Finally I have internet service again just in time to get my posts up to date for the next fortnight while I am away. Sheer ego indulgence on my behalf makes me say I hope you all missed me while I was off line.
Oddly enough, things have the strangest way of happening while a person has their back turned. In the midst of my forced silence from the net the interview I did for ABC radio way back so many months ago I can’t remember when, aired. So today for my Simple Saturday post and for your listening pleasure or amusement, whatever the case may end up being, I will add the link for you all to listen to. I hope there are no restrictions stopping anyone overseas from linking, please let me know if you have any difficulties and I will try to find another way around it for you.
Here is the link…
Future Tense ~Â Minimalism the cult of less
I have noticed a marked increase in new email subscribers since the interview aired and I would like to send out a special welcome to those new readers out there who have dropped in to check out my blog. I wish you could have come at a better time as I am going to has limited access to the internet for the next two weeks while I am in Queensland visiting family. I will be unable to leave many responses to comments but there should be a blog post to read Monday to Friday though, so don’t run away. I hope you enjoy what you read and there are plenty of posts in the archives to keep you busy if you run out of new stuff and are thirsty for more. Feel free to engage with the other comments and Cindy, who writes for me on Wednesdays. is often dropping in with some responses and I will chime in when I can.
Today’s Declutter Item
Since I missed a couple of days worth of items I will add two now to make up for it. Today we have a pile of socks and some clothes that my son Liam decided to declutter recently. He is getting quite good at this whole declutter thing and I am very pleased about that. To top it off he said to me today the he wants to go through his keepsake box in the garage ~I have mentioned before about his T-Shirt collection ~ because he doesn’t want most of that stuff any more. Yahoo!!!!
Something I Am Grateful For Today
Well naturally todays gratitude item has to be having the internet back but also my son and I got to attend a ceremony for my husbands recent promotion at work. Add those two things to the news about Liam and his eminent decluttering and I have to say it has turned out to be a pretty good day for me.
Wendy says
Congrats on the mention of 365 Less Things on http://www.good.is!
Colleen says
Hi Wendy,
thank you for drawing my attention to that web site, I had no idea I had received a mention. I am having a good week when it comes to attention being drawn to my blog unfortunately it is right in the middle of it being a mess due to me having no internet connection and the one post I did throw up turned to goobledygook. Oh well, that’s life I guess. Maybe people will love me for my imperfections, goodness knows that has worked well for me through the rest of my life. 😉
Chelle says
Colleen,
I figured that post was what McDonald’s was capable of! LOL
Actually, I figured you were doing it on the fly and didn’t have time to check it over thoroughly, because normally your posts are awesome and without a flaw!
Chelle
Colleen says
Hi Chelle,
I was certainly doing it on the fly but I am sure it didn’t look like that before I shut down my laptop at McDonalds. Oh well, it’s fixed now I hope not too many people think I have gone insane although lets face it that wouldn’t be far off the truth either.
Deb J says
So glad you are back online. Enjoyed the ABC interview. Have a great time in Queensland with family.
Colleen says
Hi Deb J,
thanks and I will at least I will once I get the venetian blind cleaning for my mother-in-law out of the way.
Cindy says
Sort of an odd program, but once he started in with the interviews, it was interesting. You sounded fantastic and SO Aussie (what else would I expect??) Glad you’re back on line. I missed you, that’s for sure. Have a great trip.
Colleen says
Hi Cindy,
I thought you would notice how Aussie I sounded, almost too Aussie in my opinion and the quality of the recording was not so good for my interview. I look forward to hearing your Texan accent one day. Of course there were a lot more questions that he asked me that weren’t used which may have explained the intent behind my blog better but I am glad I came across as friendly and approachable (at least I think I did).
I am glad to be back on line and getting the next two weeks of posts scheduled so I can relax during my time away and not be nagging my daughter to cut in on her internet time.
Jo says
It was so exciting to hear your interview! You definitely sounded friendly and approachable, as well as down to earth and sensible and very relaxed, which I think might be quite difficult, actually. The relaxed part, I mean.
Great job!
* doing a little jig * 🙂
Colleen says
Hi Jo,
I thought I sounded far less informative than those that went before me but sometimes you can sound too serious. If you have to declutter your house you are going to want to take tips from someone who sounds like they are enjoying it right? 😉
Di says
Colleen, it was fun listening to your interview. How nice to be able to attach a voice to a photo and the words you share with us every day. I felt proud to be part of this ‘blog family’ as you mentioned on the radio. It’s been so inspiring, motivating, and just plain fun to be a part of this group. Thanks for your perseverance and seemingly unlimited well of ideas to help us minimize our stuff and our lives. I am so grateful for you.
Colleen says
Oh! Thank you Di, it is entirely my pleasure because without all you folks joining in the conversation and reading what I have to say it would be pretty lonely around here and I would have to go out and get a real job. 😆
Susan says
I heard that story was coming up on the radio, but then arrived at my destination and couldn’t listen to it.
Well done.
Colleen says
Thanks Susan,
Antony Funnell sure has a way of making you feel relaxed. Mind you it is easy to forget you are being recorded when you are sitting out on your sunny back patio just chatting to a guy on the telephone.
Anne says
It was great to hear your interview! You sound so friendly and down to earth. And I don’t think you sound too Aussie. 🙂
Colleen says
Hi Ann,
thank you for that. When I lived in America and worked in retail not a day would go by when I was at work that someone would say “I love your accent” I missed all that attention when I came back to Australia and just became one of the crowd again.
Annabelle says
I missed you! Welcome back and go enjoy your holiday visiting family. 🙂
Colleen says
Thanks Annabelle,
it did feel rather weird not being about to get on line although I actually feed reinvigorated just for those few days off. Imagine how good I should feel when I get back from my time away. Keep those comments coming in though even though I am not around so much because I will start to feel unloved. 😉
Andréia says
Hi Colleen! Great interview! I heard it yesterday but only today had time to comment. You sound really nice, but I already think that you are nice for the things you write and share.
Colleen says
Well thank you Andréia. We will have to continue our conversation about loving stuff when I get home as I am busy playing catch up at the moment.
Chelle says
Colleen,
Couldn’t actually hear the interview on my computer, but they have a transcript up. I was not happy with “Murray’s” comment about your “flip” reference to the landfills, so I filled him in on your methods of disposing of unused and unwanted items and how you have helped me with this task. I also suggested he read your blog and then see how he feels.
I, for one, find you absolutely inspiring. Yesterday, I went through boxes and boxes of portraits in frames with my mother. We decided it is much easier to do this with someone who can be ruthless like you suggested. We threw out a lot of old ones, compressed the ones that she wants to keep, and took all of the frames to Goodwill this morning. We also made a stop at the women’s shelter to donate some goods they can use, which made me feel really good.
I donated about 10 jigsaw puzzles to Goodwill myself today, since the senior center wasn’t open in my mom’s town and my son took the sheet music to the activities director at the retirement home where he works in my hometown. I am looking for someone who takes cell phone donations. I’ve heard that they are looking for cell phones for the troops, but simply can’t find anyone who is doing this. I have two phones that are not smart phones, but would be fine for just the talking purpose, with chargers, and do not know what to do with them. We also have an old computer battery that needs to be recycled. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I will be taking things home from my mom’s, but not nearly the amount I would have before I started decluttering! I saw a sign at the Goodwill store today that said “SIMPLIFY.” I didn’t buy it – I took a picture for my blog. It just states so beautifully in one word what we are trying to do.
Chelle
http://www.lifeonthedomesticfront.blogspot.com
Colleen says
Hi Chelle,
I did notice the knee jerk reaction comment from Mr Murray. I am too busy getting the blog updated for the next couple of weeks to have time to enlighten him so I am glad you were good enough to do it for me. I have been guilty of these kinds of reaction in the past myself but have learned from the experience and know that not every detail can be included in one short interview. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some aspiring minimalists out there who do not dispose of their unwanted stuff responsibly. Hopefully they are few and far between.
Wow! Good for you getting your mom in on the act. It sounds like that was a very smart move and tell her thank you from me for helping you out. You are making such great progress and finding home for the things you no longer want. As for cell phones I would suggest you go to an Office Works store or Best Buys if you have one in your area because they accept them. They usually have a donation box right near the front door for you to just drop them in. To my knowledge they pass them on for reasons like you suggested including as emergency phones for abused women. They also accept printer cartridges and I wouldn’t be surprised if they also except batteries like the one in your computer. Also check out the website of your local government, in Australia most local councils, as we call them, have all sorts of recycling information on their web sites.
SIMPLIFY dose sum it up very well. Maybe we should call ourselves Simplifyists rather than Minimalists.
Thank for the comment Chelle I really enjoyed what you had to share here!
Cindy says
In my area, the women’s shelter also takes phones. I believe they are programmed only to dial 911 and, obviously, are used in case the women chose to return to their endangering circumstances, which most do several times before finally breaking free of their abuser.
Loretta says
I’ve been waiting to listen to that interview since you mentioned it ages ago. I really enjoyed hearing your voice (and you sound exactly like I imagined you would!) Well done 🙂 Have a fantastic holiday.
Colleen says
Thanks Loretta.
Ideealistin says
so we sound like a selfhelp group. Humh … well, why not. I guess we really are helping each other here with questions, answers, attention and companionship and inspirational input from you.
I listened to it a bit late, beeing too busy lately (yes, also busy with decluttering, think fleamarket). It was nice to hear your voice. Now I think we should get Cindy some media coverage, too 😉
Gen says
Two things:
1). Really wanted to hear the link, so did a search on their site and found it. 🙂 Here is the new like: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/futuretense/minimalism-and-the-cult-of-less/2982660
2). LOVE the accent! 🙂
Colleen Madsen says
Hi Gen,
thank you for alerting me to the fact that the link was out of date. I have now fixed it. Glad you liked my accent I wonder if some of my readers would find me harder to understand if my posts were audio. Cindy and I didn’t have any problems understanding one another when we met in Texas in April. I really ought to do an audio post occasionally just for the fun of it.
deanna ar USA says
Wow Colleen! your interview for ABC radio in 2011 is still available. I just listened to it! It was great. I must confess, your accent is much stronger than I expected…lol. You probably would have a very hard time understanding my southern Arkansas accent, with all the y’alls, etc. Nice to hear your voice!