How's That Desk Cleaning Going For You, Gail?

The thing about cleaning the desk is that you really have to address the things you find there. You need to read this stuff that's been piling up for months, then file it away, or toss it or decide that you no longer recall why you kept the thing and toss it without doing anything with it. (Much the way you get rid of the mending once everyone in the family has outgrown the item in question that you never fixed.)

So I found some materials on bookstore appearances that I believe I've had since a NESCBWI Salon last spring. I read them. I felt badly because I won't be doing any bookstore appearances for a while and when I do do them, they are pretty much dreadful and while these things I read were full of ideas so that they won't be dreadful, they were pretty much like reading handouts on how to dance. Reading this stuff won't make it happen. Should I hold on to these handouts? If so, where?

Then I came upon the book on literary agents that I bought probably ten years ago and only started reading last year. And haven't finished. And should I, since the book is ten years old and nowadays you can get more info about literary agents on-line than anyone could possibly absorb and some of that info will actually be good? And up to date. Should I just get rid of the book?

I'm definitely getting rid of the two small cassette recorders I found in a draw a couple of weeks ago and left on top of my desk. I will be old one day, and I refuse to be one of those old people whose house is filled with outdated technology. So I placed those things on someone else's desk. He can deal with them.

Yippee! I was able to put the WWI toy soldier that had been lying on its side on my desk for months with the others that came out of storage for Christmas. I don't know how that guy got separated from his unit last year.

A kids' book I never read has been packaged to send to a family with children who might appreciate it.

The copy of Tae Kwon Do Times that my buddy at the dojang gave me and that I may or may not have read was stacked with all the materials for that black belt book I plan to write some day should I live long enough.

The remains of the sketchbook that I was going to use to create visual aids for works in progress went back into the stationery cabinet because it's been maybe half a year that it's been sitting on my desk and clearly I'm not doing anything with it. I know where it is if I want it.

Oops! And then the desk cleaning went to hell, so to speak, because of a laundry emergency! When I start my new workweek, there will be no laundry done on any of my three workdays. No laundry, no laundry emergencies.