. Thursday for lunch, I ordered a Gotham and added the bacon. I have such meat cravings this week!! Blech.

But corn on pizza. It's a British thing. I recoiled and dry-heaved the first time I heard of it also. But it grew on me, and now I think it's a fantastic idea. I have always been a huge corn fan. I'm still getting used to the BBQ chicken pizza thing ... but considering all the random things California Pizza Kitchen throws on their pizzas, BBQ chicken isn't all that strange. The Thai pizza is still very inventive.