So the blending of our stuff has been an interesting and eye opening experience! I say eye opening as it's given me a very blunt view of how we both really are. Both pack-rats and both procrastinators. Seems like a perfect blend, doesn't it? Yea, no. Not so much. But at least we understand it from our own perspective. We know things have a story, a back ground, a history in our lives. Most of our stuff is meaningful and neither of us want to toss things that are special. And why should we?
My last long term boyfriend never got it. He was a neat-nick. It made me crazy! He would make me feel bad about all my art supplies (it's not like it was one or two items though. Art supplies are expensive and I'm not about to toss out stuff that I've spent good money on that is still useful!!) and my desk space being a mess (to him anyway. I could find everything i needed...it was organized chaos). He never wanted any of my artwork out where anyone would see it. There were two pieces that he liked and wanted out. But all the rest needed to be boxed up in the garage. It got to the point where it was a big fat thorn in our relationship. So i really appreciate the fact that Brooks has never once said to me, "Umm...why is it necessary for you to have all this mess? Why do you need it? Are you ever going to use it?" Not once! In fact, any time i look like I'm going to toss some sort of artsy thing he says the opposite! And he wants, actually WANTS my artwork out and about in our new place! And it's not because he thinks that's what i want to hear! We've actually had little arguments over some of my work that i hate and he loves!! He wants my crappy paintings to be hung on the walls and hates that i don't want them to be. He wants my sculptures where people will see them and where they will inevitably collect dust. And he's looking forward to me getting back in the studio to create even more works that we'll have on shelves and walls! For real! It's weird. Don't get me wrong, it's nice! It's an awesome feeling, but it's not something I'm at all used to, so it's still a bit unsettling.
At one point before he got this job, i was contemplating selling the White Rabbit and my spine sculpture on e-bay just to have some sort of money available to us. The look on his face was horrendous. He hated that thought and really didn't want me to even consider it. Not that it would have brought in 6 figures or anything, but i felt any funds would have been helpful at the time.
We got the official word yesterday that we get to do the walk through and get our keys this coming Thursday! We couldn't be happier! We are both SO excited it's hard to focus. Which makes the packing process even more difficult. I started packing some of our pictures and doo dads that we have around in our space downstairs yesterday...the box is yet to be fully packed, and i move from box to box without finishing one before getting to the next. Though the walls are a bit more bare now.
It just hit me that we are going to lose pretty much all of Thursday and Friday as time spent packing. Instead we'll be in town and I'll be cleaning, spraying down the new place with spider repellant in case of any hitch-hikers, and putting away a load of boxes on Thursday while Brooks is at work, and Friday i have a doctors appointment and more than likely spend the rest of the day in town again. So that leaves today...and tomorrow packing. TWO DAYS?! THAT'S IT?! OMG!!! So what am i doing instead of packing you ask? Writing this blog post...of course! I feel nauseous when i look at all his stuff that is in piles in the garage and not packed into boxes yet. He's already at work for the day so it's not looking good at this point. I'm overwhelmed. Big time!!
We've made some headway in the "purging" process, but not as much as i had hoped. Part of the problem I've discovered, isn't that he won't go through his stuff...it's that he really doesn't see that he has much to dig through. I keep finding things. One of my very good friends told me yesterday that i shouldn't allow any boxes into the new place that haven't been sorted. Haha! I thought that was hilarious!
He's funny. He will go through boxes, unpack stuff that he's getting rid of and make all new piles of stuff. Everywhere. I don't even know what to make of it. Is it stuff he's keeping? Is it toss-able? Is it donate-able? WHAT IS IT?! Oh for the love of God, WHAT IS IT??!!!
I'm close with my stuff. Almost. Done. But i still need help to get to the rest of them as they are behind the generator in the shop. And with that scary-ass big black widow still on the loose, i am NOT going in there alone! Nope!! I can't. Physically can not! I feel like I'm going to hyperventilate and die even considering it. So I've kept myself busy. I packed up a lot of stuff in the bathroom today and i keep tossing stuff, which feels good.
This whole process has gotten me thinking...what things do people purge and donate? What things do they keep? What are the requirements to be a "special" item? I'm curious! I'd really like to know. I know people do this stuff...when people move ya kinda have to! Don't you?
My brilliant sister (for real!!) has a process which I've tried to adopt. If she's thinking of getting rid of something, but unsure if she wants to keep it, she'll put it in a box and date the box. When the date arrives, if she hasn't touched the box in that time (usually 6 months to a year) she'll not open the box to even see what's in it, she'll just donate it. No pilfering back in it, just out it goes! I love this idea and have tried to do it. However, since i haven't had access to my crap in quite some time, i can't yet do this with everything. Not to mention the way I've packed in recent moves is so unorganized I've got dishes in with towels and office stuff. Things my grandma gave me in with a box of old bills that need to be burned. It's a mess! But i think it's a great idea!
I've moved mass amounts of boxes of stuff from Oregon and all over Greensboro in the last 5 years. It's been astounding to see all the pidly little crap I've saved and just thrown in boxes to "be looked through later". I'm famous for this! I moved from my first home here in Greensboro to my own apartment. I had 3 friends helping me. I had so many boxes of just random stuff in my living room, my friend Cindy thought for sure i'd be unpacking for weeks. I managed to dig through a big amount of it and figure out pretty quick what was going where the washing machine hook ups went as storage, and what i was actually unpacking and putting away. I don't live out of boxes well! AT! ALL!!!
When i lived with my mom for a few months before trekking across country, i lived out of my suitcase and a few boxes. The day i moved to Greensboro, my movers and i unloaded the stuff into my room in the condo i was sharing with a total stranger, and the rest into storage. My room was floor to ceiling boxes! Literally!! I got home around 4pm from dealing with storage stuff and went to work at unpacking. By 9pm i was done. I had one box left on the floor. Everything else was put away and organized. Even the empty boxes were tossed into recycling! I just don't live out of boxes well. I can't stand it. So i'm thinking we will more than likely be totally unpacked in a weeks time. Well...actually, all the house stuff and my own stuff by Monday/Tuesday. Brooks' stuff...we'll see how long it takes him to get his stuff put away, before he gets tired of listening to me complain.
I'm now sitting here typing and my brain is a whirl of "WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? WE HAVE 2 DAYS TO FINISH PACKING! OMG!", yet i am still sitting here at my laptop. Great way to get things done Jules. Really, just brilliant!
No comments:
Post a Comment