The Rage Diaries

Weekly check-in: how are y'all doing?

I work off the theory that the best way to accomplish a goal is to translate it into a series of specific tasks. And then, if those tasks are daunting, I break those down into incremental, progressive tasks. And then I monitor those, so I can actually perceive some sense of progress.

That's what I'll be doing here too. We've been at this for about a week. How's everyone doing?

I am happy to report that our Christmas tree is now gone, thanks to a local Boy Scout troop that'll pick it up for mulching. We paid all of $5 for the tree pick-up. Sweet!

As for reducing my Diet Coke consumption ... well, I dropped from 4-5 servings daily to 3 for the week of January 2-7. This week, I'm cutting out the third serving. The things that have helped me so far: lots of bottled water from the company fridge (which will, I think, inevitably lead me to reduce bottled water consumption in a later month), and keeping a log of every beverage I have, every day. Seeing it written down makes it easier for me to say no. It also makes it easier for me to whine.

But enough about me. How are y'all doing? What have you done so far?

Watch out for that pacifier at the end, though

In keeping with the spirit of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle ... check out this collection of repurposed design. Jewlbox cases turned greenhouses, eggbeaters that hold cotton balls, funnels that hang coats, tealight as photo-holder and soda cans transformed into tea lights ... it's a great way of looking at materials for different uses.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Who's In for January?

So here's the deal:

* No item is too big or too small to be on the list. If you're like "This month, I will recycle all my Pottery Barn catalogs (as I do every month)," cool. If you're like, "This month, I will find a creative re-use for all twenty music boxes my dreadful Great-Aunt Letty bequeathed me as her legacy of hate" ... I hope we can help with suggestions.

* You don't have to jump in every single month. If you do, cool. I would love the company. If you want to just drop in on the months where you're not meeting yourself coming and going, cool.

* You don't have to nail all three things -- Reducing, Reusing and Recycling -- every month. If you do, great. Because -- again -- I would love the company. But maybe some months, you're not up for thinking of novel re-uses for your 15 bone china teacups. That's okay.

* The point is for us to put our collective brains to use, and get a mental grip on our material worlds. Hence throwing open comments and asking all of you: What will you be reducing this month? What about re-using? Recycling?