Thoughts on Stuff

Last month I was reading a book called SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life! And in it she talked about "separating out the treasures"...I tried this when I was packing. For example, looking at a bookshelf, I picked out the books that I definitely wanted to keep, that were definite "treasures."

This was a difficult task for me. I haven't mastered separating out the treasures, because my instinct is to hoard every item just in case I might need them. Because I have them already. Because to buy them again, it would cost money. Or even if I had gotten them for free, then I perhaps see it as a "gain"...Pack ratting/hoarding has been on my mind the past couple of years. And I have tried to let go of stuff, and I have, a little. The worst part now is that I actually feel guilty about NOT throwing stuff away. I feel bad about keeping useless things. And I also feel bad about throwing them away. So I'm in a lose-lose situation!

Events in the past 10 days of course, have brought up this issue once again. In the end, I packed up roughly 30 boxes of stuff from my apartment (not counting clothes!) and took them to my parents' house, where they sit in piles in the living room, sadly. Those two large boxes in the picture above? Stuff I packed up and shipped here via Parcel Post. They just arrived and I haven't opened them to see what's inside yet. (Because yes, I have mostly forgotten).

When I was moving I rationalized that these were things I needed. They were things that would be a waste to throw away. They were things that would be a waste to buy again. But more importantly, they would be a waste of TIME to run around the city to buy and schlep around (yes I said schlep!)

So $57 spent shipping those two boxes is worth the time. The monetary value of the things inside the boxes may not be much, but the time and energy saved is certainly worth it. There is something to be said about living in a small space and relying on public transportation. A simple trip to Target becomes a 2-hour journey. In L.A. we buy things without a second thought - toss it in the cart! Toss them in the trunk! If you don't like it, return it! Here, every item I buy in the store I have to ask myself, "Do I really need it?" "Do I have the space to store it?" and more importantly, "Can I schlep it back on the subway?" Less critical items (or too bulky ones) stay behind in the store.

Time to open the boxes.

Community Kitchen

I'll admit I don't cook very often, and when I do, I cook very basic things, like eggs. Once in awhile I make a full meal from scratch, but I don't crave home cooking too often. So I thought, OK, sure, community kitchen, I can handle that. After all, I did work in an office environment for nearly a decade, and anyone who worked with me knows I spent half my time in the kitchen.

So I was kind of surprised to see that the community kitchen was crappier than I expected. First, there is this heavy door that you always have to keep shut. Not so convenient since you have to carry a bunch of stuff in and out of there...why?



First, there is no dining table there. So you can't just cook and eat. You'd either have to stand to eat, or bring it back to your room (also, no removing furniture from your room!). Second, no leaving dirty pots and pans or any food cooking while unattended! So many rules! So I had to shuttle my stuff back and forth, through heavy doors.



There is not even a communal fridge. There is no paper towel dispenser. There are random appliances and old pots and pans left lying around. Do they belong to anyone? Who knows. I took a dish rack and a white tumbler. If they belong to a current resident, screw them. Their loss for leaving it out in a public space! Also, I am making full use of all those toasters. After I clean them. Why is everything so filthy? You'd think we weren't paying $2000 a month to live here!



Nice view of Harlem River and housing projects.



After much effort...breakfast. Which got cold. Don't worry, eventually, I'll figure out a system. Maybe even get a folding table to use in the kitchen...

First Lessons and Observations

Lesson number 1: Push back door on bus to open and exit. (Will skip details of me frantically yelling "back door! back door!")

Initial observations:

• No one wears sunglasses around here! What gives? Feel like the obnoxious Angeleno every time I bust out my designer eyewear. Maybe it's because there's just too much sun in L.A. Or maybe we are too cool for school.

• Need to get used to jaywalking. (Will skip details of me standing on the corner like an idiot waiting for the light to turn green. Will also skip details of me narrowly missing getting hit by a cab when carelessly dashing out on to the street.)

More later...

First Day

When I arrived on Thursday, the first thing I saw was my name on the door. Instead of feeling delighted, I felt depressed. It reminded me of when I saw my name on the door when I went to college in 1995 (which at the time, did make me feel delighted). This time it just made me feel old. It also made me feel like I had come full circle in 15 years. I know I should've felt happy but I was all sorts of emotions on Thursday. And I was also exhausted from all my travels (and from having packed up and moved mounds of stuff!)

The mattress is wrapped in a vinyl covering that you can't remove. While this makes sense for sanitary purposes, it makes for a rather slippery, and uncomfortable bed. A couple hours into it I was so exhausted I just laid down without any bedding. The bed was pushed up against the wall and I looked at the moving clouds in the sky and over at the empty bookshelf past my feet. Again, instead of feeling delighted, I panicked and thought, "MY GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE?"

Something about the corner of the room was depressing. I felt imprisoned, and again, like I haven't "grown up" and that I have regressed to living like a college student (which is ridiculous, because back home I was sleeping on a twin bed pushed up against a corner!)

So even though I was pretty tired, I got up and moved the furniture around. I feel satisfied with the result.

It's still a work in progress, but I feel better about it. I moved the bed away from the wall, and rolled the little nightstand/drawer thingy and the floor lamp to the space in between the wall and the bed. I also moved the "fridge station" and "dining table" to create my little breakfast nook.

I ordered a duvet which should be coming Monday or Tuesday. And then I'll have to figure out something to add a "splash" of color to my room. (Unfortunately I ordered a duvet in a boring cream color). I picked up some bath rugs and towels in green from Target (thanks to all my friends and relatives who gave me Target gift cards!) so that my bathroom looks a little more homey. It's only been two days and already my room feels a lot better and I also feel better all around.

Packing Up

Living in the same apartment for nine years allows you to accumulate a lot of junk.
If you know me well, you know that I have an unhealthy attachment to stuff (I come from a long line of pack rats and compulsive hoarders...). I sold my dining table set, my couch, and my bed frame, and a shelf. I gave my desk away to a good friend (on "loan!"). I gave away some stuff to Goodwill, but not too much. I didn't have time to go through my clothes or shoes for donation. So I wound up with two carloads full of stuff when I moved out! (Even though I had already taken some stuff to my parents' house over the previous weeks!)

Despite all best intentions, somehow, there are things that still fall to the very end. So at 3 p.m. on Monday, August 23, 2010, I was on my hands and knees in the bathroom scrubbing the floor (sigh!). And then I hit the 405 at 4 p.m. and was outta Westwood forever! :(


Only a fraction of my clothes.


Stuff!


Lots o' stuff!






Goodbye, Westwood!

Last Day at Work

My last day at work was Friday, August 20, 2010. My first day there was August 25, 2002. It was kind of surreal...packing up 8 years worth of junk and saying goodbye.

And yes, I was there till 6:30 p.m. cleaning up!