As it got dark the previous evening, I tried unsuccessfully to get the TV to work. Most likely Mom had cancelled the satellite service already. Surprisingly, there was absolutely nothing in the house to read (very rare for Mom).
With nothing else to do, I went to bed embarrassingly early. As I was getting ready to sleep, I noticed the blanket I had chosen was one Mom was still making and it had pins in it. No wonder I had issues sleeping the previous night!
With everything going on I fell asleep relatively quickly, consequently getting up really early.
I had a list of final stuff to clean and take care of - appropriately enough written on a napkin. Getting everything done allowed me a chance to do a few final walkthroughs. I found a few more things to take care of, but overall the place looked quite good. All this took a little bit of time, still allowing me to leave at around 3:30 AM.
The first part of the trip was all two-lane roads. I probably would have enjoyed this, but it was very dark and there were some extremely foggy places making it even worse. But I had the overtravelled Florida roads to myself. My GPS was set to avoid tolls, and that probably added a few minutes; a negligible amount but worth it when I'm biologically preprogrammed to avoid tolls.
I had a few children's books (don't judge) to listen to on a USB stick - thankfully getting that to work on the Hyundai audio system was really easy. Actually, the audio system on that SUV was really well thought out. The Librivox reader for The Velveteen Rabbit had a sing-songy voice which didn't help staying alert so early in the morning.
Once on the interstate, I motored along pensively. I listened to Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels for the rest of the trip. My attention to it waned through the day - Part 1 is the only part I enjoyed. Part 4 was tedious - yahoo.
I didn't know how far I was going to get, and with a few stressful days without enough sleep behind me, I did get a bit tired a few times. Whenever fatigue set in I stopped for a rest - getting gas or something to eat. At one stop I got a craving for Starburst candy. I really don't even like Starbursts! But at least they were "favorite reds."
The day started out in the upper 60's. As I traveled north, the temperatures slowly dropped. Somewhere north of Atlanta, it started raining and this continued for most of the rest of the trip. The amount of rain varied from a light mist to very heavy rain. I may have pushed it a bit on the speed in a few of the rainy sections, but damnit people - keep right except to pass! Morons...
I must say that the Hyundai Tucson was really growing on me. I've always been a little prejudiced against Korean cars - having seen what they were in the 90's. But the Tucson was comfortable, quick enough, had good capacity with tolerable fuel economy and all the parts worked together well. I'm not going to rush out and buy one, but the Tucson has made me come around on Korea.
On one of my rest stops I was trying to decide if I was going to stop soon, or just go all the way home. I got a hamburger and cup of coffee. Then I proceeded to spill my burger all over myself and my coffee lid was loose. I want to be home. Shortly after this stop, the rain started to turn to snow and I started to see some cars with lots of snow on them. I was still wearing shorts from my start in Florida, and this was not too pleasant.
I thought about going straight home so that I didn't have to deal with the rental car, etc. but the thought of having to go back to the airport the following day was too heinous.
I parked outside of the rental car gate and shuttled over to long term parking. I got my truck out of hock and drove back to the Hyundai. It took a few minutes to transfer everything into my truck - that Tucson holds more than I thought it did.
Returning the rental car and walking back to my truck, I was on the final leg home for one of the longer drives I've done in a long time.
Back at home, I left most stuff in the truck to be dealt with later.
The past few days were crazy hectic, but I was glad to be able to do this (and even more glad it was done).
I thought more about all the stuff I have at home that I really never touch. I thought about stuff that has been in a box since I moved over seven years previous. I should really do some purging of my own, of my own life.
I'm glad that companies like 1-800-got-junk exist, but the fact that they do and they are a large nationwide franchise says something distressing. The fact that I had to call them is something distasteful.
So I'll end with that banal platitude again: More stuff tends to clutter life, not improve it. And I'll say it again and again until it become a mantra: More stuff tents to clutter life, not improve it.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Friday, February 16, 2018
Mom's House Day 2
What a difference a day makes.
If the previous day was about being overwhelmed, then chalk one up for insomnia. I woke up crazy early and knew I wasn't going to get back to sleep. So I got up made coffee and took a shower.
Mom has books - lots and lots of books. A neighbor had gotten me some boxes which I used to box up all the books. I tried to pull out all the bookmarks and throw away the books that absolutely no one would want - note that when a large percentage of pages are bookmarked, it defeats the purpose of the bookmark.
My back was already hurting from the previous day, so lugging around books was painful.
I loaded up the SUV, and headed out to donate at the Thrift store. As I got to the exit to the community, I noticed the gates were closed: If I left, I wouldn't be able to get back in.
I turned around and headed back to Mom's.
I wasn't going to lose time - I'm most productive in the morning. So I proceeded to sort and pack and move and sort. I will admit that as the morning wore on, my ratio of garbage to donate went up considerably.
As it started to get light, I walked down to the gates. A man was there in a truck looking at a leaking manhole cover - that can never be good. By the smell, I suspect it wasn't fresh water.
I asked him about a code for the gate and he gave me his. I guess I don't look too threatening, "If anything happens, I've never seen you."
By the time I left, the gates were opened.
At this point, I had nearly everything sorted. I did a few more runs to the thrift store. I almost feel bad about how much I donated. It was a small place and I hope I didn't overwhelm them. I do feel confident that there was enough good stuff there that even if they can't use everything, there will be plenty to be able to sell.
Back at Mom's, I packed all the trash in the utility room and in a few boxes in the driveway. I rescheduled my 1-800-got-junk appointment and continued cleaning. There was a light at the end of the tunnel.
I got a hold of the realtor and her come by. She noticed a few Christmas things left (she really didn't like Christmas stuff out), but said it looked good. Once I'm done and gone I'll give her a call to take pictures for the actual sale.
Reaching a point where there wasn't much to do, I waited for the junk guys. They called and said they would be late but would still be by before the end of the day. I took a peek at my phone and found a bar within walking distance.
I wasn't feeling real hot - lack of sleep and overwork and all... A bar burger and fries were REALLY good. I enjoyed the walk as well; it was a chance to clear my head. It did feel really weird being the only person in the bar though.
There was much consternation over my bill however. They only charged me for the soda, and put the rest on as gratuity. Whatever ... they were nice to me and the food was good.
After more waiting and cleaning and waiting and cleaning, the 1-800-got-junk guys showed up. They quoted me a little more than I thought, but I wasn't going to argue it (at all).
I emptied nearly everything out of the fridge and dumped that as well. Some of it had gone all science experiment since my mom had left in a hurry to get treatment back at home.
In a very short amount of time, it was all gone. I did some final clean-up before calling it a day. I may try to leave tomorrow as I can't justify staying longer. I'm tired, sore, and this has been stressful. Very stressful.
I will say this exercise has made me think about our - mostly my - relationship to my stuff. I've fantasized many times about selling everything and traveling on the cheap for the next 30 years. I'm not sure I'll ever do that, but see immense value in getting rid of stuff, of junk. The connection to things that really don't bring much happiness is complicated. Less is more.
More stuff tends to clutter life, not improve on it. I know this sounds like a banal platitude, but as David Foster Wallace said, "Sometimes banal platitudes can have life or death consequences."
I've done what I can for Mom's place and I know it looks better. Whether it looks good enough to sell will come through over the next weeks and months.
Mom had a non-alcoholic cider bottle in the fridge. I'm not sure what it was for, but it seemed appropriate enough to use as a mini, if a bit sad, celebration.
If the previous day was about being overwhelmed, then chalk one up for insomnia. I woke up crazy early and knew I wasn't going to get back to sleep. So I got up made coffee and took a shower.
Mom has books - lots and lots of books. A neighbor had gotten me some boxes which I used to box up all the books. I tried to pull out all the bookmarks and throw away the books that absolutely no one would want - note that when a large percentage of pages are bookmarked, it defeats the purpose of the bookmark.
My back was already hurting from the previous day, so lugging around books was painful.
I loaded up the SUV, and headed out to donate at the Thrift store. As I got to the exit to the community, I noticed the gates were closed: If I left, I wouldn't be able to get back in.
I turned around and headed back to Mom's.
I wasn't going to lose time - I'm most productive in the morning. So I proceeded to sort and pack and move and sort. I will admit that as the morning wore on, my ratio of garbage to donate went up considerably.
As it started to get light, I walked down to the gates. A man was there in a truck looking at a leaking manhole cover - that can never be good. By the smell, I suspect it wasn't fresh water.
I asked him about a code for the gate and he gave me his. I guess I don't look too threatening, "If anything happens, I've never seen you."
By the time I left, the gates were opened.
At this point, I had nearly everything sorted. I did a few more runs to the thrift store. I almost feel bad about how much I donated. It was a small place and I hope I didn't overwhelm them. I do feel confident that there was enough good stuff there that even if they can't use everything, there will be plenty to be able to sell.
Back at Mom's, I packed all the trash in the utility room and in a few boxes in the driveway. I rescheduled my 1-800-got-junk appointment and continued cleaning. There was a light at the end of the tunnel.
I got a hold of the realtor and her come by. She noticed a few Christmas things left (she really didn't like Christmas stuff out), but said it looked good. Once I'm done and gone I'll give her a call to take pictures for the actual sale.
Reaching a point where there wasn't much to do, I waited for the junk guys. They called and said they would be late but would still be by before the end of the day. I took a peek at my phone and found a bar within walking distance.
I wasn't feeling real hot - lack of sleep and overwork and all... A bar burger and fries were REALLY good. I enjoyed the walk as well; it was a chance to clear my head. It did feel really weird being the only person in the bar though.
There was much consternation over my bill however. They only charged me for the soda, and put the rest on as gratuity. Whatever ... they were nice to me and the food was good.
After more waiting and cleaning and waiting and cleaning, the 1-800-got-junk guys showed up. They quoted me a little more than I thought, but I wasn't going to argue it (at all).
I emptied nearly everything out of the fridge and dumped that as well. Some of it had gone all science experiment since my mom had left in a hurry to get treatment back at home.
In a very short amount of time, it was all gone. I did some final clean-up before calling it a day. I may try to leave tomorrow as I can't justify staying longer. I'm tired, sore, and this has been stressful. Very stressful.
I will say this exercise has made me think about our - mostly my - relationship to my stuff. I've fantasized many times about selling everything and traveling on the cheap for the next 30 years. I'm not sure I'll ever do that, but see immense value in getting rid of stuff, of junk. The connection to things that really don't bring much happiness is complicated. Less is more.
More stuff tends to clutter life, not improve on it. I know this sounds like a banal platitude, but as David Foster Wallace said, "Sometimes banal platitudes can have life or death consequences."
I've done what I can for Mom's place and I know it looks better. Whether it looks good enough to sell will come through over the next weeks and months.
Mom had a non-alcoholic cider bottle in the fridge. I'm not sure what it was for, but it seemed appropriate enough to use as a mini, if a bit sad, celebration.
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Mom's House Day 1
I debated whether this was actually an adventure. Compared to jumping on a motorcycle and riding across the country or going wild boar hunting, it is pretty tame. But I do both of those things without really thinking and without much planning, while this trip has a little bit of angst associated with it. So I guess in some ways, this is more of an adventure.
No. It isn't.
There was always a chance I'd sleep in without an alarm set, but it was unlikely. I was out of bed around the normal time for work. Drinking coffee, I flipped to Escape TV and got very interested in a documentary about a serial killer. Had I known it was going to be two hours I probably wouldn't have watched it.
I was out the door around 6:00 and on my way to the airport. Passing a security shepherd on my way to the screening area, I breezed through. "Everything stays in your bags and keep your shoes on, folks."
"Really??" the woman in front of me said.
"When you see the dogs, you know it is a good day," the security lady smiled back.
Feeling a little bit like a third world country, a bird landed next to me while I was waiting for the flight. Where do these things live? "But I'm an indoor bird!"
Mom had some health issues shortly before Christmas when she was at her Florida place. Back home and in treatment, she asked me to help sell it. No idea what I'm getting myself into, but a few vacation days and an airplane flight later, I'm in Florida.
The flight went without incident. I noticed that there was no row 13 on the plane - presumably because it would be unlucky. I was sitting in row 14 which is really row 13, and without a talisman. Take-off was a bit late, but the plane was on the ground close to scheduled landing time.
I hustled down to the rental car area. Being an Emerald member has its perks, I asked if I could get an SUV for the same price and got a brand spankin' new Hyundai Tuscon. The new car smell in it wasn't too pleasant though.
Getting through Florida traffic was tolerable. I kept thinking it had to lighten up at some point, but it never did. I know there are outback parts of Florida, but my guess is one needs to get pretty far away from Disney to find them.
I was at my Mom's before 2:00. I was also extremely overwhelmed before 2:00. My Mom's place was very cluttered. For all the admonishments I got for keeping a messy room...
So, I started sorting and cleaning. One pile for donation. One for garbage. And a staging area in the center of the house for everything else. My plan is to do the living room last.
It quickly became obvious that the garbage pile was going to overwhelm anyone's ability to take care of it. I've always thought the placed like 1-800-got-junk are a symptom of over-consumption and the fact that these businesses exist is a little sad. But I called and scheduled with them as late as I could. Hopefully I can keep all the garbage in the utility room. Hopefully.
It was a bit awkward going through my Mom's stuff. I'm sure I threw out some treasures, but I've got minimal time to do this. Donate what looks usable and in good shape, the rest ... 1-800-got-junk.
By the time it got dark, I was tired and sore. This is not an adventure.
No. It isn't.
There was always a chance I'd sleep in without an alarm set, but it was unlikely. I was out of bed around the normal time for work. Drinking coffee, I flipped to Escape TV and got very interested in a documentary about a serial killer. Had I known it was going to be two hours I probably wouldn't have watched it.
I was out the door around 6:00 and on my way to the airport. Passing a security shepherd on my way to the screening area, I breezed through. "Everything stays in your bags and keep your shoes on, folks."
"Really??" the woman in front of me said.
"When you see the dogs, you know it is a good day," the security lady smiled back.
Feeling a little bit like a third world country, a bird landed next to me while I was waiting for the flight. Where do these things live? "But I'm an indoor bird!"
Mom had some health issues shortly before Christmas when she was at her Florida place. Back home and in treatment, she asked me to help sell it. No idea what I'm getting myself into, but a few vacation days and an airplane flight later, I'm in Florida.
The flight went without incident. I noticed that there was no row 13 on the plane - presumably because it would be unlucky. I was sitting in row 14 which is really row 13, and without a talisman. Take-off was a bit late, but the plane was on the ground close to scheduled landing time.
I hustled down to the rental car area. Being an Emerald member has its perks, I asked if I could get an SUV for the same price and got a brand spankin' new Hyundai Tuscon. The new car smell in it wasn't too pleasant though.
Getting through Florida traffic was tolerable. I kept thinking it had to lighten up at some point, but it never did. I know there are outback parts of Florida, but my guess is one needs to get pretty far away from Disney to find them.
I was at my Mom's before 2:00. I was also extremely overwhelmed before 2:00. My Mom's place was very cluttered. For all the admonishments I got for keeping a messy room...
So, I started sorting and cleaning. One pile for donation. One for garbage. And a staging area in the center of the house for everything else. My plan is to do the living room last.
It quickly became obvious that the garbage pile was going to overwhelm anyone's ability to take care of it. I've always thought the placed like 1-800-got-junk are a symptom of over-consumption and the fact that these businesses exist is a little sad. But I called and scheduled with them as late as I could. Hopefully I can keep all the garbage in the utility room. Hopefully.
It was a bit awkward going through my Mom's stuff. I'm sure I threw out some treasures, but I've got minimal time to do this. Donate what looks usable and in good shape, the rest ... 1-800-got-junk.
By the time it got dark, I was tired and sore. This is not an adventure.
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