I'm trapped in Government limbo. It's a place that should be reserved for the most evil of society, but I'm doomed to stay here until who -knows-when. This all started back in April.
Nelson's step-dad (Ray) brought up some of Nelson's dad's (George) military records. His honorable discharge from the Marines, etc. It wasn't a whole lot to go by, but it gave us an interesting glimpse in to a part of George's life that by all accounts he really didn't speak much about.
We learned that he went in to the Marines when he was 18. We learned that he hadn't graduated High School (not uncommon in the early 60's), so the Marine Corps helped him get his diploma. He was a Private, First Class. He was a sharpshooter. He'd spent over one year in service abroad, although it didn't say where (we had been told Viet-Nam and Cuba by a number of people). When he was done with his service, he spent two years in the reserves. He received several medals and awards, including a good conduct medal and a sharpshooters medal. By all accounts, he loved to hunt and was an excellent hunter, so this would all make sense. Nice to tie up loose ends. As we were setting up the various pieces of the entertainment center, we put George's casket flag, a Marine bear, and a US flag on top of one of them. It looked very nice. Nelson said "I wonder if there would be any way that we could find one of dad's service pictures?". And so it began......
I contacted the Marine HQ in Washington DC. They were speedy, and very helpful. They directed me to the offices I could contact for one of his photos. Problem is, it all depended on where he went to boot camp. I replied to the Marines about that, and they said there was really no way to tell me where he went. Since he was inducted East of the Mississippi, it was most likely he ended up at Parris Island. OK, I'll start there. I tried calling the office repeatedly, but no one ever answered. I tried calling their family office, and they kept referring me to the VA. Well, the VA can't help because he's deceased. They offered me counseling, but I politely declined.
Finally, I reached someone at the photo office. She said yes, she could get me a photo, but it would be a Platoon photo. Fine with us - anything is better than nothing. She said that all she needed was a Platoon number. Brick wall. I had his DD214 (official separation document) but his boot camp platoon number is nowhere to be found. She said that recruits will send home a postcard with all their info on it. No earthly clue where that would be - he was in and out before he married my late mother-in-law.
She said that all photos are negatives stored in a huge facility by platoon number. She said that she could also really use the graduation date (we could narrow it down to a time frame of about 4 months) and a Drill Sergeant, but could do nothing at all without the platoon number. She directed me on how to contact the government for his records. It was a website. I was happy to see that. I trudged through all the paperwork, only to find out that you had to mail it in, and that likely what they would provide you with was a DD214, which I already have. I requested anything other than his DD214 or Honorable Discharge because I already had them - especially anything with his platoon number on it. But here's the kicker: if no one has that, how can we ever find him? He's been deceased for 25 years. There's nowhere to go if the Marines can't dig it up.
We also found, in our travels, that we can apply for replacements for all his medals/ribbons/commendations, etc. We also have no idea where any of this went. Again, it was off with the paperwork which has to be mailed to a different address. Couldn't be easy - heck no.
I did contact the recruiting office that he likely went through (or the closest one). They were nice, and tried to help, but a new recruit came through the door while I was speaking to him. I asked if it was OK if I faxed down the paperwork, and he said that would be fine. He never called back.
I found some people at Leatherneck Magazine who were very helpful. They'll be running an ad in their next magazine, and hopefully we can find someone who served with him. He was part of a large regiment. Hopefully there is someone out there who knew him.
Then, I found out that he's eligible for another commendation that he can receive posthumously. This one had a website to apply for it. Great! Then I found out the government took it down, and everything has to be done by......mail. The government moves at the speed of an injured snail. Who knows if we'll ever see any of this.
I tried contacting my congressmen. No dice. Their websites all say "for copies of military records, contact the national archives at.....". Yeah, I already did that. There's got to be a better way out there somewhere. You'd think that they'd be jumping at the chance to assist the family of a deceased veteran. Don't get me wrong - I've been receiving courteous replies everywhere I turn, but the system of red tape and uncertainty just stinks.
I think I'm going to keep looking for some assistance. Hopefully someone out there knows a better way to do this.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Thursday, August 9, 2007
I'm Not Just A Member, I'm Also The President
I try not to gripe too much on my blog. I sort of ruined my first blog by treating it as a place to rant and vent. Before too long, I lost the urge to continue to post to it because I saw it as so negative. There are times, however, when it's good to gripe, and this is one of them.
By now, anyone who wasn't involved in the fiasco that has happened in the last year and a half is probably going "oh no - not again". Unfortunately, it's one of those situations that unless you've been there, you won't really understand. Normally, I'd not even bother to post on that type of situation, but this is one of those things that you just feel the need to scream at the top of your lungs that you've been wronged, and the sheer magnitude of the bull that went on is unfathomable. There was a small group of us affected. We talk about it. We complain about it. We rant about it when some new crap is perpetuated. We try to get over it. Problem is, we can't.
It's not because we don't want to. It's not because we're living in the past. Rather, it's the other party involved that refuses to let it die.
Honestly, we'd all be happy to have moved on, aside from the occasional playful jab at the offending party, but it just keeps going on. Every time we try to distance ourselves, we get drug back in. The question we keep asking is that if they decided that they didn't want us around and we had to go, then why do they continue to use information and footage that we supplied to them? When one person got the boot, they were told via e-mail that their footage would be destroyed and not used. Ok - no problem. But it gets better. Not only does this person contiune to use their footage in clips that they create, but they continue to use clips created by the booted person. So much for destroying footage.
So rightly so, the booted person saw this, and fought back. He complained to the service showing the clips that the clip was his property, and that he was no longer affiliated with this group, and he would like his clip removed. They were great about it, and complied. Case closed. Or not......
Immediately, backlash ensued. I was told by jerk-of-the-century that he was being sued by the company that was airing the clip because he violated copyright regulations because of a song that appeared in the clip. Problem is, I know the truth. I was copied on the correspondance with the company showing the clip. The song in the video has no copyright - it's under creative commons, and as long as the artist got credit, there would be no problems. Rather than just let it slide, as no one would have likely even noticed it was gone, or even say the clip had been pulled for unknown reasons, they decided to launch a vicious campaign that was complete and total BS - 100%. Furthermore, I got drug in to it.
I was told that I needed to have the booted person contact him because he was named as a co-defendent in this (ficticious) lawsuit, and he could be liable for half of a ridiculous sum like $14,000. Little did he know that I knew that I knew he'd been attempting to contact the booted person consistantly since he booted him - not just since this issue. Also, he told me to tell booted person that he could have his work admired by tons of people if he'd let it be. What dippity-do-dah won't understand is that this was just a hobby for us - nothing we want to pursue as a full-time job, so the admiration of millions simply doesn't mean that much to us. Booted person, as I would, totally ignored all contact attempts. Why subject yourself to more needless grief? I forwarded the message to booted person, who decided it was finally time to fight back, and he sent him a fantastic scathing e-mail, calling his bluff on the whole thing. Needless to say, we never heard about it again.
We try to shoot down outright lies when we catch them, but what is even more unnerving than that, is the fact that once someone calls him on it, he immediately goes in to the Piss-And-Moan-About-Everything Club. As I said at the beginning, he isn't just a member - he's also the president. Boo hoo, poor me. No one understands me. No one likes me. Everyone is deserting me. No one supports what I do. The one that ticks me off the most, however, is when we get blamed for his lack of work. Nothing significant has been done on this project since LAST SUMMER. He can say all he wants that he's gotten so much done - show me the money! All I've been shown is a ever so slight blurb. Meanwhile, he keeps blaming the push back on the finalization date on work, problems with other companies, problems that we've caused, etc. Gripe, gripe, gripe. Don't do anything about it - just gripe away. And while you're at it, blame all your problems on us. After all, we're not around to defend ourselves. Have a pity party. Have it with all your friends (and I mean true friends, not just hanger-on's). I have a feeling you might be the only one there. Keep it up. You'll be completely alone sooner than you think if you keep playing these crappy kindergarten games.
I could be a jerk too. I could name names. I could mention specifics, like this person's websites, and call them on their bluff in terms of the promises he makes that he can't back up, and his complete line of bull. I could go on all day, but I won't. I refuse to sink to that level. One thing I will guarantee is this: what I say (unilke other people I could mention) is the truth. And I can back it up.
Now hopefully, this will all blow over......again. I'm hoping it stays that way, but I'm not holding my breath.
By now, anyone who wasn't involved in the fiasco that has happened in the last year and a half is probably going "oh no - not again". Unfortunately, it's one of those situations that unless you've been there, you won't really understand. Normally, I'd not even bother to post on that type of situation, but this is one of those things that you just feel the need to scream at the top of your lungs that you've been wronged, and the sheer magnitude of the bull that went on is unfathomable. There was a small group of us affected. We talk about it. We complain about it. We rant about it when some new crap is perpetuated. We try to get over it. Problem is, we can't.
It's not because we don't want to. It's not because we're living in the past. Rather, it's the other party involved that refuses to let it die.
Honestly, we'd all be happy to have moved on, aside from the occasional playful jab at the offending party, but it just keeps going on. Every time we try to distance ourselves, we get drug back in. The question we keep asking is that if they decided that they didn't want us around and we had to go, then why do they continue to use information and footage that we supplied to them? When one person got the boot, they were told via e-mail that their footage would be destroyed and not used. Ok - no problem. But it gets better. Not only does this person contiune to use their footage in clips that they create, but they continue to use clips created by the booted person. So much for destroying footage.
So rightly so, the booted person saw this, and fought back. He complained to the service showing the clips that the clip was his property, and that he was no longer affiliated with this group, and he would like his clip removed. They were great about it, and complied. Case closed. Or not......
Immediately, backlash ensued. I was told by jerk-of-the-century that he was being sued by the company that was airing the clip because he violated copyright regulations because of a song that appeared in the clip. Problem is, I know the truth. I was copied on the correspondance with the company showing the clip. The song in the video has no copyright - it's under creative commons, and as long as the artist got credit, there would be no problems. Rather than just let it slide, as no one would have likely even noticed it was gone, or even say the clip had been pulled for unknown reasons, they decided to launch a vicious campaign that was complete and total BS - 100%. Furthermore, I got drug in to it.
I was told that I needed to have the booted person contact him because he was named as a co-defendent in this (ficticious) lawsuit, and he could be liable for half of a ridiculous sum like $14,000. Little did he know that I knew that I knew he'd been attempting to contact the booted person consistantly since he booted him - not just since this issue. Also, he told me to tell booted person that he could have his work admired by tons of people if he'd let it be. What dippity-do-dah won't understand is that this was just a hobby for us - nothing we want to pursue as a full-time job, so the admiration of millions simply doesn't mean that much to us. Booted person, as I would, totally ignored all contact attempts. Why subject yourself to more needless grief? I forwarded the message to booted person, who decided it was finally time to fight back, and he sent him a fantastic scathing e-mail, calling his bluff on the whole thing. Needless to say, we never heard about it again.
We try to shoot down outright lies when we catch them, but what is even more unnerving than that, is the fact that once someone calls him on it, he immediately goes in to the Piss-And-Moan-About-Everything Club. As I said at the beginning, he isn't just a member - he's also the president. Boo hoo, poor me. No one understands me. No one likes me. Everyone is deserting me. No one supports what I do. The one that ticks me off the most, however, is when we get blamed for his lack of work. Nothing significant has been done on this project since LAST SUMMER. He can say all he wants that he's gotten so much done - show me the money! All I've been shown is a ever so slight blurb. Meanwhile, he keeps blaming the push back on the finalization date on work, problems with other companies, problems that we've caused, etc. Gripe, gripe, gripe. Don't do anything about it - just gripe away. And while you're at it, blame all your problems on us. After all, we're not around to defend ourselves. Have a pity party. Have it with all your friends (and I mean true friends, not just hanger-on's). I have a feeling you might be the only one there. Keep it up. You'll be completely alone sooner than you think if you keep playing these crappy kindergarten games.
I could be a jerk too. I could name names. I could mention specifics, like this person's websites, and call them on their bluff in terms of the promises he makes that he can't back up, and his complete line of bull. I could go on all day, but I won't. I refuse to sink to that level. One thing I will guarantee is this: what I say (unilke other people I could mention) is the truth. And I can back it up.
Now hopefully, this will all blow over......again. I'm hoping it stays that way, but I'm not holding my breath.
Monday, August 6, 2007
The Best "Mis"-laid Plans Of Morons And Men
a/k/a If You Say You're Gonna Do It, Then DO IT!!
Something my parents tried to raise me to live by was that if you say you are going to do something, then do it. If you find out at some point that you can't, then be honest and tell someone. It's not fair if you have others relying on you to do something. I try my darnedest to do that. Honestly, sometimes things happen and someone gets left hanging, but that is few and far between. Few things irritate me more than waiting around on someone who never shows up, or similar.
I've always been fairly naive. It's something that I've been working on for most of my life. I'd been stomped on so many times by people who I thought were my friends that I've lost count. I'm fiercely loyal to my friends, so it is possible for a smooth talker to blindside me, and it has happened more often than I care to admit. Despite being fairly good at separating the genuine people from losers, every now and again, one sneaks through, which leaves me to shake my head in the aftermath.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not on a "poor me" kick (another thing that irritates me, but that's for another day). I try to learn from my mistakes. It may take me a while to catch on, but I will eventually. It is a shame, though, that this has happened so many times, because it can cause me to take a more critical look at someone who may be genuine. I'd love to be able to take everyone at face value, but that can work in reverse as well - I've met people that I wouldn't normally think to associate with because of their outward persona or what that is perceived to be by others, but they've turned out to be great people. It's just a tough spot to be in, and I guess that to get suckered occasionally is just part of life's ride.
This happened to me recently. I got suckered in by a smooth talker with big dreams. I blindly believed in this person. They could give me recognition on a national level for things I was helping them do, and that appealed to me. A chance to shove it in the face of people who said I'd never amount to anything. I should have gone with my gut, but I happily followed along. I bragged. I told people that I was going places. I should have kept my mouth shut.
I made a number of friends through this endeavour. Most of us were in the same boat. We believed what we were told my Mr. Smooth Talker. We all gave a lot, but increasingly were getting nothing (and occasionally unwarranted grief) for our efforts. People started to grumble. For the first time, someone told me that I shouldn't pin any hopes on this person because he can't follow through with anything. I ignored them, against my better judgement. I continued to brag. Smooth Talker promised me some major things, and I threw myself in to it lock, stock, and barrel. I ignored all the warning signs. I put myself and my good name out there for this person. I got stomped on. As predicted, they never followed through on anything, eventually abandoning the project without even having the decency to tell me. I found out by noticing it had been removed from a list of outstanding projects.
Even after Mr. Smooth Talker himself got run over by Ms. Smoother Talker (who continues to run him over, despite his being told by several of us that she wasn't what she appeared to be), I continued to just kid myself that it was stress (a favorite excuse of his) and that it would all smooth over. After he began believing lies about the friends I made (and I have proof that they're lies) and he began booting them one by one, I told myself this was just temporary.
Slowly, I began to realize that I was being squeezed out. It was obvious to everyone but me until the bitter end. He didn't have the guts to tell me - he just let Ms. Smooth Talker run roughshod all over everything I did. When I called him on it (and the treatment of some others), he told me he was unaware, but did nothing about it. That, in my opinion, is unacceptable, and was the final straw.
I realized that in my zeal, I tossed out one of my good points - my fierce loyalty to my friends. I remained silent while the gruesome twosome steamrolled over the friends that I made. I also realized these were good friends - as opposed to Dumb and Dumber - who were there when I had to go for surgery, when Nelson was diagnosed with Cancer, and any host of problems that came along. I'd get an occasional note from one of the other two, but a lot of it was "I don't know what to say for stuff like that - I'm not good with these situations". Again, I don't need someone holding my hand every step of the way, but when life hits you with something blind, it's nice to have people to lean on, or at least someone who listens. They don't have to have the answers. And I'm always more than happy to return that favor.
Taking out the trash was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Part of me still clung to the hope that this was a temporary setback, but I was just fooling myself. I wrote the letter. I asked a friend to read it for me. I sent it when I knew the recipient would not be at home.
Immediately after that, I deleted this person from my e-mail address book, and blocked their e-mail, and any e-mail coming from their url's. I removed them from all of my friend lists from any number of websites. I deleted all information from my computer that pertained to anything having to do with them. When the computer asked me if I'd like to take them to the trash can, I chuckled as I sent it there. I have absolutely no regrets for any of it - even the time I wasted chasing someone else's ill-conceived pipe dream. The small handful of friends I've made more than makes up for any bad stuff. It just feels good to get it out when something sucks me back in, like what's going on currently.
This person's grandiose dreams just keep getting bigger, and more ridiculous. Not just content to continue to ruin their name and reputation, they continue to drag the name and rep of others down with them. These new people, unaware that the Smooth Talkers have zero track record or completions under their belts, believe the hype and proudly announce their affiliation with various projects, none of which will likely ever see the light of day.
It doesn't just upset me - it upsets the others that got sucked in before me, only to be spit out. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it except for vent when it comes up. It would be poor of us to say to these people "You know, I wouldn't hang my hat on anything they tell you, and we speak from experience", because we'd be no better than any of them and their games.
This is one thing, unfortunately, they'll have to learn on their own. And maybe, just maybe, something may someday get done. But even if it did, I want no part of it. The so-called reward is just not worth it.
Something my parents tried to raise me to live by was that if you say you are going to do something, then do it. If you find out at some point that you can't, then be honest and tell someone. It's not fair if you have others relying on you to do something. I try my darnedest to do that. Honestly, sometimes things happen and someone gets left hanging, but that is few and far between. Few things irritate me more than waiting around on someone who never shows up, or similar.
I've always been fairly naive. It's something that I've been working on for most of my life. I'd been stomped on so many times by people who I thought were my friends that I've lost count. I'm fiercely loyal to my friends, so it is possible for a smooth talker to blindside me, and it has happened more often than I care to admit. Despite being fairly good at separating the genuine people from losers, every now and again, one sneaks through, which leaves me to shake my head in the aftermath.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not on a "poor me" kick (another thing that irritates me, but that's for another day). I try to learn from my mistakes. It may take me a while to catch on, but I will eventually. It is a shame, though, that this has happened so many times, because it can cause me to take a more critical look at someone who may be genuine. I'd love to be able to take everyone at face value, but that can work in reverse as well - I've met people that I wouldn't normally think to associate with because of their outward persona or what that is perceived to be by others, but they've turned out to be great people. It's just a tough spot to be in, and I guess that to get suckered occasionally is just part of life's ride.
This happened to me recently. I got suckered in by a smooth talker with big dreams. I blindly believed in this person. They could give me recognition on a national level for things I was helping them do, and that appealed to me. A chance to shove it in the face of people who said I'd never amount to anything. I should have gone with my gut, but I happily followed along. I bragged. I told people that I was going places. I should have kept my mouth shut.
I made a number of friends through this endeavour. Most of us were in the same boat. We believed what we were told my Mr. Smooth Talker. We all gave a lot, but increasingly were getting nothing (and occasionally unwarranted grief) for our efforts. People started to grumble. For the first time, someone told me that I shouldn't pin any hopes on this person because he can't follow through with anything. I ignored them, against my better judgement. I continued to brag. Smooth Talker promised me some major things, and I threw myself in to it lock, stock, and barrel. I ignored all the warning signs. I put myself and my good name out there for this person. I got stomped on. As predicted, they never followed through on anything, eventually abandoning the project without even having the decency to tell me. I found out by noticing it had been removed from a list of outstanding projects.
Even after Mr. Smooth Talker himself got run over by Ms. Smoother Talker (who continues to run him over, despite his being told by several of us that she wasn't what she appeared to be), I continued to just kid myself that it was stress (a favorite excuse of his) and that it would all smooth over. After he began believing lies about the friends I made (and I have proof that they're lies) and he began booting them one by one, I told myself this was just temporary.
Slowly, I began to realize that I was being squeezed out. It was obvious to everyone but me until the bitter end. He didn't have the guts to tell me - he just let Ms. Smooth Talker run roughshod all over everything I did. When I called him on it (and the treatment of some others), he told me he was unaware, but did nothing about it. That, in my opinion, is unacceptable, and was the final straw.
I realized that in my zeal, I tossed out one of my good points - my fierce loyalty to my friends. I remained silent while the gruesome twosome steamrolled over the friends that I made. I also realized these were good friends - as opposed to Dumb and Dumber - who were there when I had to go for surgery, when Nelson was diagnosed with Cancer, and any host of problems that came along. I'd get an occasional note from one of the other two, but a lot of it was "I don't know what to say for stuff like that - I'm not good with these situations". Again, I don't need someone holding my hand every step of the way, but when life hits you with something blind, it's nice to have people to lean on, or at least someone who listens. They don't have to have the answers. And I'm always more than happy to return that favor.
Taking out the trash was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Part of me still clung to the hope that this was a temporary setback, but I was just fooling myself. I wrote the letter. I asked a friend to read it for me. I sent it when I knew the recipient would not be at home.
Immediately after that, I deleted this person from my e-mail address book, and blocked their e-mail, and any e-mail coming from their url's. I removed them from all of my friend lists from any number of websites. I deleted all information from my computer that pertained to anything having to do with them. When the computer asked me if I'd like to take them to the trash can, I chuckled as I sent it there. I have absolutely no regrets for any of it - even the time I wasted chasing someone else's ill-conceived pipe dream. The small handful of friends I've made more than makes up for any bad stuff. It just feels good to get it out when something sucks me back in, like what's going on currently.
This person's grandiose dreams just keep getting bigger, and more ridiculous. Not just content to continue to ruin their name and reputation, they continue to drag the name and rep of others down with them. These new people, unaware that the Smooth Talkers have zero track record or completions under their belts, believe the hype and proudly announce their affiliation with various projects, none of which will likely ever see the light of day.
It doesn't just upset me - it upsets the others that got sucked in before me, only to be spit out. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it except for vent when it comes up. It would be poor of us to say to these people "You know, I wouldn't hang my hat on anything they tell you, and we speak from experience", because we'd be no better than any of them and their games.
This is one thing, unfortunately, they'll have to learn on their own. And maybe, just maybe, something may someday get done. But even if it did, I want no part of it. The so-called reward is just not worth it.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
I Keep Holding On To Yesterday
It's in my blood. I can't help it, or myself. My name is Railyn. I am a packrat.
I place the blame solely on my late Grandma Rose. She grew up during the depression, in a poor Jewish family that fled Russia in the middle of the night during the Bolshevik Revolution. They landed in Philadelphia, and set up a new life for themselves.
I'm not getting down on Grandma Rose. Not at all. She was a great lady. She could do amazing things with little supplies or money. Think MacGyver, but as a 4'10" woman with a fiery attitude and a cigarette perpetually hanging out the side of her mouth. After she and Grandpa Bill passed, we were amazed at the things we dug out of her house. Tons of Sucrets boxes full of buttons, bra hooks and eyes, and snaps. Bags full of zippers. Tons of scraps of fabric that weren't large enough to do much of anything with. Her jewelry box was full of broken pieces, and uprooted stones. To most people, it looked like junk, but it was a way of life for her - a necessity for survival.
Every time clothing had passed it's usefulness, everything that could be harvested was removed: buttons, snaps, hooks and eyes, zippers...... They were saved, in case they might be needed again. The clothing itself was cut in to pieces, and used for any number of things, from rags to pillow stuffing. Same with jewelry that ended up broken. She might be able to use the stones from it again if one happened to fall out, or perhaps she could repair a broken pin with pieces from another. We initially shook our heads, but then gave her props for it. While it created a mountain of stuff to sort out and toss, she managed to save money wherever she could. In a throw-away society, she never wasted anything.
My mom picked up her habit. She didn't save bits of cloth or buttons, but she's got old outdated clothing, shoes and purses galore, and more boxes of books than most libraries. Being that her parents were antiques dealers later in life, she never threw out a bunch of knick-knacks, dishes, and other things because "they might be valuable". That's the bad habit that I then picked up.
I collect stuff. Problem is, I get gung ho on something, then tire of it. I married someone the same way. He picked that habit up from his mother. I try not to tap in to the latest fads, though, as she did. She had more Beanie Babies than I would ever know what to do with. They still sit in the largest tote that Rubbermaid has. Nelson's step-dad wanted to get rid of them, but collectively they're worth less than she paid for one of the more expensive ones.
I started collecting Star Wars when the movies were retooled and re released. I got weary of it quickly, and it sits in a box in the basement. I was on a View Master kick for a while. I've always loved them, but instead of just buying reels, I bought a Talking View Master that works well, but by design they sound like garbage. It's gathering dust in a closet. I got on a brief Rugrats kick - that stuff sits in the basement as well. Same with Lilo and Stitch. And the music group KISS. Tons of stuff sitting around gathering dust. And we won't even start on Nelson's collection of Matchbox Convoy trucks, or older WWF merchandise.
When Nelson's step-dad moved, he couldn't fit his 64" Sony Projection TV in the new house anywhere that it worked well. He asked us if we wanted it. Um, yeah! Then we looked at our house. The amount of crap was just unbelievable. We thought about just packaging it up and sending it downstairs, but that just makes more problems - the basement is very full......of junk we put down there.
We started going through boxes. It went like this:
"Um, why do we have this?"
"Well, I bought that for you when........."
"Ok. We'll keep it."
"Ok, why do we have this?"
"Remember, you liked {insert here} and your mom bought that for you......"
"Ok. We'll keep it."
Repeat as needed.
Several hours later, all we had done was shuffled things from one box to another. We tossed a few things, but nothing worth writing home about. We finally decided enough was enough. Several garbage bags and boxes later, we've cleared an amazing amount of room at the house. Total crap got thrown, things that someone else might want were set aside for a yard sale which will take place in about 2 weeks, and anything remotely valuable (WWF Stuff, Star Wars Stuff, etc) is being sent to the ebay Drop Off store. It was time to let a lot of stuff go, and put a period to a lot of partial collections.
I kept two things from the Star Wars end: an Ewok that belongs to Nelson, and my Chewbacca statue that is carrying C3PO on his back in pieces. The rest is gone - books, small figures, etc. I've kept all my View Master viewers and reels, but anything having to do with the Talking View Master is gone. Most of my KISS stuff is going. I'm keeping a few things, but the books (except for my KISSTORY book), action figures, patches, framed photos, posters, and stuff like that are going. Anything Rugrats is gone. Anything Lilo and Stitch, with the exception of my lithographs, is gone. All WWF stuff, with the exception of a few videos and dvd's, is gone. Matchbox Convoy Trucks and Over-The-Road Convoy Truck Stop: gone. It's quite liberating.
I'm retaining my Olympics collection, my Monkees collection, my New York Rangers collection, and my record collection. Nelson is keeping his Miami Dolphins and Dan Marino collections. I am not eliminating my vast sheep collection, but it is being pared down considerably. I am also thinning out my board games in terms of games we found weren't fun, or we don't play, or that I have duplicates of.
I'm shocked at how much extra room we have, even with a massive TV taking up a big chunk of our living room.
So people out there that have ever received a gift from me: you needn't hang on to it if you never use it, or have lost your enthusiasm for whatever it was. Please don't clutter your house on my account. You have my blessing to regift, yard sale, Goodwill, or ebay it. Chances are good, I may have done the same to you........
I place the blame solely on my late Grandma Rose. She grew up during the depression, in a poor Jewish family that fled Russia in the middle of the night during the Bolshevik Revolution. They landed in Philadelphia, and set up a new life for themselves.
I'm not getting down on Grandma Rose. Not at all. She was a great lady. She could do amazing things with little supplies or money. Think MacGyver, but as a 4'10" woman with a fiery attitude and a cigarette perpetually hanging out the side of her mouth. After she and Grandpa Bill passed, we were amazed at the things we dug out of her house. Tons of Sucrets boxes full of buttons, bra hooks and eyes, and snaps. Bags full of zippers. Tons of scraps of fabric that weren't large enough to do much of anything with. Her jewelry box was full of broken pieces, and uprooted stones. To most people, it looked like junk, but it was a way of life for her - a necessity for survival.
Every time clothing had passed it's usefulness, everything that could be harvested was removed: buttons, snaps, hooks and eyes, zippers...... They were saved, in case they might be needed again. The clothing itself was cut in to pieces, and used for any number of things, from rags to pillow stuffing. Same with jewelry that ended up broken. She might be able to use the stones from it again if one happened to fall out, or perhaps she could repair a broken pin with pieces from another. We initially shook our heads, but then gave her props for it. While it created a mountain of stuff to sort out and toss, she managed to save money wherever she could. In a throw-away society, she never wasted anything.
My mom picked up her habit. She didn't save bits of cloth or buttons, but she's got old outdated clothing, shoes and purses galore, and more boxes of books than most libraries. Being that her parents were antiques dealers later in life, she never threw out a bunch of knick-knacks, dishes, and other things because "they might be valuable". That's the bad habit that I then picked up.
I collect stuff. Problem is, I get gung ho on something, then tire of it. I married someone the same way. He picked that habit up from his mother. I try not to tap in to the latest fads, though, as she did. She had more Beanie Babies than I would ever know what to do with. They still sit in the largest tote that Rubbermaid has. Nelson's step-dad wanted to get rid of them, but collectively they're worth less than she paid for one of the more expensive ones.
I started collecting Star Wars when the movies were retooled and re released. I got weary of it quickly, and it sits in a box in the basement. I was on a View Master kick for a while. I've always loved them, but instead of just buying reels, I bought a Talking View Master that works well, but by design they sound like garbage. It's gathering dust in a closet. I got on a brief Rugrats kick - that stuff sits in the basement as well. Same with Lilo and Stitch. And the music group KISS. Tons of stuff sitting around gathering dust. And we won't even start on Nelson's collection of Matchbox Convoy trucks, or older WWF merchandise.
When Nelson's step-dad moved, he couldn't fit his 64" Sony Projection TV in the new house anywhere that it worked well. He asked us if we wanted it. Um, yeah! Then we looked at our house. The amount of crap was just unbelievable. We thought about just packaging it up and sending it downstairs, but that just makes more problems - the basement is very full......of junk we put down there.
We started going through boxes. It went like this:
"Um, why do we have this?"
"Well, I bought that for you when........."
"Ok. We'll keep it."
"Ok, why do we have this?"
"Remember, you liked {insert here} and your mom bought that for you......"
"Ok. We'll keep it."
Repeat as needed.
Several hours later, all we had done was shuffled things from one box to another. We tossed a few things, but nothing worth writing home about. We finally decided enough was enough. Several garbage bags and boxes later, we've cleared an amazing amount of room at the house. Total crap got thrown, things that someone else might want were set aside for a yard sale which will take place in about 2 weeks, and anything remotely valuable (WWF Stuff, Star Wars Stuff, etc) is being sent to the ebay Drop Off store. It was time to let a lot of stuff go, and put a period to a lot of partial collections.
I kept two things from the Star Wars end: an Ewok that belongs to Nelson, and my Chewbacca statue that is carrying C3PO on his back in pieces. The rest is gone - books, small figures, etc. I've kept all my View Master viewers and reels, but anything having to do with the Talking View Master is gone. Most of my KISS stuff is going. I'm keeping a few things, but the books (except for my KISSTORY book), action figures, patches, framed photos, posters, and stuff like that are going. Anything Rugrats is gone. Anything Lilo and Stitch, with the exception of my lithographs, is gone. All WWF stuff, with the exception of a few videos and dvd's, is gone. Matchbox Convoy Trucks and Over-The-Road Convoy Truck Stop: gone. It's quite liberating.
I'm retaining my Olympics collection, my Monkees collection, my New York Rangers collection, and my record collection. Nelson is keeping his Miami Dolphins and Dan Marino collections. I am not eliminating my vast sheep collection, but it is being pared down considerably. I am also thinning out my board games in terms of games we found weren't fun, or we don't play, or that I have duplicates of.
I'm shocked at how much extra room we have, even with a massive TV taking up a big chunk of our living room.
So people out there that have ever received a gift from me: you needn't hang on to it if you never use it, or have lost your enthusiasm for whatever it was. Please don't clutter your house on my account. You have my blessing to regift, yard sale, Goodwill, or ebay it. Chances are good, I may have done the same to you........
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
