Hello 2009, hello snow, hello Apple.com, hello future, goodbye 2008, goodbye clutter, goodbye past, goodbye London(?). I wish all my blog readers a wonderful 2009, it will be a good year. I’ve started with fresh energy and a hopeful heart. I welcome Apple.com who had another look at this page which is the third time by now: do you think dreams will come true? It would be great to work for them [again] and design everything Apple related. So who knows…
I have been fighting a flu for three weeks now, everyone around me has been effected one way or another. I’m still trying to get it out of my system before it hits me hard but no luck so far. This bug seems so bad it takes at least two to three weeks to recover *sigh*. I know something must be wrong if I fall asleep on the couch at 20.00 and I have been doing this for three weeks already. I feel totally drained during the day so I’ll keep an eye on my system.
This morning Mother Nature decided to surprise me like she did last year but she was earlier much much earlier and there’s more to expect this week especially tomorrow and on Wednesday. I couldn’t take pictures because an hour later the sun surprised me peeking through the clouds and taking away Mum’s crystal gift. It’s been bitterly cold for a while already and while it was that cold I decided to go to the storage and start the declutter of 2009.
Forced once again to throw out more personal possessions due to the restless mind of the person I have to live with, I hope this year will bring an end to this although I’m sure it happens for a reason that I can’t understand yet. Though it’s easy to look back and emphasise all that I gave up on: jobs, apartment, friends, I shouldn’t think like that. I should look ahead no matter how big the obstacles are that I’m facing: that which does not kill us makes us stronger.
So I started with the ‘small’ obstacles while I still have time: January is a quiet month jobs-wise. I dressed myself in 20 layers of clothing, locked myself up in the storage: an open space with metal containers, where the temperature is the same inside as outside [-3] with a constant draft over my head. I’ve been throwing out things I don’t need or use which will all be taken to the charity shop where I went before to bring bags with clothes I didn’t wear: recycle baby!
One fact I became extremely aware of while cleaning out the mess is that people spend so much money on stuff they collect over the years. I now have to get rid of a VHS collection, I won’t have the space to keep them. I spent quite some money on those and will donate them to the local library -which will make those happy who can’t afford DVDs- and thát to me is the only way to justify the money that would otherwise end up in the bin, it’s not a total waste…
Today is another day of throwing out stuff that I don’t use. It makes me think about why people feel the need to keep these endless records of data, because that’s what it is in a way. Objects that trigger neurons… it’s exactly how a computer works. The only difference is that I have a choice in what data to keep and what to delete. Although in this phase of my life I don’t seem to have much of a choice, it’s having to choose between the lesser of two evils.
Detaching and more detaching till my receptors are numb…
© R. Ritter 3 January 2009, all comes in clusters of at least two…
I have also caught a cold and I am feeling like a rag
Today at work I almost couldn’t stop sneezing…
What about converting to DVD your collection of VHS tapes? I have converted a couple (I took them to the DVD rental shop and they did it for me. It was not expensive, like 6 euros or something like that).
Have a nice week T.
Happy New Year T.!
Goodbye London?? I’m going to email you. Right now.
Happy New Year Dear Friend. Are you moving?
I have to go through and read what I’ve missed – I’ve been sick too with that flu you have.
hugs and no more sniffles!
Hi Wen, I hope you’re feeling much better by now! I looked into what you suggested about the DVDs but haven’t been able to find a decent company that could. The one I found charged about £8 per hour which would make it all very expensive. I’m not sure if a local DVD shop would do this but I will look into it. To be honest the movies I mentioned are all commercial ones and I’m keeping my VHS recorder for now so I kept a few to watch later. The ones I do care about are a few VHS tapes and Hi8 tapes with personal stuff on it.
Thanks for the tip, I will let you know if I succeeded
Hope you had a lovely week!
Happy New Year to you too
and thank you for your sweet email! Hope you got my reply…
Happy New Year Monica! Haven’t seen you in a long time
I have to change the link to your blog still but will do it straight away after this reply. I hope you’re feeling much better by now! I haven’t been commenting on blogs lately but will go over and leave you some, it’s been too hectic these days 
Moving: if I have to due to circumstance then I will 
Hugs back at you!
The link on your site to my blog is perfecto~
But I’m up and running and need to revamp my template ’cause it’s so boring!
I know I haven’t been around – I moved my host to BlueHost lately and I didn’t do a clean cut.
HUGS!
Good luck with the revamp *hugs!*
hmm… I wonder if I need to detach from the
20th Century? :-O
Clutter, clutter, clutter everywhere.
It should be easy for me to declutter as most of mine are not really neuron triggers… although it is interesting what a small scrap might trigger.
I do seem to have endless records of data… literally.
Most relates to a past business and though most could be tossed at this point, I know there are important bits buried in the piles. It’s gonna take a major effort to go through all that, but I think for now I need to just put it all in one place and out of the way in order to attack my 21st Century clutter before it gets way out of control
I think it’s best to do small parts so you can get it finished within a certain amount of time. I read somewhere that it shouldn’t take more than four hours to get one ‘project’ done, one drawer, one corner etc. Else you’ll lose interest and/or it will become a drag.
I’ve thrown out four large bin bags already and there’s still boxes that I need to go through but I’m taking it slow while I do some work as well. I had to throw out my VHS collection
no one was interested, such a shame…
I think you should keep some of the business things, not all but some especially since it has been important to you and who knows, I might like the look of old faded paper one day
So don’t throw out treasures 