Amnesia

(I have sporadic Internet access. The modem is working; the airport signal indicates that it, too should be working. Not quite sure what the problem is. However, I will use this excuse, conveniently, to stop unpacking for a few minutes and take advantage of my Internet access being up.)

I am suffering from moving amnesia. Well, correction: I was suffering from this affliction. I am now aware of my former malady. Painfully aware.

As in, moving is a lot of work. Hard work. We have a lot of stuff. A lot of crap.

However, after unpacking a good portion of the 480-plus items in our inventory (gulp), I recognize a couple of the bigger problems:

Number one: When every single item you own is sitting in the house in a box - not in a closet or cabinet or drawer - it looks like much more than it is.

Number two: Our movers are not always the most efficient packers. I have found more than one box - a book-sized box, roughly 12"x12"x18" - that has contained one item. Such as, a baseball cap. A couple of those can really add to the relative clutter.

Number three: I have a propensity to save a lot of stuff. Unnecessarily. My clothes closets are filled to overflowing. And this is not because I am a shopaholic (though that could be a contributing factor). No, the bigger problem is that I keep way too many items that I no longer wear. It doesn't matter that it went out of style five years ago, or that I would never in a million years wear it again in public. If I liked it once, I tend to hold onto to it.

And would you believe Gary is even worse?

But I'm getting better, and large number of items are destined for Goodwill.

I did make a decision, and all the old cassette tapes are in the garbage. We have piles of them, and I can't even remember the last time one was played - maybe 2001? In our old car? It was a bold move, I know, but I am not feeling any remorse. A few VHS tapes are in there as well - the ones we used to grab and pop into the VCR at the last minute to record a show we might otherwise miss. The DVR cured us of that necessity, so off they go.

Back to work. Who knows what little gems of surprise await me as I try to get our lives back in order.