Item a Day

I live in a world of plenty. Outside of food, shampoo, and other consumables of that ilk, things seem to last forever and I always seem to have more than enough of... whatever.

For instance, I easily have twice as many shirts as I need... and this is without counting the three new ones I got for Christmas. Some of these shirts (the ones I already owned), I hadn't worn in years. And I am sure I have throw out, discard, and/or recycled a goodly percentage of all the shirts I have ever owned without getting any meaningful wear out of them... styles, personal preference, and/or my body having changed before the particular shirt in question percolated to the top of the pile.

But even with all of this abundance (or as just another way of saying I live in a world of abundance), every few days (or at least, once a week) it seems like something new enters my life (and with Christmas, a whole heck of a lot of new entered my life). And for the most, these new items (excluding that massive collection of LEGOS I received, thank you one and all) are little more than rubbish pure and simple. The are little knickknacks that I could care less about, that were fun to receive, captured my attention for the briefest of moments (I am looking at you Free Promotional Stuff), or that I thought might make the basis for some interesting project (to wit LEGOS). But oddly (and isn't it odd how these things go), it turns out this project of (documenting the process of) throwing out the crap is as far as most of these items ever got... and really, for every item mentioned in this project (there is no exception), that is as far as any of them got.

Thus, when you (or at least, I) stop to think about it, it is sort of odd that the creation of this record (of my throwing things out) will make the process of throwing things out (please, call it a purge) all the easier. As in, hopefully, it will give me the strength of mind (and focus) to carry on, once the easy trinkets have been tossed into the trash and the going gets a bit more difficult and I venture into the stuff that seems valuable, but which I never use.

...

But of course, it did not.

When the going got tough, I simply switched gears and started working on another project. After all, I've got thousands of LEGOS, now. I should be able to do something with those. They snap together so pleasingly and feel so good in my hands...

Bright, Shiny, and New!

Unlike the crap that follows.

As is very often the case, the preceding two images (I expect to have no other images on this page) have almost nothing to do with the project or the text that follows.

Sure, the first image is of some sort of Stop, Don't Go There Sign. And a person could force the metaphor if they wanted.

And the second (being of Easter Eggs) highlights the Transitory Nature of so many things... that is to say, activities in life.

But any such rationale is just me having fun. I have pictures. I want to use them. And this seems like as good a spot as any to post them.

Let It Go

Yo Yo: Pure swag. I got it at a convention. I am sure I will let it roll off my fingers a few times, prior to throwing out. Turns out, it was wound improperly. The string was glued to the spindle. So, I couldn't Walk the Dog.

Drink Token: I found this in the parking lot. I was nearby where it could have been redeemed, today... and did not. So, it is time to throw it out. I would have thrown it out yesterday, if not for the trip to said locale (a good hundred miles away), today.

Mini CD: I like it's small size. Who knows what I intended to do with it? Meditate on its size, I suppose. Here, let me do that for a moment. It's a Cantonese / Learn Business English To Steal All American Job translation program. The perfect thing for a junk drawer... or the trash can.

Movie DVD: If I recall, I think the idea was some sort of ill-conceived photo shoot. The Disc is semi-transparent. I'll never watch this movie... or if I do, I can always obtain it elsewhere.

Pen: I have too many pens. The tip doubles as a stylus, which I am using to type this note. I was going to try and draw with it, just now. But abandoned the idea on the way to my drawing app due to (the stylus causing) navigational difficulties.

Star Wars Trilogy: On VHS tape. It's digitally remastered. But I have no VHS player. This was another freebie. That's, maybe, why these items are so easy to ditch. They were free. And it's not like this cultural touchstone is going anywhere. I'll always be able to acquire a copy. It's not the Christmas Special, after all. And I've barely the desire to make this note. Least of all, any desire to watch this epic from beginning to end... at least, at the moment.

Two Wood Pencils: Yes, this is a tedious list. And yet, I will continue with it. It has somehow turned work into play.

Pen: Another one. This is (truly) a one item at a time project. Like many of these objects, this one came from the library. This being the one pen I took from a bag full of different ones in the Freebie Pile.

{Here's more errata for you. Like everyone else, I have access to loads of free pens. But not all pens (just not like all cats) are created equal. And the pen for which I had the highest hopes (it felt like it would feel so good in my hand) this past year was an Army Recruitment Pen. Too bad that pen was not all it could have been. My current pens of choice come from the Intercontinental Hotel and Formica. (Why not? Give them the plug.) Should you ever need a pen, these are the folks to see... also, my Insurance Agent from Years Past. Man, that guy's pens were legendary. But alas, the ink in that well has finally run dry.}

Four Postcards: These are a set of three promotional postcards, along with a single touristy one. I get them occasionally with the books that I snag from the library (sense a theme) others using them as bookmarks, or whatever. I used the promotional ones as bookmarks. I can see sending the other to someone. But I doubt I ever will. Especially after throwing it out... or just now, having gifted it, to another.

Slug Card: This is from a regular Deck of Playing Cards. Look it up. Slug Card is a thing. Of course, I might be calling it out incorrectly. So let's just say, it's one of those extra cards that isn't a joker. I was using it as a bookmark.

Fortune: This comes from a Fortune Cookie. It's going to start to get harder for me to find things to throw out.

Metal Tin: Yep, it's worthless crap. A promo thumb drive came in the tin. Of the uses this container has, I have better alternatives, already.

Birthday Card: Toss!

{I went to a Business Fair the other day, leaving with a half dozen new knick-knacks. I predict it will be harder to get rid of the new stuff, before Giving It a Chance.

In other news, the quality of freebie pens is going up.

As a further aside, this is likely where I got the Formica Pen.

Formica!

Um, sorry, I don't know their slogan. Maybe, they should have written that on the pen, as well.

Of course, the more I think about it, the more I am convinced I am confusing Business Fairs. And as such, this was not where I got the Formica Pen.

Eh, what are you going to do?

Well, I'll tell you what I am going to do! I'm going to mention Formica, one more time!

Formica!

Their pens are great... just as great as whatever it is that Formica Company does, I am sure.}

{It's been two weeks. And I've discarded nothing new. Nor have I used much of anything in that time that could not be considered a screen. It might be interesting to track my use of material goods. Because at the moment, it feels like I am using very little.

Sooner or later I'm going to need to ditch something or ditch this project. And those Postcards are going to seem all the weenier if this is as far as I ever get.

And then, I just now acquired sixteen (count them, sixteen) 5-Gallon Buckets from the Ice Cream Shop down the way. They're very colorful. And would be ideal for the Grand Prize Game. Let's see how many I keep.}

Brett Rants

Item a Day

Let It Go