I'm looking at moving in with the girlfriend soon. Not sure how I feel about that, really. It's probably going to be a make it or break it thing for us. But then, isn't it for everybody?
My problem is that I am a bonafide packrat. I keep EVERYTHING, and I do mean everything. I have a candy wrapper that a girl once wrote a note to me on back in high school. I couldn't even tell you who she was now. That's how bad it is.
So, I've resolved that when I move, I'm only taking my clothes, home theatre system, PC, games, dvd's, and books. And all of my scuba gear, of course. The rest is going in boxes with a brief description of what's inside them, and a date. Everytime I open a box to get something out, I'm going to write that new date on the box. One year from that date (maybe 2 for souveneirs), if I haven't opened the box, I'm going to chuck it. I'm not even going to look inside.
For Looking Inside The Box is the one true weakness of the packrat (latin name: ratius packus). There is an actual documented brain difference in packrats than from other humans. We can actually hear the voices of all of our posessions. Everytime we stand with an item poised over the trash can, we hear that item speak to us, saying "Remeber that time..." or "It's ok. I'll still love you" and we wind up crumpled on the floor, clutching the aforementioned item, and crying at our own weakness, our reluctance to Let Go, and at the very thought of discarding an old friend, all at the same time. No. Never look inside the box. To do so is to invite all too certain doom.