This piece was mentioned in the Peter Saul TEDx Newy talk I referenced in the last post. I haven't looked at it in years but I see much more now that I've been at the deathbed:
3.28.2012
"Death and Life," by Gustav Klimt
This piece was mentioned in the Peter Saul TEDx Newy talk I referenced in the last post. I haven't looked at it in years but I see much more now that I've been at the deathbed:
3.26.2012
3.12.2012
Schedule A: The Anal Retentive Widow
Look what I found while hunting for this year's tax information.... Notes from the anal-retentive widow, who used to do her taxes herself. Wait, I'm talking about myself in the third person again... which, I suppose, is only appropriate? It sure feels that someone else prepared this spreadsheet....was I this organized once? On the other hand, this remained buried the past five plus years. (On the other other hand, that's what we DO with yesteryear's tax schedules, isn't it?)
Whew. Don't ever tell me that I underthink anything.
So there is your answer to what I did all those lonely nights... a piece of my bureaucratic trash, and one even ABOUT what I threw away... Somehow I have a feeling this will resonate with some others, too, as one of my most popular posts (which I also thought was a throwaway) did.
It does make it easier, as housekeeping guru Don Aslett says, sometimes, to write it down before you say goodbye. I'm a born pack rat: this stuff is hard work. I read his books, including Clutter's Last Stand, multiple times to gain the strength (and techniques) to get rid of hundreds of pounds of stuff, and I'm still awful. (I'm fine, of course, with other people's stuff... which you might THINK this was... but no.)
The feelings I must have had as I put these items down in rows and columns... so much of that is left now as I review this. I am surprised to see that I really did give away so much of his clothing within a month or two (he died 6/2). The spreadsheet makes it seem "verified."
The brief descriptions are so evocative... some of the items reappear in my mind as I skim the list. I remember in vivid color, for example, the day we bought the "gray sleeveless hoodie" at H&M after a long search (it was from the women's department). Others are like-Gavin by their non-specificity: 9 pairs of "lightweight, casual" pants. I always teased him about his affection for his khakis, he was a little obsessed with finding ones made of really thin, sharp cloth. One year I'm sure I gave him a pair of chinos for Valentine's Day. What a picture of the two of us that tells, eh?
I'm shocked I had the pride to itemize socks at $1 a pair and at the same time, the disregard to throw away precious "painting shoes." I can still see their shape in a white plastic trash bag, like everything that leaves the house. Well, nearly everything.
This stuff talks. It really does.
And I only have about 40 boxes (and 200+ drawings) left...
Whew. Don't ever tell me that I underthink anything.
| Category | Type | Description | Condition | Value | Quan | Ext. | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| clothing | pants | linen or linen-blend | v. good | $6 | 4 | $24 | Value Village, July 2006 |
| clothing | pants | lightweight, dress | good | $8 | 2 | $16 | Value Village, July 2006 |
| clothing | pants | lightweight, casual | good | $6 | 9 | $54 | Value Village, July 2006 |
| clothing | shirts | dress, l.s. | good | $6 | 7 | $42 | Value Village, July 2006 |
| clothing | shirts | dress, l.s. | okay | $4 | 5 | $20 | Value Village, July 2006 |
| clothing | shirts | casual, s.s. | good | $5 | 5 | $25 | Value Village, July 2006 |
| clothing | shirts | linen or linen-blend | v. good | $6 | 5 | $30 | Value Village, July 2006 |
| clothing | shoes | brown leather | good | $5 | 2 | $10 | Value Village, July 2006 |
| clothing | shoes | athletic | good | $5 | 2 | $10 | Value Village, July 2006 |
| clothing | shoes | sandal | good | $5 | 1 | $5 | Value Village, July 2006 |
| clothing | shoes | white canvas | okay | $3 | 1 | $3 | Value Village, July 2006 |
| clothing | shoes | black plastic sandals | okay | $3 | 1 | $2 | Value Village, July 2006 |
| clothing | shoes | black leather velcro | okay | $3 | 2 | $6 | Value Village, July 2006 |
| clothing | coat | khaki windbreakers | v. good | $10 | 2 | $20 | Value Village, July 2006 |
| clothing | coat | black wool | almost new | $4 | 3 | $40 | Value Village, July 2006 |
| clothing | shirt | black hoodie | good | $5 | 1 | $15 | Value Village, July 2006 |
| clothing | shirt | sleeveless gray hoodie | almost new | $5 | 1 | $5 | Value Village, July 2006 |
| clothing | shoes | black high boots | good | $15 | 1 | $15 | Value Village, July 2006 |
| clothing | shoes | brown ankle shoes ll bean | good | $20 | 1 | $20 | Value Village, Aug. 2006 |
| clothing | shoes | painty black shoes | bad | 2 | tossed | ||
| clothing | jacket | wool tweed blazer | v. good | $18 | 3 | $36 | Value Village, Aug. 2006 |
| clothing | misc. | wool hats | good | $5 | 8 | $10 | Value Village, Aug. 2006 |
| clothing | misc. | wool scarves | good | $5 | 2 | $15 | Value Village, Aug. 2006 |
| clothing | misc. | warm cotton socks | good | $1 | 2 | $8 | Value Village, Aug. 2006 |
| clothing | misc. | wool socks | good | $2 | 1 | $4 | Value Village, Aug. 2006 |
| clothing | misc. | sets thermal underwear | good | $10 | 1 | $20 | Value Village, Aug. 2006 |
| clothing | pants | ll bean flannel lined chinos | v. good | $12 | 1 | $12 | Value Village, Aug. 2006 |
| clothing | misc. | set high tech thermals | okay | $5 | 1 | $5 | Value Village, Aug. 2006 |
| clothing | shirt | flannel shirts | v. good | $7 | 4 | $28 | Value Village, Aug. 2006 |
| clothing | pants | wool dress pants | v. good | $10 | 3 | $30 | Value Village, Aug. 2006 |
| clothing | misc. | red wool skirt (Supa's) | excellent | $10 | 1 | $10 | Value Village, Aug. 2006 |
| clothing | misc. | gray synthetic tunic | excellent | $10 | 1 | $10 | Value Village, Aug. 2006 |
| clothing | shirt | lt blue velour shirt (Supa's) | excellent | $5 | 1 | $5 | Value Village, Aug. 2006 |
| clothing | pants | green khaki pants | excellent | $3 | 2 | $6 | Value Village, Aug. 2006 |
| clothing | shoes | ll bean loafers | okay | $5 | 1 | $5 | Value Village, Aug. 2006 |
| clothing | misc. | leather belts | okay | $3 | 5 | $15 | Value Village, Aug. 2006 |
| Total | 40 | $445 |
So there is your answer to what I did all those lonely nights... a piece of my bureaucratic trash, and one even ABOUT what I threw away... Somehow I have a feeling this will resonate with some others, too, as one of my most popular posts (which I also thought was a throwaway) did.
It does make it easier, as housekeeping guru Don Aslett says, sometimes, to write it down before you say goodbye. I'm a born pack rat: this stuff is hard work. I read his books, including Clutter's Last Stand, multiple times to gain the strength (and techniques) to get rid of hundreds of pounds of stuff, and I'm still awful. (I'm fine, of course, with other people's stuff... which you might THINK this was... but no.)
The feelings I must have had as I put these items down in rows and columns... so much of that is left now as I review this. I am surprised to see that I really did give away so much of his clothing within a month or two (he died 6/2). The spreadsheet makes it seem "verified."
The brief descriptions are so evocative... some of the items reappear in my mind as I skim the list. I remember in vivid color, for example, the day we bought the "gray sleeveless hoodie" at H&M after a long search (it was from the women's department). Others are like-Gavin by their non-specificity: 9 pairs of "lightweight, casual" pants. I always teased him about his affection for his khakis, he was a little obsessed with finding ones made of really thin, sharp cloth. One year I'm sure I gave him a pair of chinos for Valentine's Day. What a picture of the two of us that tells, eh?
I'm shocked I had the pride to itemize socks at $1 a pair and at the same time, the disregard to throw away precious "painting shoes." I can still see their shape in a white plastic trash bag, like everything that leaves the house. Well, nearly everything.
This stuff talks. It really does.
And I only have about 40 boxes (and 200+ drawings) left...
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