I might be getting the hang of this after all

Ok, I'm finally starting to find some empty boxes here. I spent a good part of this holiday weekend emptying out old boxes and files. At the same time, I've created a monster project for myself somewhere down the road. I finally went through several boxes of old video tapes. These tapes were full of school projects and family events. Of all the tapes I gathered up, I found I could pitch about 1/3 without hesitation. Others needed a quick scan to see if the label was actually correct. The rest, however, are completely unlabled. That is so like me to do that. This evening I drove in to work and started digitizing some of tapes. Some are keepers, but a lot of the more cringe-worthy performances are now relagated to the scrap pile.

For those of you familiar with the legendary MUTV program "The Produce Department," expect the long-awaited DVD sometime in the next year, complete with bonus footage. I have yet to find Episode 2 which features the infamous (although rather appropriate) bathroom sketch as well as the teacher sketch. I hope that it is on one of the unlabeled tapes. If not, the project may be in jeopardy. If anyone has any information on this video, please let me know.

By the way, for those of you following along, drop me a note sometime and let me know where you're from and what you do. Any of you go through a similar move? Any tips on preparing?

And finally, here's one for you "Produce Department" fans. It isn't the original Young-Holt Unlimited cut, but it'll have to do for now.

Wack-Wack - Maynard Ferguson

Get rid of what I don't need

It is Friday evening and it is absolutely gorgeous outside. This weekend's forecast calls for a whole lot of rain. There is a good chance that the Chicago area won't see weather like today's until mid-June. Seems like the perfect time to sit in a basement and put off doing the things that are more important.

What are some of these things? I still have some homework to do before tomorrow's German lesson. But that's just one exercise. I can knock that out pretty quickly. No, what I have is something that I've been dreading since I made this decision, the one thing that I'm worse at than almost anyone I know. Packing for a move. Packing isn't so much the difficult part, it is all the preparation that I'm no good at. What do I bring with? What stays behind? If it stays behind, where does it stay? And worst of all: what gets thrown out?

I am a packrat. I'm from a family of packrats. I've seen this coming and I haven't been looking forward to this. I am excited for this move for so many reasons. One of which is to simplify my life. Get rid of what I don't need. Get rid of what I don't need. Get rid of what I don't need. I need to keep repeating this until it it is done.

I planned this move well over a year ago. In February of 2008 I moved back home to mom's. The plan was to save a little money and leave in the fall. A shorter commute, a few less bills. Autumn came and went but due to circumstances beyond my control, I remained here.

When I cleaned out the old apartment, I was pretty impressed with what I threw out, gave away and donated. When I got to the house, I was not so proud of how much still remained. Especially when it ended up stacked in piles all around me. The last thing this place needs is more stuff.

So this weekend I am making it my goal to sort through at least a few boxes. I have to start somewhere. Get the ball rolling. Get rid of stuff I don't need. Get rid of stuff I don't need. Get ri... right after I finish this last bit of homework.

Get rid of stuff I don't need. Get rid of... oh, and didn't I hear that the Cubs are using a new lineup tonight? Soriano's finally batting third? Man, I might have to see that.