Our house has a large basement, it runs underneath the entire structure – except the add-on. The basement is divided into two parts: an open area which has been filled with boxes and other items since we moved in; a utility room which holds the washer/dryer, sink, furnace and a small tool room.
Last Tuesday, I decided to look for some old piano videos I made from 1998-2001. I found one tape (there are several more) but also discovered mold leaching its way into some boxes in the basement. It was apparent that all cardboard boxes had to go and everything had to be sorted through again. With that in mind, on Wednesday I bought several large plastic containers at Target.
George Carlin had a routine about buying houses, and that the main reason one bought a house was to hold all of one’s “stuff” and as we accumulated more stuff, we moved into bigger houses. I have a lot of stuff, and going through things Friday evening and Saturday morning, it astonished me how much of it was unnecessary.
Among other items, I found three boxes of cassette tapes – many with music I would never listen to, or other items I now have on CD. Many of those tapes are now on their way to the landfill. There was a collection of paperwork which is far from relevant to my life. There was some bric-a-brac that was intended for my desk at Progressive – where it will return this week.
All in all, I was able to condense twelve boxes of varying sizes into three equally sized and stackable plastic containers. After going over the floor with a bleach solution, I restacked the containers and there is considerably more room in the basement. Danny also bought some containers and is doing the same with his stuff.
Unfortunately, during the restacking I strained the top of my back and my neck and was in considerable pain for much of Saturday. Taking a Flexeril with a Vicodin chaser did a bit to alleviate the pain, but I spent much of Saturday afternoon dozing on the futon.
Once I’m fully recovered, I’m going to reassemble the old kitchen table my grandfather built, which is currently unassembled in the basement. I’m also cranking up the dehumidifier.
Sunday afternoon, I felt well enough to see The Informant! with Matt Damon. An amusing romp, with a touch of Catch Me if You Can, and a dash of The Talented Mr. Ripley.
In other news: On Thursday, I ordered Vladimir Horowitz’s 1986 Berlin concert from Amazon in Germany – released for the first time. I’d been under the impression that it was being released in Germany only – as it stems from a radio broadcast with announcements in German. On Sunday evening, I found out it is being released on October 27 in the US. As the item was already on its way from Germany, it was too late to cancel the order. Grrrrr.
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