TAN #203: TANese New Year - Horsing Around (Page 35)

My father saved all kinds of metal parts.  He had me pull and straighten nails from a chicken coop he tore down when I was a child.  The value of metal has changed but the trait of saving it is deeply ingrained.   I have to look up the price of a thing before I will toss it.

TW

Many of us probably do the same thing.  We paid for it, so feel like we need to hold onto it.  I have an old computer gathering dust, so I SHOULD donate it but have all kinds of grand ideas like a media server or guest computer...  BUT, I don't do it and it sits there.

The wife saves Christmas candles that have 1/2" left.  We have a whole cabinet full of them.  I sort of get it.  She says she can still get plenty of time from them BUT she just buys new ones when the Christmas stuff comes out.

Don't tell her, but I throw some of this stuff out when she's not looking.  So far, I have never been caught.

My guilty thing is old bike parts.  If they still work, but I just upgraded, I keep them around in case I need to put them back on or build another bike - which will NEVER happen.  I have 4 sets of golf clubs and another half dozen random clubs right now.  One set I haven't used in 20 years and are in no way a "collector" set like old pings or something.  But I keep reasoning that a "guest" could used them or the wife or kids.  Which is a joke, really.  We all probably come up with ridiculous reasons to keep junk.

That settles it.  It may hurt for a second, but I'm purging TONS of stuff this summer...

I'm purging bike stuff. I sold a decent amount on the classifies here and on ST, but the rest is (soon!) getting donated to a local place called Bicas that is a cycling educational/recycle shop. I'm glad I found a cause where someone might actually use the stuff.

I designated a small wooden crate as my "bike parts" bin. Everything fits except my old rear wheel that I replaced with a PowerTap. 

Some of my storage stuff is reasonable - I don't have to dress up for my job, so I've got a big trashbag full of nicer work clothes. Replacing that could cost some serious cash if I end up in a more traditional office job again. 

But some stuff - like rock climbing gear... I have barely used since I left DC in 2010... but it was such an investment, and I "might" climb again, so I keep it.

I think I'm the worst with sporting goods / athletic clothing.

I go in cycles with that stuff.  If I have stuff left over after finishing a project, I'll hold onto it for a year or so, but after an indeterminate period of time I haven't found a use for it, I have no trouble throwing it away.  Like Elaine, I live in a TINY house (small post-WW2 bungalow), so that tends to helps nudge me into decluttering somewhat frequently.

My next house will have a LOT more storage, but I semi-fear that will simply result in increased cluttering.

It's amazing the clutter you can accumulate.  I'm just thinking about the oil tiki torches we bought for a Hawaiian themed party we had like 8 years ago.  I keep looking at them thinking "get rid of them" but then think we could have another theme party and we paid like $50 bucks for them and used them ONCE!

They don't get in the way since they are tucked in a corner of a cabinet in the garage, but still.  Same with some old skis I haven't used in 15 years - TWO sets of skis, in fact.  If I did ski again (I love to board), I would just buy new ones, so why keep them?

I did try to sell them in a hard sale once.  In Vegas?  No takers! 

Those sorts of things, I'd treat differently....   the skis, I'd sell on eBay or Craigslist, just to get them gone.  The torches, I'd find excuses to use them.... anytime you have friends over and you're sitting on the patio at night, use them.   Then again, I don't know if you have the same mosquito and other flying pest issues we have here in Ohio, but if so, a tiki torch with Citronella is always a decent idea.

I tend to accumulate things from household projects like lumber, or pipe, or wire, or miscellaneous metal connectors, etc...

I have a terrible habit of buying lottery tickets and then never checking them to see if they match anything, and they usually just collect in one spot for a couple of months before I get tired of seeing them and throw them away... and start the pile again.

Sorry.  I didn't mean it to be a slap.  You seemed to be excited and were jumping from topic to topics in single paragraph. I just thought it was funny.  And, my brain really does exactly the same thing.   JWKMH is always saying, "Now, whuuuuuuud?"  when my brain turns on the random idea generator.

I hope your good day from yesterday is continuing today.

TW

HAPPY SATURDAY BATCHES!  gorgeous day and so much bball i may not leave the couch....oh well!

Sorry about Pitt.  I was pulling for them.

TW

there was still a lot of great bball this weekend....wasted a LOT of hours watching it!

Just about every game was interesting.  I could only watch so much.  I seemed to get caught up in some of the late games, now I need sleep.

TW

in other news - my brand new car got keyed this weekend.  just went to the body shop across the street, since it is white with a pearl coat they basically repaint half the car to get everything to match.  3 days i'm in a rental.  and they have to match a pearl white.  ugh.  thank jesus the body shop is awesome at customer service (hopefully also awesome at body work) and i have an amazingly easy to deal with insurance company.

less than 6 months in the genny and she's ruined.

haha my personal conspiracy theory is my beeyotch neighbor or her son, but it was likely just someone being an a-hole in a parking lot.

Saw the pic on FB... 'tis a pretty bike!  Now we just need our northern clime to warm the eff up!

meh - OMG, that sucks!   I'd be livid, but it's anger with no direction, no outlet, so what can you do?    Glad that you at least have a good shop to take it to.

I just had a super big bike shopping day Saturday... bought new cranks, forks and bars for my road bike (crank arm stripped out, didn't trust the forks, bars were old and looked bent... this is a bike I built last year).  Also bought new tri shoes and a set of Garmin Vector pedals.

I think so too.  I had my brand new black Ford Explorer keyed...  Down to the primer.

What's particularly frustrating about it is that whoever did it, got what, about 20 seconds of "glee" for damaging something then probably forgot all about it?  Meanwhile, I'm out of my car for days and out of pocket about $400 for my deductible.

Maybe if they could revel in the fact that did it and get satisfaction for months/years/lifetime?  I could at least get a GLIMMER of understanding.  But no.  20 seconds of joy for them leads to days of problems for me and they probably never give it a second though.  I might have even be happier they stole $400 from me.  My car is still nice, I don't lose it, they get to enjoy the money for more than 20 seconds and I'm none the poorer.

Vandalism I could never really figure out. 

Happy Monday, TAN! 

My personal drama seems to have calmed down, and I PRed a 5k yesterday. Two friend and I DESTROYED the women's relay field at a local tri. It was a blast doing the sprint as a relay! And it was pretty awesome to ride my bike about a mile from my house to transition. 

How was everyone's weekend - aside from keyed cars?

The best I've ever felt waking up, was after about 6-8 hours of sleep on cough medicine with codeine in it. After that, I really understood how people get hooked on that. 

ewwwwwww

Just had a 4th interview. FOURRRRRTH. It was a "hey let's swing by the cafeteria and eat in my office" type of thing with the head guy. He kept apologizing for making me eat on an interview, haha! All I could do was eat the chicken out of my salad. I was not nervous at all, but eating a salad while trying to impress an executive and answer questions is challenging. 

WOWEE this is crazy....how are you feeling about the job?  the chances of getting the job?  and salad is far too awkward to eat.  what ISN'T awkward to eat in an interview???