Collecting things...

[Steff]

I am a collector of certain things. Nothing extraordinary or over the top, just particular things that have captivated my interest during my life.

As I get older I look at all this stuff I've been forever carrying around with me. Up until a few years ago it was of paramount importance. Why? Beat's me, but I continued to lug it from house to house over the years each time I moved. I made space for it, housed it, heated its' area and thought it was of interesting value. Hmmmm, I no longer know.

Recently I feel it has become a tremendous burden and I realized if I was rid of it I would need a third less of the space I reside in. It is interesting that my passion for eliminating the stuff is increasingly becoming as strong as my passion for collecting it in the first place. I am sure some of this "urge to purge" has to due with not burdening my family with the miserable task of dealing with the shit I leave behind. I had a clean slate coming into this world and there is an ever increasing attraction to the notion of leaving a clean slate when I leave.

Some what do others think? Do you collect? How do you feel about it as you get older? Has your interest in it waned as you've aged. What is your plan for it? In particular, I would like to know about the expats living in LOS. What have you done with the stuff from your yester-life? Does it matter? Recently someone pined about missing all the "awful" stuff of Thanksgiving as a child with family. Is this the same?

Your thoughts?

Steff

P.S. I have every god-damn TIME magazine since 1974. All neatly boxed. who's interested? :-)

[f0xxee]

Hi Steff,

As an inveterate traveller I have tended to lose attachment to material things. I nest in one place for a few years and with a change in borders comes a change in collections.

Some things must be kept however:
Some tools
Some Art
Some books. (yes books have been the one heavy item lugged around Asia)
Everything else is expendable.

I am hoping I have now put down roots and this is where I will grow old and even more ill tempered and cantankerous. Lucky neighbors.

[Jake_Sully]

Steff you'd be surprised at what I collect.

Paintings that're defective yet appeal to me. (I have 5)
Old video cards. (Matrox 2mb, STB Velocity 128 4mb, Voodoo 3 16mb, GeForce 3 Original 64mb, GeForce 6600GT 128mb, GeForce 8800GT 512mb, Geforce GTX260 1792mb and I won't even mention my current)
J.R.R. Tolkien Books - besides the obvious I have the Simillarion.
And I used to own a Peavey 5150 Half Stack, Eddie Van Halen signature edition and a Jackson Kelly Limited Edition Pro guitar (these are the first things I ever spent my hard earned money on and saved up over a year for and kept them for 15 years).

I let them both go because of the same reasons you listed.

The books will follow as will the video cards, but the paintings, hmm.. I don't know about that!

[deepthroat]

You don't own your possessions - rather, the inverse is true according to Buddhism.

[pacman]

Steff, decide what you can't bear to lose & let the rest go.

We spend our life gathering stuff, hoarding it, convinced that one day it will be useful. It rarely is. But we have lugged it around half our lives filling sheds & storerooms with boxes & clutter.

It is a big day when you realise that you don't need it. I dumped tons of crap a few years back & never looked back. Even the stuff I valued too much to part with is looking very expendable these days.

The first chance I get to either sell it or donate it, it's gone.

[Rocket J. Squirrel]

I have always been a saver of stuff. The urge to purge came after my first trip to Thailand and I observed how some of the Thais live with just what they need. I have gone from a house to a small one bedroom apartment since then. The truth is that I just need some more time to keep throwing out. It's a good feeling but it is taking me a long time.

[kahuna]

I'm old so I HAD lots and lots of shit...a record collection...45s. 33 1/3s...78s...some very old stuff...Lots of furniture...Beautiful anitque sideboard, dining set, library tables...and the most beautiful collection of Catalina pottery...It's all gone...

I sold my house in Northern California a couple years back...And I either sold the shit for next to nothing or gave it away...I just wanted to be free...

I gave some pieces to my cousin and close friends...And I visit those pieces now and again...I kept a small collection of Hawaiian and hula girl junk...The most valuable of which is a Marwel head...Just to keep me warm...And a real live pre-Colombian piece that I acquired in Mexico years and years ago and a few trinkets that belonged to my mother, father, sister, daughter and grand parents that have value only to me...

The furniture went...The clothes went...everything went...

It felt really really good...I think about some of the stuff on occasion...But I truly don't miss any of it nor do I have any regrets...I've been much too busy making new memories...

[laputanegra]

I used to collect stamps,foreign currency and NBA cards haha when I was younger. but then I lost interest with it when I was 13 or 14 I think and give it away to my classmate.

now i will just focus on collecting shoes.

[friedfrunk]

If you stay in one place long enough, you tend to collect stuff. Travel enough and you quickly realize that you don't need most of this stuff. That's all it is ... stuff. For a traveler these possessions are like a ball and chain, literally and figuratively. You'd be surprised that all you really need to live an awesome life can fit into a duffel bag, weighing all of 15kg.

[PigDogg]

(Rocket J. Squirrel @ Nov. 29 2010,19:54) The truth is that I just need some more time to keep throwing out.  It's a good feeling but it is taking me a long time.

Possesions are a burden.  

But being an Oscar Madison type, I have accumulated lots of junk.

I had tremendous resistance getting started on any particlar night but once I got into the flow I could purge for hours.  I especially enjoyed purging while watching that cable show, think it's called Clean My House, where hoarders are given a free home makeovers.

I find that although I it is difficult for me to throw stuff away, it makes me feel really good if I can give stuff away.   My cousin had a party and was able to give away a whole bunch of old family pics. I realy don't want them but could not bear putting them in garbage.

As far as paperwork, I had a friend at my old job bring me lots of empty boxes of copier paper and would try to sort stuff into varoius boxes.  It is OK to even keep some marginal stuff because in the next iteration of cleaning it should be easy to get rid of.

Next time I go home,I will purge more and perhaps scan some important documents to email to myself.

Btw, in New York they have Cluterers Anonymous meetings.  Maybe worthwhile to go to one, perhaps a good place to meet women.  

[strocube]

I don't accumulate a lot of stuff.
I have rule that if I haven't  used something for a whole year it's gone. Books of course, are the exception; I have a lot of those.
This reminds me, I need to get rid of a few things. I box it all up, take it to the Good Will, get a receipt, and write it off on my taxes for 2010.

[Bumpa STIKKA]

(f0xxee @ Nov. 30 2010,06:10) As an inveterate traveller I have tended to lose attachment to material things. I nest in one place for a few years and with a change in borders comes a change in collections...

That about sums me up, too.

I've never been too impressed with keeping stuff as I've usually got no place to store it.

I do have a rather extensive LP collection in my brother's attic, though.

It'll be fun to have a look at that in my old age.

[f0xxee]

(Bumpa STIKKA @ Dec. 01 2010,07:32) I do have a rather extensive LP collection in my brother's attic, though.

It'll be fun to have a look at that in my old age.

Re: Your LP collection.

As Gen Y is discovering, there is more "soul" in vinyl than found in digital recordings.
Therefore vinyl is making a comeback.
Those albums will keep you in Somtam and Leo in your old age if you auction them in a few years.

Re: old age. Not touching this one.