Dangers Of Being A Packrat
March 5, 2009 | Filed under Family & Friends
In the past month, I’ve been re-organising everything in my life. From my wardrobe (now effectively halved in size with culled items going on eBay to get some money back) to my room, to my iTunes library (reduced to 2600 songs from 4800 songs – I’m in the process of entering the correct information for each track), to my Google Reader feeds (from 600+ feeds to 300 feeds, now categorised into different folders). I like to do this every couple of months, just to ensure that everything is in good order. Yes, I am anally retentive, thank you for noticing.
I put my organisational skills to good use, and clean out my cousin’s room every year for her. I literally have to rip items from her hands to make her give it away to charity, even if it’s an item she’s never used or worn, or have any chance of using or wearing. Yet, not two weeks after each clean up, she manages to accumulate more and more items. She keeps magazines for months after she’s read them. She has public transport tickets dating back weeks. The result? Last time I cleaned her room, I found a nest of dead spiders. Let that be a lesson to you.
So, take care, and try to cure your packrat behaviour. There’s no point in getting emotionally attached to what is really nothing but stuff with no real value. After all, before you know it, your hoarded things will result in you finding yourself not only with a nest of dead spiders somewhere in your room, but perhaps also as the recipient of a Darwin Award when you’re crushed to death when all the detritus you’ve accumulated topples over onto you!
9 Responses to Dangers Of Being A Packrat
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Dead spiders? A whole nest of them? I find that terrifying. I would cry if I found a bunch of dead anything in my room. I’m not much of a packrat. I can’t believe you have more 300 feeds. How do you kept up with all of them?
Chantelle on March 6, 2009 #
I cleaned my sister’s room thrice. The first two times it took a week. >.< And immediately after cleaning the room she accumulated enough junk to make it look like hell again. D:
Emsz on March 6, 2009 #
But if she hadn’t have cleaned she could have remained blissfully unaware of what was lurking XD I am a hoarder, I keep everything. Old tickets, boxes, papers…everything. I can’t help it. I tend to tell myself “I’ll wear it again” or “I’ll use it again”. I guess this is why my room grows smaller by the month :P
Online I’m not as bad. I back things up then I delete them which is fine. My harddrive is a mess of old junk but I have the space so it’s OK. Only my googlereader insists on being 1000+ all the time which is probably the only thing that bugs me.
Catherine on March 6, 2009 #
I have six year old train tickets. :) I keep a lot of little (perhaps pointless) things like that because they have some kind of sentimental value, and I like looking through them from time to time. I only started traveling on trains six years ago and I’ve been fascinated by them ever since. I’m actually going to try and apply for a job as a conductor in September, and hopefully that will lead to me becoming a train driver.
There’s a difference between being a packrat and cleaning up after yourself IMO. I keep lots of little bits and bobs and there’s nothing wrong with that; you just have to keep them organised. My train tickets have their place in my life (and my bedroom), and that’s not somewhere that spiders are likely to build nests. :P
Macca on March 6, 2009 #
When I was moving from Australia to Chicago, my best friend helped me pack, and I’m positive that she threw out lots of stuff from my early school years that I had been dragging all around the world with me. Her point was that I’d never notice, and she’s right – I know that she threw away stuff from around second grade, but what she threw away, I’m still not exactly sure :P If she hadn’t thrown it out, I probably would still be dragging around that stuff each time I move!
Manda on March 6, 2009 #
I am both super organised AND a packrat. I hoarde material posessions, but organise them perfectly because I am also anally retentive. As for things like iTunes songs – yeah, I’m good at deleting those. I’m currently going through my whole hard drive and deleting things I don’t need. I’ve already deleted over a gig’s worth of stuff (may not seem like much, but it only had about 4 gigs to begin with).
Clem on March 6, 2009 #
Haha, I’m both organised and a pack-rat too! I culled my iTunes library from 1500 to 300 and I have all my train tickets from the last year, chronologically dated. I keep tickets from everything.
I don’t really mind if a room isn’t organised, though, if people still know where their stuff is.
Carmen on March 6, 2009 #
I’m a packrat too. And add to the fact that I have a small room, I should probably get rid of some stuff, before…I discover that I have to dig my way to the door, bed or guinea pig’s cage. o_o;
(The thing about the nest of dead spiders is a good way to get me started. XD I have problems with spiders in my room and have been bitten a few times.)
Noellium on March 6, 2009 #
My room is surely very clean right now, I know where things are and I can get around.
…ew…spiders.
Remy on March 6, 2009 #