Moving

[John Brainlove]

Moving house. Not just general moving of the moving around variety..

MAN.
I have only just begun delving into the hidden piles of crap around my "bijou" "flatlette" (or small "studio" "apartment") (i.e. tiny bedsit) and I am already torn in half about what to keep and what to throw away.

Examples (perhaps if you wanna help me out you can give AYE or NAY to throwing them away) -

a) Cool art show invitation. It made me feel important to be invited. But I didn't go. It has a cool picture on it. But not so nice that I stuck it on the wall.

b) Uncut magazine about famous music suicides and vanishings. Nice pictures of Kurt, Richey, Nick Drake, etc. Good articles. Reviews of things I bought at the time. A big advert for "play" by Moby on the back. But unread for the 4 years since I bought it.

c) shoebox full of ex-ex-girlfriend memorabelia. We don't speak any more. The only time I ever look at it is when me move, and it only ever makes me feel bad. But it's like a little time capsule - Glastonbury ticket stubs, pics, notes, etc.

d) Heavy stack of art magzines. All full of information and reviews and archived interviews etc. But unlooked at, weighty and gathering dust.

e) Books & videos from when I was younger - lots of dodgy science fiction, fantasy, crap action movies, etc etc. I may never use any of it again. But then, it is my part of my life.

This sucks.

Throw it all away, feel free live in the moment, but risk losing things that helped define who you are, or things that you might want back later. Things that helped define your identity. At a time when you do need some continuity. But things that weigh you down and gather dust and take up space.

This is more like a blog than a message board post, huh?

Hm.

[atomjack]

Keep all the old books and videos, you never know when you'll need a good bit of crap science fiction! In fact, keep everything but your shoebox of ex-ex-girlfriend memorabilia...that's just bad vibes.....innit?

[Monpot]

Ah I've recently found myself in a semi-simillar situation. Left most of my stuff back in my parents' house, wasn't sure if I'd be moving back after Uni and all that, plus my room here is a bit wee so I only took the essentials.

However, I'm not gonna move home now, and that house is to big for just my parents' so they've been sorting it all out, getting it ready for sale. Making all the rooms neutral and whatnot. I've basically found myself being ever so slowly kicked out. So away go my orange walls, away goes my armchair, away goes everything. Had to sort out a load of crap as well. I find that a degree of ruthlessness is needed. Out went all my old posters, all the old board-games, do i still need those teddy-bears? Umm am I 5? No! Out they went. Then it came to the books. Shit that was hard. Got rid of all my Michael Moorecock's (except for the Corum ones), kept all of my Discworld's obviously, I also curiously kept a history of Europe from the French Revolution to World War 2, I've never read it, but one day I might.

In amidst all this however, I did find a DVD. Not just any DVD, it was a DVD of ......


Lost Cities Of Gold

!!!!!!!

I think it's got all the episoded on, even possibly the last one.

Moral -be ruthless, but hold onto the gems.

[John Brainlove]

ACK

Another difficult one -

A carrier bag full of cassettes, half unlabelled, half compilations made for me by old friends and ex's, and for me by me at various stages, all dusty and crappy. I NEVER LISTEN TO TAPES. So why is it so hard to chuck them?

[atomjack]

If I were you I would do a drive-by and throw all the crap that they left with you through their windows/faces. Y'know just to teach 'em a lesson.

There might be some real gold on those tapes though....

[JohnDTraynor]

I've moved loads of times and always tried to cart everything around but eventually I had to dump things similar to what you describe. Ocasionally I have regretted it but then realised it is past history, and I should look forward. I strongly recommend getting rid off letters from girlfriends you don't know any more.

[Smileadelic]

Keep the invitation, books and videos.

Throw the magazines.

Chuck the ex-girlfriend stuff into a bottomless pit.

[Durutti]

Yep, definitely ditch the ex-ex's stuff. I clung on to stuff like that in the past but its like hugging a spectre. Move on.
I would keep the tapes. Videos, etc have to be on a case by case basis. Keep the top five or ten. Same with the magazines.
The invite doesn't take up any room, use it as a book mark if you want to feel its useful.

Monpot. You threw away Micheal Moorecock and kept Terry Pratchett!!! Madness, pure and simple. Also, I really want to know what happened at the end of Cities of Gold. PM me for God's sake!

[bamos]

If I don't get a copy of that Cities of Gold DVD, when I come to Cardiff in a couple of weeks I'm going to hunt you down like some kind of fetid badger and stamp on your larynx until it explodes.

[creakyknees]

I really like Michael Moorcock, specially the Jerry Cornelius books.

The worst things I ever had to leave behind were a couple of spears, in Hackney Stoke Newington, in my bedroom, I stuck them into the wooden flooring, I still wonder who got them? I also left my huge special rasta blasta there, it was dead cool, I know that now cos I've seen the exact model in several videos, although I was the only person I knew with one, the last video with it in was a Nelly Furtado video where she gets out of some room through the window (cant remember the song)
So it is definately possible to regret leaving stuff, I also left a load of tapes, and some of them had John Peel recordings off the radio so I would advise you to only keep tapes with stuff that could not be replaced.

[Fellalady]

Yep, keep the art invitation. Streamline your magazine, video and book collection. See if any of your friends want what you don't want anymore, that makes it feel better. I'm still holding on to my spectre of ex- ex's stuff so can't advise you there.

Don't chuck any of the cassettes away, you never know what you mind find. My housemate and I were listening to an old mix tape a girlfriend made for him when he was about 17 the other day. Side one came to an end, then he realised that he had never listened to side two. When he turned it over we both listened to a message she had recorded for him 11 years ago - it was a strange cry for help monalogue about her family, best friend and how she felt about him. It was really touching. He felt sad that he got the message 11 years too late, but better than not at all.

Every charity shop I have ever been to in Birmingham has a Michael Moorcock book on its shelves. FACT.

[JohnDTraynor]

This thread is becoming so sad. Everyone's going to need a hug.

[Durutti]

That story about the lost tape message has messed me up a bit actually. I mean... it's just... I am actually at a loss what to say. I'd be devastated about that.

[Fellalady]

I know what you mean. I did try and down play how sad it was. My friend disappeared to spend quite some time alone in his room shortly afterwards.

[Fullerov]

I am really bad about throwing things away.

I still have all my old match magazines at home.