Long story short or longer:
So I completed my move out of my apartment finally last night around 6:30pm-ish.
I've moved a few times before as this most recent was from my 3rd apartment since 1999, however per a few factors, this move was more work, longer, more extensive, and felt like it would never end, etc.
Moving does suck, and it raises some points for me.
1) Why do I have so much crap? I unfortunately more or less since I was an infant, have been someone who likes to collect and posses physical items, I think probably for nostalgia over time, maybe as much as any other reason. But ultimately, all these items are going to end up somewhere else, probably either in some strangers possession, or in a landfill. Unless I decide to get buried with some of them, lol.
2) Maybe the thing to do is to document them in a non-3-dimensional way, i.e. Photos and Videos, etc.
3) The maintenance required to leave an apartment, at least if you want to get any of your Security Deposit back, let alone avoid having to pay for damages, is frankly absurd. You're paying to live there, yet you have to go through basically SLAVE LABOR just to get out? Bending over backwards to remove every little mark, hair, dust-bunny, etc behind refrigerators, in vents, walls, behind counters, etc. And I am highly thankful my wife and Aunt helped me out (again, although we helped her a few months back).
4) Packing things up quickly, because time is at a shortage as always, there is no time to actually look and sort through so many papers and things. Organizing would be helpful, and I will admit to having literally thousands of pieces of bills, junk mail, insurance statements, financial statements, medical documents (EOBs and others) among many others things that will require many hours to part with. I would just give it to Office Max or something and pay whatever it is per pound to have them shred them, but I just hope something doesn't go missing later like my old Car's Lease, lol. But maybe it's better and easiest to not think about it and just give it to them.
CD jewel cases and cassette tape recordings, originals, and bootlegs.
My wife found a video online the other day about these people who are "Minimalists" who more or less live like a Nomad with possessions. And while I can't see that being me (and frankly, they came across as hugely narcissistic and hipster snobs from my impression, a bit like a lot of obsessed vegetarians who like to call you out for eating meat); I could see adopting some of their approach and just not only purge a lot of my crap, but largely reduce accumulating it.
MUSIC? even so. Buying Digital may be the thing to do for many "fringe" artists I guess, at least in the near future. Sadly, it may just be more practical. If I love something so much, I may just decide to buy it 10 years later as a physical item, per it stood the test of time, etc.
As far as what is next?
1) I will eventually end my lease with my storage space when the wife and I find a place of our own. I am living now with her and her Mom at her Aunt's place. Eventually though, we will look to either rent or buy a place. Preferably, not Rent an apartment as I've had my fill of that. But maybe renting a house or Town House. Or another duplex or bungalow. Or depending on finances of course, buying something. The Town House idea I would like save for the large Association Fees often included that only cover the Outside of the house.
When? It may be only a few months, but better odds sometime next Spring or Summer I get to do this whole thing again. Although at least my stuff is boxed up already and I won't likely have to do much maintenance of the Storage space.
2) As far as this blog? outside of the time needed to look for a new place and a few other things, I hope to have more time to work on some of the projects again. Namely the Albums Calendars and Rankings by year as I don't have a ton of work left before that could be finished, at least per my plan being to finish every year up through 2007. And then do the last decade.
I also have some catching up to do naturally, as there's probably half a dozen albums or so that I have not listened to or only briefly:
Anathema - The Optimist
Bent Knee - Land Animal
Hotel of the Laughing Tree - Hotel Junk Box
Do Make Say Think - Stubborn Persistent Illusions
SikTh - The Future in Whose Eyes?
Solstafir - Berdreyminn
Pluse many singles and upcoming albums of course. 1 from Public Service Broadcasting, and another from In the Presence of Wolves.
But as for that apartment I just left behind, I moved there in January 2009. It wasn't that long ago, but a ton has happened and changed since then, it's rather surreal and depressing in some ways. Why I fall for my love of nostalgia, almost too much and too easily. If only I could find a Time Machine, lol.
