Mylar bag and bored
So. I've been searching for things to do that are within my current abilities and that will actually make some kind of noticeable improvement in my life. There aren't all that many meaningful projects I can think of right now that I'm up to the challenge of. There is one thing that always makes me feel better, though, and doesn't have to take a lot of effort. Tossing clutter over the side! And lately, I've been going through my comics collection and getting rid of stuff that I know I'll never be interested in again. And in some cases, finding stuff that I have trouble believing I was ever interested in.
It's all a reflection of my history. In 1997 I got back into comics in a major way after having mostly avoided them since childhood. And I went through a surge of buying up nearly everything I could, scavenging quarter bins endlessly (and paying full price for far too many books that weren't worth it). I cooled off on the buying after a while; I think a lot of people go through phases like that. But the interesting part is that even after I had seen enough to get a decent sense of what was out there, and figure out what I liked and what I didn't like... I had this urge to cling to most of my collection. I liked knowing I could reference things, no matter how unlikely it was that I would ever need to do so. And, though it's embarrassing to admit it, I just liked having a lot of comics. Shelves and shelves of them. It made me feel legitimate, in a world where every nerd seemed to know more than I did. My collection protected me, and I was obligated to protect it in return.
Well, no more! I still love graphic literature with a passion as great as that for any other art form. I know I always will. But after all these years, after all this wasted space, I've finally reached this point, this understanding that seems ridiculously obvious now. From here on in, I intend to follow a very simple rule:
if I don't want to read it, I don't want to keep it.
It's all a reflection of my history. In 1997 I got back into comics in a major way after having mostly avoided them since childhood. And I went through a surge of buying up nearly everything I could, scavenging quarter bins endlessly (and paying full price for far too many books that weren't worth it). I cooled off on the buying after a while; I think a lot of people go through phases like that. But the interesting part is that even after I had seen enough to get a decent sense of what was out there, and figure out what I liked and what I didn't like... I had this urge to cling to most of my collection. I liked knowing I could reference things, no matter how unlikely it was that I would ever need to do so. And, though it's embarrassing to admit it, I just liked having a lot of comics. Shelves and shelves of them. It made me feel legitimate, in a world where every nerd seemed to know more than I did. My collection protected me, and I was obligated to protect it in return.
Well, no more! I still love graphic literature with a passion as great as that for any other art form. I know I always will. But after all these years, after all this wasted space, I've finally reached this point, this understanding that seems ridiculously obvious now. From here on in, I intend to follow a very simple rule:
if I don't want to read it, I don't want to keep it.