Cricket

The West End of Richmond has become such a diverse community. The beauty of differing cultures coming together as neighbors is learning new ways of living, new foods, new looks, new sports, and so much more. An addition that I have enjoyed learning about is the sport of cricket. I see games being played on the school playgrounds and on TV. Internationally, cricket is a very popular sport. Now we get to experience it here in Richmond.

Cricket dates back to the early 1500s in England. As England expanded its empire, cricket became a popular sport in many countries around the world. Some of these countries include Australia, South Africa and the subcontinent of India. The International Cricket Council oversees the Laws of Cricket and the world tournament was held in Australia/New Zealand this year. I believe it is the second most popular sport in the world with over 120 million players.

Cricket has some similarities to American baseball, but the lingo is very different. You will hear words like overs, wicket, stump, bowler, bails and crease. Similarities to baseball include using a bat and ball, scoring runs, and playing innings. There are 11 players on each team and all come to bat each inning. Games last one to two innings and the field is usually oval.

One of the premier cricket tournaments this year is held in India called IPL 8. 60 matches will be held all over India and will include 2 qualifiers, 1 eliminator and then the finals. The tourney begins April 8^th, 2015 and ends May 24^th, 2015. There are 8 teams participating and each team will play the other teams twice.

Check out the international cricket schedule at http://schedule.cricket.com.pk/. If you get the chance, watch a cricket match on TV or if you get lucky and see one happening at a local field, stop by to enjoy the action. Extra Attic loves the many new activities, like cricket, that diversity brings to our communities.

Clutter Control

We have lots of stuff! It's all over the place. I would love to get it out of my way, but how? Fortunately, there are many clutter control ideas available because of so many struggles.

 Let's make a plan to attack the clutter. If we do this a little at a time, we will win the battle. First we have to take a step back and identify the areas which have the most junk. You know what I mean- places in our house or on our property that create immediate stress when we see them. It may be the garage with years of accumulated stuff. It may be the kitchen with all the current mail, magazines, lists, and hot deals. My nemesis is the spare bedroom, where you can close the door- out of sight out of mind. Unfortunately, that is only a temporary solution – very temporary!

Once the sore spot has been selected, start chucking stuff. So much of the clutter is useless, with little monetary value. Look over the space and ask yourself when you used each item last and its real worth. Take a close look, too. Usually, if things are old, they will show wear which makes the item less attractive to keep. If you are honest with this step, a lot will get unloaded. 

Don't let the task overwhelm you. Pick your spots to begin and don't set an unrealistic timetable to finish. Just work at a comfortable pace with no pressure and chip away. You'll be surprised at the progress you make. Another important piece to your success is concentration. Put away the phone and all other distractions. Stay on task. That may seem difficult, but remember, each session doesn't have to be long – just keep coming back. Also, how about getting help from a spouse or kids? But only if they don't get in the way, I know!

 Now that you are steadily decreasing the clutter, what do you do with the remaining things that you do want? One idea is to find unused room, which is not in your way, and another is to find unused space such as walls, doors and even ceilings to hang things.

Once it's straight, don't slip back into a mess. Give new clutter away. One person's junk is another person's treasure! Put it away, throw it away, even have regular yard sales. Whatever you do – don't stuff it and turn it into clutter, again. Between you and me, throwing away and giving away and putting away are tough, so the perfect solution for me is to rent a storage unit from Extra Attic. That would remedy the whole clutter issue – easy. See you soon.