I remember when the goal of a blog was just supposed to writing about a subject we found interesting. Some still are, but more and more they are aimed for a target audience to help increase our business. Well, this Hot Summer Mess one is for me. And hopefully you.
SUMMER
Summer in the northeast goes by like a flash. During late August and early September, we usually have some of the nicest weather of the year. But it’s hard to fully enjoy it because winter is looming. So even though fall is lovely, it gradually gets colder and darker and life moves inside. Cause, even the mildest northern winter, such as the one we had last year, is long and relentless.
Then again, I spent 6 years in South Florida and the tropical summer there is just as bad. So, I’m kind of stuck here. Because I don’t like to move.
During my 20’s I moved a lot for my comedy career. But for the last 31 years, I’ve settled in Oyster Bay, Long Island, and I can’t imagine having to pack up a whole house. Frankly, I don’t even like having to pack up to go on a trip now, so relocating is out of the question.
Part of the problem is I’ve accumulated stuff. During the pandemic I went through my basement and threw out a ton of that stuff. 3 years later, it feels like someone mysteriously put it all back in.
I also can’t deal with my desk drawers which still have things I think I will one day need. On the rare occasion that I do, I have to dig through old business cards, random loose notes, broken paperclips, and unused lozenges to find those things.
I watched the show with Marie Kondo about the joy of tidying up. I thought she might be onto something until she gave up on tidying up, after she had her third child. And understand, I’m not thrilled being a pack rat. But studies seem to show that people with messier desks are usually more creative and productive than those with tidy ones. So there.
My theory of life is that we don’t usually make big changes until we absolutely have no choice. So once every few years, I do go through my office to reduce the clutter. I cannot tell you how stressful I find that.
My kind wife also regularly offers to clean, paint, and reorganize my entire office. It is a generous offer, but this is not so much for me, but for her. She can’t stand messiness. But since she spent years as the visual display manager for Bloomingdales and Burdines, she was Marie Kondo before Marie Kondo.
I have seriously considered taking her up on this offer. But I fear having to untangle the wires from my 2 computers, 9 external hard drives, 4 lamps, 3 desks, 2 sound systems, printer, electric razor, radio, 9 chargers, summer fan, winter humidifier, and heater. And that’s only after pushing my 3 desks, 2 file cabinets, 3 chairs, and 2 garbage pails, into the middle of the room.
And when she’s done, I’d have to push it all back and re-tangle those same wires to their original spaghetti state. After all, my office is the one room in the house that is my safe place. Unfortunately, I will soon have all winter to think about tidying it up.
Who am I?
Harry Freedman is a funny fake motivational speaker and funny fake industry expert for corporate events. He recently appeared in the movie Somewhere In Queens with Ray Romano. If you’re looking to book a clean corporate comedian, Harry is frequently rated as best speaker as conferences in virtually every industry.
Recent testimonial 7/25/2023
I’ve hired Harry Freedman at two different companies that I have worked at, one was for a conference and the other was for a retirement party. Both were very different venues and crowd sizes and at both, Harry was a big hit. He’s got a knack for speaking to the specific audience and having great comedic timing. The crowd always loves him.
He works with you weeks prior to the actual show to tailor the act to the occasion, making it a hilarious experience for all. The best part is that no one knows he’s a comedian and the element of surprise once they are already laughing is pretty epic.
Rohini “Ro” Choudhury Sr. Executive Assistant to Toby Rice EQT