Enough!
That is one of my favorite Magic the Gathering flavor texts, as it happens.
But it's an idea I struggle with. I am a little bit of a completionist, a little bit OCD. The sort of person which companies like to encourage, because their weaknesses lead to trying to collect products. (For a while, I was more or less incapable of picking up a video game series on the third of fourth installment - a quirk that quickly became impossible, given the rate at which sequels come out.
And so I have a basement full of books, which I must then worry about growing mold on. And, I am also someone who likes to read widely and take in new ideas, because I am rarely satisfied (or even fully aware of) the ideas I already have. Add to this easy access to used books, nicely organized by genres, and you have a recipe for more hoarding.
So one of my goals this weekend is to fill a box of books for the library (noooooo), a box of clothes for Goodwill, and a box of other misc. stuff I've been meaning to get rid of for Goodwill.
So far I've moved some shelves around and am still trying to dehumidify our waterlogged basement. I got rid of a bunch of cardboard boxes that I'd been using to store beer bottles in, because they had become wet and were just holding moisture. All future bottle storage will be on shelves off the floor or - even better - in the garage.
Some things are still giving me trouble. It's like a checklist, in my head. Take the Dark Ages Vampire novels. I have read 7 of them; there are 13 in total. I have had no urge to read through them again or, in all honesty, to really finish the series. So, it might make sense to get rid of them.
But...
- they look so nice on the shelf with the same spine design and numbers. (My brain is this superficial, yes.)
- What if they're worth some money to a collector (spoilers: they most likely aren't and are easily available as pdfs)
- It was kind of a hassle to track them all down (sunk cost fallacy)
- what if I decide I need to re-read them to recpature that bad vampire fiction period of my life, what then?! (No comment.)
So it's hard to get rid of stuff.
But it's an idea I struggle with. I am a little bit of a completionist, a little bit OCD. The sort of person which companies like to encourage, because their weaknesses lead to trying to collect products. (For a while, I was more or less incapable of picking up a video game series on the third of fourth installment - a quirk that quickly became impossible, given the rate at which sequels come out.
And so I have a basement full of books, which I must then worry about growing mold on. And, I am also someone who likes to read widely and take in new ideas, because I am rarely satisfied (or even fully aware of) the ideas I already have. Add to this easy access to used books, nicely organized by genres, and you have a recipe for more hoarding.
So one of my goals this weekend is to fill a box of books for the library (noooooo), a box of clothes for Goodwill, and a box of other misc. stuff I've been meaning to get rid of for Goodwill.
So far I've moved some shelves around and am still trying to dehumidify our waterlogged basement. I got rid of a bunch of cardboard boxes that I'd been using to store beer bottles in, because they had become wet and were just holding moisture. All future bottle storage will be on shelves off the floor or - even better - in the garage.
Some things are still giving me trouble. It's like a checklist, in my head. Take the Dark Ages Vampire novels. I have read 7 of them; there are 13 in total. I have had no urge to read through them again or, in all honesty, to really finish the series. So, it might make sense to get rid of them.
But...
- they look so nice on the shelf with the same spine design and numbers. (My brain is this superficial, yes.)
- What if they're worth some money to a collector (spoilers: they most likely aren't and are easily available as pdfs)
- It was kind of a hassle to track them all down (sunk cost fallacy)
- what if I decide I need to re-read them to recpature that bad vampire fiction period of my life, what then?! (No comment.)
So it's hard to get rid of stuff.