Last month, we had wood floors installed on the third floor. Don’t even get me started on my feelings about having floors installed — from a box — the wood pre-finished in some factory in the South.
As I have learned from renovations on three houses, it’s best to move most of your junk out of the way before workers move it. Of course the more junk you move, the less junk you realize you need — which spurred on a huge bout of ’spring’ cleaning in the dead of winter.
I’m not one to keep too much stuff. Nothing annoys me more than people who park their cars on the street because they garages are too full for their cars. Despite my best efforts, I have collected odds and ends — mostly stuff I didn’t need as I upgraded.
My junk includes an old leather desk chair, two VCRs, a typewriter, an old fax machine, luggage, etc. This stuff has all been replaced by a better desk chair, a DVD player, and the ability to PDF. I can’t even begin to imagine what I’d do with a typewriter. And I finally have sturdy, matching luggage.
There’s nothing wrong with the old stuff — except maybe it’s obsolete. In Los Angeles, as in the rest of the country, our landfills are, well, filling up quickly. I am an avid recycler. Barely any garbage leaves my house each week — but no one wants your old stuff.
The Wal-Mart revolution has provided sparkly new items to anyone with a few bucks.
Thrift donation centers have come to my house last week, and in the past, looked at my stuff, and declared that no one would buy it.
I looked on Ebay, and used VCRs and typewriters start at ninety-nine cents, with no reserve. It would cost me more to ship to someone than to throw it away.
It’s collecting in the family room, expanding in a corner near our clock. I know the bottom line is that I need to call the city, and just throw it away — but it’s hard getting rid of perfectly good stuff I don’t want or need anymore.
This is, I truly believe the evil of the Wal Mart revolution. Nothing has any more value than one can pay to pick up a new plastic thingy at the local big box store.
So, I’m off to call the city because for no cost to me — they’ll take my junk.
