time to purge

Around this time every year, sprite and I have our holiday tree trimming party (it was a blast, by the way). And to prepare for this party, we have The Massive Cleanup of The Burrowâ„¢. It’s a big process, as we somehow accumulate mountains of stuff during the year, and the transitions between seasons never quite happen as they should.

This year, though, I find myself in need of a cleansing. I did a lot of that on the bike this year, losing a fair amount of weight along the way and finding that the clothes that once fit me well now drape in a less-than-flattering way: too big, too loose. And I also seem to have a bit too much of everything: too many coats, too many pairs of jeans, too many t-shirts, etc.

And I like it when the apartment is easier to navigate, as is the case after cleaning for the party. The problem is that we usually shift things into the bedroom as a way to make things navigable, and that’s not a good solution, either.

So this year, I will purge. Goodwill will see a big influx of clothing from me, including:

– tons of t-shirts and polo shirts
– two leather jackets (too big on me)
– at least one long wool winter coat
– at least two pairs of jeans
– other stuff to be determined

I’ll also go through other things to find things to cull. I’m sure there are redundancies elsewhere (cookware), or things that I just don’t use in the closets, and CDs that I can digitize and donate. It’s a big bunch of stuff, for sure, and it might require multiple trips to finish, but it’s necessary.

Some things can’t really be reduced: skis and bikes are still in use, and we’ve made it so they take up as little space as possible. But I’m set to take care of the things where I can control the space, and much as it goes against my nature, will I really miss these things? Probably not, and I know there are many who could use them (especially the winter wear).

Thus, it’s time to purge.
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Some housekeeping notes: I switched themes to a modification of an oldie-but-goodie. The header graphic is a panoramic shot of Avignon, taken from the top of the Palais des Papes. I also upgraded to WordPress 2.7, which is a nice change on the administrative side.