Tag Archives: tidying

8 Boxes of Memory Lane

I haven’t stopped the Marie Kondo-ing of my life, but certainly with my PwC beginnings it has slowed down a bit.  Just a bit though.  Honestly, the Saturdays I’ve been home these past three weeks have been pretty damn productive, although some/most of that productivity is working towards our upcoming move and doing what we can to smooth that out.  Well, honestly, there was a lot of clearing out of stuff though too, whether it was e-waste recycling, Goodwill donations, or document destruction.  We’ve been busy.

So while I have been back home on my own, all 1 day, and with our move looming in just a week, I knew it was time to hit the boxes of crap I’ve been carrying around with me for the last 20 years.  MAN.  I am a fucking packrat.  I literally kept EVERY. SINGLE. CARD.  Whether it was for a birthday, Arbor Day, Christmas, Valentine’s Day….I had it.  Holy crap that’s ridiculous.  And I kept moving with these things!!!

The process began around 10am today….er, wait, I actually started it last night with the stuff I found in the guest room closet.  Lots of frames and such with pictures.  I kept the pictures but said goodbye to the many frames I felt compelled to keep bringing along, even if I didn’t hang them up.  SMH.

This morning though, the process continued at 10am with my exploration into the storage room we have at the bottom of the house.  I schlepped those boxes up 2 flights of stairs and got a nice workout for my efforts.  It wasn’t that hot though, so I’ll quit my kvetching.  Over the course of the next 8 hours (with an hour for lunch at El Pollo Loco), I made my way through 8-9 boxes of belongings that I used to believe I HAD to have with me.  All those brochures from attractions, greeting cards, knick-knacks, MORE paperwork (I thought I had weeded you out two weekends ago!!!!) – GONE.  I have a destruction box, a recycling section, and then pure trash.  I filled up a lot of trash bags.

Through the process I did find a lot of great memories.  Letters and postcards I kept.  Certain memorabilia I kept.  But those things now fit into 1-2 boxes, a much more manageable task in storing.  It’s liberating to finally get rid of so much clutter.  Liberating, I tell ya!  Anyway, here are pics from the day – if you’ve been on Facebook today, you probably saw my oversharing first-hand.  Whatever, I don’t post all that much so it was MY TURN.  😉

March 21, 2015 – Hitting Memory Lane Hard with the Sledgehammer

Found:  My first Nokia cellphone; a signed Punky Brewster photo; old pics of me, including my first AFROTC photo ever; pic of the Barnes Boys; a Timex Calculator Watch!; a TWA statement; a possibly still-valid Target Gift Certificate from 1995! + MORE!

20-Mar-2015 18:01, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 320
20-Mar-2015 18:06, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 250
20-Mar-2015 18:11, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 250
 
20-Mar-2015 18:47, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 400
21-Mar-2015 11:30, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 125
21-Mar-2015 12:51, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 100
 
21-Mar-2015 13:03, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.042 sec, ISO 250
21-Mar-2015 13:19, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 80
21-Mar-2015 15:21, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 250
 
21-Mar-2015 16:24, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 160
21-Mar-2015 16:38, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.042 sec, ISO 250
21-Mar-2015 16:40, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 250
 
21-Mar-2015 16:45, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.059 sec, ISO 250
21-Mar-2015 18:01, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.059 sec, ISO 250
21-Mar-2015 19:24, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 250
 

Ready to Start

Start what?  Obviously not my Amazing Race recaps, but even with all the upcoming craziness of a new job and a new home, I will do my best to get those taken care of!  I guess what I am actually referring to is that it’s time to start up whatever this next chapter will be!  I got my haircut taken care of this morning; I got all those items that I had set aside for Goodwill actually over to Goodwill.  Things are happening.  I recognize my anxiety and am ready to deal with it on a daily basis, and it won’t stop me from getting shit done.  Part of me wishes I had a bit more time to not work, as this has been kind of nice.  But getting paid is even nicer!

So I’m off to Atlanta on Sunday for orientation and coming back Wednesday night.  One step at a time!

Thinning the Clothes Herd

We’ve had kind of an eventful week around here in the Larry-Hobie Household.  On Monday, we went to Glendale and got a couple of tours at apartment complexes there.  The first one we went to was pretty decent but we weren’t actually able to get a tour of an open unit (I don’t understand why I would be allowed to go to the office if that’s the case, but whatever) and instead just a Youtube video and a chance to talk to the leasing office rep.  Found out the units are completely carpeted.  That’s kind of INSANE in this day and age.  Why would you want that?  In the bedrooms, sure, but everywhere else?

So we then went to the next apartment complex, and BAM!  It’s exactly what we were looking for, and cheaper than what we’re paying now.  Disclosure: we’re paying a pretty big amount for where we live, and we both think it’s not exactly money well spent.  Multiple reasons, really:  living space is really spread out but the actual living room is compressed with the dining area, which is clumsy.  ANYWAY – we loved the complex and after getting a tour of the unit and all the amenities, we were given a pretty great offer.  We slept on it and then on Tuesday, after reaching out to our auto insurances to check how badly our premiums would go up and instead found out they’d be going DOWN (guess we’re in a worse neighborhood/zip code for auto insurance than even Glendale), it became a no-brainer.  We’re moving!  We’ll have an overlap during the month of March to conduct a soft move, with us aiming to be out of our Franklin Hills/Los Feliz place by March 31.  Exciting!  Pictures to come when we get our keys on Saturday.

Anyway, what about my headline for this post?  Well, I’ve been continuing work on the effort to Marie Kondo my stuff, and today was finally getting into the clothes situation.  It’s very satisfying to throw all the items of clothing in each category (coats/jackets, t-shirts, shirts, sweaters) on to the ground and then take each one in hand in order to determine if the item actually brings you joy/happiness.  It’s kind of shocking to see how much stuff I kept schlepping along with me all these years.  So here are the pictures from today’s efforts in getting coats/jackets, t-shirts, shirts and sweaters thinned out.  It was exhausting, so pants, shorts and underwear are happening tomorrow.  Then a trip to Goodwill on Friday to get rid of it all, along with to the UPS Store in Silver Lake for their paper destruction facility.  Be gone, excess!  (This is going to make moving soooo much easier!)

The shirts on the upper right and the polos in the lower-left are mine.  Maybe surprisingly, this is an AFTER shot.  I had a lot of junk that needed to go.
The shirts on the upper right and the polos in the lower-left are mine.  Maybe surprisingly, this is an AFTER shot.  I had a lot of junk that needed to go.25-Feb-2015 15:40, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 250
Polos were cut by half, easily.
Polos were cut by half, easily.25-Feb-2015 15:41, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 320
Just looking back the other way and at all my hangars that no longer have a use.  I DID Joan Crawford my way to no wire hangers though!
Just looking back the other way and at all my hangars that no longer have a use.  I DID Joan Crawford my way to no wire hangers though!25-Feb-2015 15:41, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 250
 
The initial stack of clothes (on the left) that are going to Goodwill.  Those on the right aren't salvageable and are headed to the trash.
The initial stack of clothes (on the left) that are going to Goodwill.  Those on the right aren't salvageable and are headed to the trash.25-Feb-2015 15:41, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 640
Off to Goodwill with you!
Off to Goodwill with you!25-Feb-2015 15:41, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 640
BEFORE:  my kind of hectic t-shirt and sweater storage area.  UGH.
BEFORE:  my kind of hectic t-shirt and sweater storage area.  UGH.25-Feb-2015 15:42, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.059 sec, ISO 250
 
25-Feb-2015 16:30, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 320
AFTER:  T-shirts in a much more manageable quantity; Sweaters too and also organized by function and weight.
AFTER:  T-shirts in a much more manageable quantity; Sweaters too and also organized by function and weight.25-Feb-2015 16:30, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 250
Me!  (in my Veronica Mars Kickstarter t-shirt)
Me!  (in my Veronica Mars Kickstarter t-shirt)25-Feb-2015 16:30, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 400
 
The stack of Goodwill-bound clothes grows bigger
The stack of Goodwill-bound clothes grows bigger25-Feb-2015 16:31, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 400
My trash
My trash25-Feb-2015 16:35, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 2.65mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 500
These things will have new forever homes soon enough with Goodwill
These things will have new forever homes soon enough with Goodwill25-Feb-2015 16:52, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 320