My Life in Trash

I have some clear hoarding traits.  Its not too bad, but I do have trouble throwing things away.  And I like to hold on to things well past any sensible length of time.  Hubby is an enabler.  As long as I can find a way from keeping it from looking too disaster-movie, he allows it.  Its actually quite surprising that he is not a hoarder. 

There are entire rooms that are virtually inaccessible in his parents' house.  And its because of things like videogame boxes and manuals and strategy guides from ten-year old games.  Not to mention the seven pairs of cargo pants that hubby's mother tried to give me when I mentioned that I wanted more casual dress pants to wear when teaching.  I tried to politely decline, as cargo pants are not, by any definition, casual dress pants.  "Oh, but these are very nice cargo pants".  NO SUCH THING.  I managed to talk her out of those.  Unfortunately, I couldn't talk her out of the several pairs of jeans she gave me.  Which had been pressed and folded as if they were dress pants.  Jeans should not have creases.  The jeans are still sitting in a bag on the floor of the bedroom, where they have been since I got them about a year ago.  Long story short, I know you read this blog, hubby's bro.  Go all "Hoarders" on your parents.  But start with your stuff.  Because your mother will have a meltdown.  Like Chernobyl. 

Regardless, this post is not about them.  It is about me.  Aren't all things?  I hoard books, dvds, and video games.  And empty pill bottles.  I think everyone does that.  Except I go throught like two vials a month.  And I never throw them out.  Just in case.  Although I've yet to find an occurance when I needed one let alone twenty.

Most of these movies I've seen once or twice, and I'm fine with that.  Some I've watched countless times, and can rewatch whenever.  Some I've never watched (and probably won't).  One I even put on repeat once.  On the photo to the right, if you spot the suspiciously empty(ish) shelf, that's because I'm getting rid of a TON of PS3 and DS games (as well as my entire PS2 collection and PS2.  Which hasn't been used in about two years).  For any readers curious to see if you are in one of the pictures on the bookshelf, I had fun with Picasa, and now all pictures are of disembodied blurs.  Oh, and for the record, the camera is not being held crooked.  That is the angle that the DVD case is at compared to the wall.

This bookshelf is crammed full of notebooks and textbooks.  All the ones that I've kept since I started college anyways.  I keep meaning to go through and do a better job organizing them.  Still haven't though.

Most of these are Hubby's textbooks and notes from undergrad - although some may be from college.  I can't read his handwriting and I don't understand the material in the books, so I try to stay away.  There are novels and how-to types books on here too.  Which doesn't make sense to me.  But then again, my system of piling books in a room doesn't fly with hubby.  No wonder I can't find anything.

Again, novels and how-to (ala the "for dummies" series) And Calvin and Hobbes books. That I haven't touched since maybe middle school.

Finally, this bookshelf is ALL novels.  And no, there is no optical illusion.  The shelves are bending under the weight of the books.  And the pile of clothes? made two years ago. They are going to goodwill. At some point.

I have made marked improvements.  As I said before, I am getting rid of a ton of old video games. I want to try to get rid of some movies as well. Don't know how well that will work.  I also want to get rid of a ton of books.  And the clothes.  And all the broken or severely outdated electronic equipment - I'm talking to you scanner-with-a-serial-port.  I don't need them.  In fact a lot of this junk no one needs.  And I want it gone.  I just don't get motivated to do that.  But I can get motivated to take pictures of all my junk for a lame blog post.  Go figure.