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Letting Go of... Stuff...

jamainiacjamainiac Posts: 429
edited November 2007 in All Encompassing Trip
I'm in the midst of cataloging my cd's to sell... what a mess :p

What compels us to hang on to material objects? I have all of these files saved on my computer...

I NEVER pull out a jewel case to look at liner notes, titles, etc...

Most of these have been in boxes for at least a couple of years... Anything that was purchased in the past few years... was basically opened... ripped ... and put back in the case... never touched again... In pristine condition...

Yet it seems to be physically 'tugging' at me to keep some of these...

Most of them don't matter... but when I type in another Pink Floyd or Portishead or Alice In Chains or Stevie Ray Vaughan...

I think... 'Can I really let these go'?

All of my Pearl Jam are still in a drawer in the living room... I can't even bring myself to list the titles in the Excel file... :p

I'm torn between wanting to let go and hang on at the same time...

T'wit T'woo... what to do??
Exercising her will to lose control...
she lets go
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Comments

  • know1know1 Posts: 6,794
    jamainiac wrote:
    I'm in the midst of cataloging my cd's to sell... what a mess :p

    What compels us to hang on to material objects? I have all of these files saved on my computer...

    I NEVER pull out a jewel case to look at liner notes, titles, etc...

    Most of these have been in boxes for at least a couple of years... Anything that was purchased in the past few years... was basically opened... ripped ... and put back in the case... never touched again... In pristine condition...

    Yet it seems to be physically 'tugging' at me to keep some of these...

    Most of them don't matter... but when I type in another Pink Floyd or Portishead or Alice In Chains or Stevie Ray Vaughan...

    I think... 'Can I really let these go'?

    All of my Pearl Jam are still in a drawer in the living room... I can't even bring myself to list the titles in the Excel file... :p

    I'm torn between wanting to let go and hang on at the same time...

    T'wit T'woo... what to do??

    Keep 'em in case your computer crashes.
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • justamjustam Posts: 21,412
    I like getting rid of other stuff, but I usually keep music. :)
    &&&&&&&&&&&&&&
  • nfanelnfanel Posts: 2,558
    i love looking at my cd's...but i'm one of those people that does look at liner notes and cases. i have them all alphabetized and arranged on shelves. makes me happy to look at cd's. :)
  • jamainiacjamainiac Posts: 429
    I used to have a great (huge) wall shelf, for cds, dvds, books, etc... and enjoyed keeping things organized and liked being able to look through my collections...

    I haven't had space to do so in the past few years and now that I don't need to physically access the discs to listen to the music... they've been packed away and taking up space that could be better used...

    As far as 'computer crashes' go... I have everything saved to an external drive and probably should get another drive and do another full back up before I sell these...

    The fact that I'll probably make a few hundred $$ is also appealing :)

    Books... now Books are another matter entirely...
    nfanel wrote:
    i love looking at my cd's...but i'm one of those people that does look at liner notes and cases. i have them all alphabetized and arranged on shelves. makes me happy to look at cd's. :)
    Exercising her will to lose control...
    she lets go
  • decides2dreamdecides2dream Posts: 14,977
    nfanel wrote:
    i love looking at my cd's...but i'm one of those people that does look at liner notes and cases. i have them all alphabetized and arranged on shelves. makes me happy to look at cd's. :)


    this is me.
    i also DO listen to my cds, at home.....and i LOVE having them all alphabetized/on shelves. :D



    altho i DO love clearing space, getting rid of *stuff*....cds and books never fall into that category. perhaps someday if i need to scale back more, move, need to scale down...but for now, thankfully.....i do have sufficient space for it all.
    Stay with me...
    Let's just breathe...


    I am myself like you somehow


  • normnorm Posts: 31,146
    i know how you feel jams.....recently i've been waffling back and forth between organizing my cd's or boxing them up.....right now i'm thinking to put them on shelves in a closet......i kinda miss having my cd's organized and displayed....:)
  • jamainiacjamainiac Posts: 429
    Hello My Friend :)

    Funny that just before I saw your post I was thinking 'books'... I miss my books too...they're all jammed into a cupboard... Space is something I do not have... but I wouldn't like to have to get rid of my books... especially Cook Books! I even have tons of Food Mags that I hang on to... Gourmet, Bon Appetite... etc... :)

    I listen to all of my music at home too... but have it all on my iPod... (checks iPod)... 6888 tracks :)


    decides2dream wrote:
    this is me.
    i also DO listen to my cds, at home.....and i LOVE having them all alphabetized/on shelves. :D



    altho i DO love clearing space, getting rid of *stuff*....cds and books never fall into that category. perhaps someday if i need to scale back more, move, need to scale down...but for now, thankfully.....i do have sufficient space for it all.
    Exercising her will to lose control...
    she lets go
  • senninsennin Posts: 2,146
    Sounds like more than letting go of any stuff.....it's wanting the space you used to have.
  • audiodaveaudiodave Posts: 1,623
    I don't really have any "stuff" apart from books and CD's. No way any of that is going! I do listen to CD's aswell, a lot.
    ~AKA Dave-of-the-dead~

    I don't wanna think, I wanna feel

    Dublin 23/08/06 Lisbon I 04/09/06 Lisbon II 05/09/06 Paris 11/09/06 Verona 16/09/06

    London 18/06/07 Dusseldorf 21/06/07 Copenhagen 26/06/07 Nijmegen 28/06/07
  • jamainiacjamainiac Posts: 429
    sennin wrote:
    Sounds like more than letting go of any stuff.....it's wanting the space you used to have.

    hehe... well it's a bit of a catch 22...

    but I'd like to learn that just because there's 'space' ... doesn't mean it has to be jammed with 'stuff'...

    It's funny that in my head I think I'd like to be less weighed down with 'stuff' ... but the 'consumer' in me keeps calling out :p

    and you're right... I do miss having space... but that's all about choice :)
    Exercising her will to lose control...
    she lets go
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    i still have a lot of cd's and buy more all the time. i like the actual cd and listen to them often. the only music on my computer is music i ripped from a cd i bought to listen to on my ipod. i often get rid of cd's though if i dont like them or listen to them. i take them to the shop to trade for other cd's ;) mine are all proudly displayed on my shelves alphabetically. i do the same with books and dvd's.
  • MattCameronKicksButtMattCameronKicksButt Posts: 4,317
    audiodave wrote:
    I don't really have any "stuff" apart from books and CD's. No way any of that is going! I do listen to CD's aswell, a lot.

    Same here. I collect CD's but I love throwing things out or giving them away. I find it therapeutic.
  • Ms. HaikuMs. Haiku Washington DC Posts: 7,270
    I've been working on a poetry project since February 2006. I was suppose to have the final manuscript completed this month, but I'm not even close. I've decided that today is the day I'm going to throw all the drafts in the recycle bin, and just let it go. It will be a great feeling!

    It's a cookie baking/poetry project, and one person at work has nagged me and nagged me so much to bake cookies once he found out about this project, that my inspiration has just plummeted. Throwing these drafts away is TOTALLy worth shutting him the fuck up! The drafts aren't even good enough for drafts. Time to just bake cookies, just because :), and find other reasons to write poems. I still like writing poems while drinking a latte, but that gets expensive.
    There is no such thing as leftover pizza. There is now pizza and later pizza. - anonymous
    The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
  • chiquimonkeychiquimonkey Posts: 9,337
    i still like listening to actual CDs so i've hung onto 'em. i keep them in my bookcase along with my books :) i suppose i could rip the files and get rid of htem, but i like the idea of the actual disc with the lyrics and all that good stuff.

    i have old vinyls in the closet in a box, i haven't the heart to get rid of them. i went on a purge a few weeks ago which felt great, donated/threw out a bunch of stuff, but some things, like the vinyl, i'm still sentimental about :o
  • decides2dreamdecides2dream Posts: 14,977
    i definitely like my *stuff*...especially the usable stuff, like cds, books, dvds, etc. however, i have other stuff that i adore.....beautiful objects.....or things from my past, and i have zero desire to get rid of em. i figure as long as i have the space, and i regularly purge some things, always keep it orderly/organized.....it's all good. i often wonder who i hold onto all *this* for, as i have no children, etc.......but i just don't care. :p sooooo much of what i have reminds me of places i've traveled, people in my life.....or just my interests. it IS good to purge regularly tho, b/c having a BALANCE of stuff/space....is of premium importance to me. :)
    Stay with me...
    Let's just breathe...


    I am myself like you somehow


  • jamainiacjamainiac Posts: 429
    decides2dream wrote:
    i definitely like my *stuff*...especially the usable stuff, like cds, books, dvds, etc. however, i have other stuff that i adore.....beautiful objects.....or things from my past, and i have zero desire to get rid of em. i figure as long as i have the space, and i regularly purge some things, always keep it orderly/organized.....it's all good. i often wonder who i hold onto all *this* for, as i have no children, etc.......but i just don't care. :p sooooo much of what i have reminds me of places i've traveled, people in my life.....or just my interests. it IS good to purge regularly tho, b/c having a BALANCE of stuff/space....is of premium importance to me. :)

    ... strangely enough...

    When I was looking through my PJ cds... that have always been kept in drawer... separate from my other cds...

    I came across a certain copy of 9/17/06 Milan... with the special postit still inside *smiles*

    ... that's when I 'knew' I had to put all the PJ back in its drawer :)
    Exercising her will to lose control...
    she lets go
  • decides2dreamdecides2dream Posts: 14,977
    jamainiac wrote:
    ... strangely enough...

    When I was looking through my PJ cds... that have always been kept in drawer... separate from my other cds...

    I came across a certain copy of 9/17/06 Milan... with the special postit still inside *smiles*

    ... that's when I 'knew' I had to put all the PJ back in its drawer :)



    :D
    exactly. who could rid themselves of something like that? :p i have a whole expandable folder for 'pj friends' and the goodies i've gotten. doesn't take up much space. and sure....i have a special framed photo from the gorge that i look at daily on my desk at work. :)


    as i've said, it's all BALANCE. stuff is good....too much stuff is not....and it varies for us all.


    i wonder if sennin still has a post-it with the words "brownies - no nuts" on it. :p hahahaha.
    Stay with me...
    Let's just breathe...


    I am myself like you somehow


  • senninsennin Posts: 2,146
    decides2dream wrote:
    :D
    exactly. who could rid themselves of something like that? :p i have a whole expandable folder for 'pj friends' and the goodies i've gotten. doesn't take up much space. and sure....i have a special framed photo from the gorge that i look at daily on my desk at work. :)


    as i've said, it's all BALANCE. stuff is good....too much stuff is not....and it varies for us all.


    i wonder if sennin still has a post-it with the words "brownies - no nuts" on it. :p hahahaha.

    haha! I actually saw that post-it the other day!

    also says 11-22

    :p
  • decides2dreamdecides2dream Posts: 14,977
    sennin wrote:
    haha! I actually saw that post-it the other day!

    also says 11-22

    :p



    :eek:
    GET OUT!
    :D


    hahahaha.
    *feels loved*
    Stay with me...
    Let's just breathe...


    I am myself like you somehow


  • jamainiacjamainiac Posts: 429
    sennin wrote:
    haha! I actually saw that post-it the other day!

    also says 11-22

    :p

    exactly. who could rid themselves of something like that? i have a whole expandable folder for 'pj friends' and the goodies i've gotten. doesn't take up much space. and sure....i have a special framed photo from the gorge that i look at daily on my desk at work.


    as i've said, it's all BALANCE. stuff is good....too much stuff is not....and it varies for us all.


    i wonder if sennin still has a post-it with the words "brownies - no nuts" on it. hahahaha.

    such sweetness ;)
    Exercising her will to lose control...
    she lets go
  • BlancheBlanche Posts: 247
    What know1 said.

    I'd hate to imagine the unbearable silence after losing nearly 6700 songs.
  • Heineken HelenHeineken Helen Posts: 18,095
    jamainiac wrote:
    I'm in the midst of cataloging my cd's to sell... what a mess :p

    What compels us to hang on to material objects? I have all of these files saved on my computer...
    Hehehe... I'm guessing you've seen into the wild recently? :p

    I kinda like stuff... I dunno why we need it but I like looking at my complete mess of a disorganised pile of cd's and books and thinking I've lots :) which I don't really... if I organised and tidied them they'd probably look much less.

    I like cd's though. I don't have an mp3 player or an ipod, I have a discman and I've a stereo beside the bed... and no computer... so getting rid of my cd's isn't a realistic option anyway :)
    The Astoria??? Orgazmic!
    Verona??? it's all surmountable
    Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
    Wembley? We all believe!
    Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
    Chicago 07? And love
    What a different life
    Had I not found this love with you
  • decides2dreamdecides2dream Posts: 14,977
    jamainiac wrote:
    such sweetness ;)


    only if a box of brownies with no nuts arrive by 11.22. ;) hahaha.


    man, what a memory we collectively have eh? makes me appreciate/realize....just how long i know you and many others here....and sure, the connections made......and *stuff* accumulated.


    i hope you still have your silver maple leaf ornament. :) i like to think of all the ornaments, magnets, etc...i've given friends over the years.....and hope they remember me in some small way when they decorate their tree, look at their fridge :p, hahaha......etc.
    Stay with me...
    Let's just breathe...


    I am myself like you somehow


  • sweetpotatosweetpotato Posts: 1,278
    jamainiac wrote:
    I'm in the midst of cataloging my cd's to sell... what a mess :p

    What compels us to hang on to material objects? I have all of these files saved on my computer...

    I NEVER pull out a jewel case to look at liner notes, titles, etc...

    Most of these have been in boxes for at least a couple of years... Anything that was purchased in the past few years... was basically opened... ripped ... and put back in the case... never touched again... In pristine condition...

    Yet it seems to be physically 'tugging' at me to keep some of these...

    Most of them don't matter... but when I type in another Pink Floyd or Portishead or Alice In Chains or Stevie Ray Vaughan...

    I think... 'Can I really let these go'?

    All of my Pearl Jam are still in a drawer in the living room... I can't even bring myself to list the titles in the Excel file... :p

    I'm torn between wanting to let go and hang on at the same time...

    T'wit T'woo... what to do??

    i feel your pain. i am this way with basically two things in my life: books and baby clothes. in a keepsake box in my closet, there is a terry cloth stretchy that my older son wore when he was an infant (nearly 13 years ago...) that i simply cannot part with. oh, and a few of his baby toys, too. i have a little fisher price plastic cow- we called him "baby cow"- that he would carry around with him everywhere, clutched in his chubby left hand while doing other stuff with his chubby right one. how could i possibly get rid of that?????

    and don't even get me started on my books. i could build a fairly good sized dwelling using just books for walls.

    i think, for me at least, the emotional attachments made with certain items make them impossible to let go. i used to be worse, just a general clutterbug, but i've improved over the last few years, honing my obsessions down to a few categories.

    my husband, of course, thinks that i am insane. oh, well. :o
    "Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States, Barack Obama."

    "Obama's main opponent in this election on November 4th (was) not John McCain, it (was) ignorance."~Michael Moore

    "i'm feeling kinda righteous right now. with my badass motherfuckin' ukulele!"
    ~ed, 8/7
  • jamainiacjamainiac Posts: 429
    decides2dream wrote:
    only if a box of brownies with no nuts arrive by 11.22. ;) hahaha.

    ... watch what you wish for ... it just might show up in your mailbox... I'm unemployed you know?! :p
    decides2dream wrote:
    i hope you still have your silver maple leaf ornament. :)


    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/NewBestFriend/Leafandprotector.jpg

    ... of course... and David had this great guy who now protects it... they 'live' on one of the speakers in the living room ... and I 'see' them every day :)
    Exercising her will to lose control...
    she lets go
  • senninsennin Posts: 2,146
    jamainiac wrote:
    ... watch what you wish for ... it just might show up in your mailbox... I'm unemployed you know?! :p


    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/NewBestFriend/Leafandprotector.jpg

    ... of course... and David had this great guy who now protects it... they 'live' on one of the speakers in the living room ... and I 'see' them every day :)

    Ummm....I think that's the wrong leaf. :p
  • jamainiacjamainiac Posts: 429
    sennin wrote:
    Ummm....I think that's the wrong leaf. :p

    haha...

    Nope... I think it's the right one...

    haha...

    I'm damn sure dreamn will set me straight ... if I'm incorrect :p

    *waits nervously*

    hahaha....
    Exercising her will to lose control...
    she lets go
  • senninsennin Posts: 2,146
    jamainiac wrote:
    haha...

    Nope... I think it's the right one...

    haha...

    I'm damn sure dreamn will set me straight ... if I'm incorrect :p

    *waits nervously*

    hahaha....

    I'm pretty sure I brought that leaf home for you from Yellowstone. That's no maple leaf. ;)
  • EarthgirlEarthgirl Posts: 695
    im finally letting go of the 10 boxes of my parents things that have been stored in my basement since they passed away. I have kept things that have meaning.. pics and family antiques.. but the rest of it was just sitting there and I think I was just holding on to it because I felt if I gave it away I was giving a part of them away.. and that was betraying them.
    I feel good finally letting go. sigh.
  • jamainiacjamainiac Posts: 429
    jamainiac wrote:
    haha...

    Nope... I think it's the right one...

    haha...

    I'm damn sure dreamn will set me straight ... if I'm incorrect :p

    *waits nervously*

    hahaha....

    OH DEAR!!!

    DREAMN... Don't bring the wrath upon me...

    I've been set straight on the leaf...

    I thought it was the one you sent...

    Apparently I'm off my rocker :p

    *hangs head in shame and goes to dig out box of Christmas stuff*

    :D
    Exercising her will to lose control...
    she lets go
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