the absence of entropy

The past month has brought a lot of chaos to our lives -- unexpected bills, ruinous weather, surprise changes at work, sudden phone calls from the hospital. So to cope, we have had to create our own sense of order -- have had to apply it to those things which we do have some control over.

Hence, the abandonment of the old black-and-white minimalist Web design.

Also hence, the replacement of the overflowing standpipe in the laundry room; and the repair of the long-jammed garbage disposal.

And the installation of the new light switch in the bedroom. And the hanging of the photos we had framed half a year ago.

We did it all this weekend. And to tell the truth, we didn't set out with the explicit purpose of making a stand against entropy. But once we got started and realized how good it felt, finally, to put things right again -- to make progress even -- we just couldn't stop.

Not that all the other issues aren't still waiting for us tomorrow. But for now, if just for one night, we're going to bed with that restfulness that comes with knowing we've got it under control.