Pile by Pile

Confession: I am a huge pile-maker.

I don’t make huge piles. I just make them over and over. I clean them up, and I make them again in the same spot. They mainly take over two places: my desk, and the space next to my bed. Well, plus the bookshelf above my desk. But that’s going to take a whole day of devotion. Because then I’d have to also go into how I save EVERYTHING from my classes. Which I proceed to NEVER look at again. Until I throw it away. Gah.

Knowing that I have to pack up my room next week means that these piles need to be gone. They consist of pretty useless stuff, so this isn’t a big problem. However, I have to look at everything before I throw it away, because the theory here is that I saved these things for a reason. “Theory” being the key word in that sentence. Why do I have the syllabus from last semester’s class? Why do I have grocery receipts from February? Why do I have notes from my Elective sophomore year?! This could go on for a while….

Tonight I cleared off my desk and nightstand. Tomorrow I might move up to the bookshelf, but that is a daunting thought. Maybe I should study for that last final instead? Ehhhh, I’ll take the non-existent option 3 please.

I did finally put away the laundry I did on Friday. We’re making progress.

Packin’ Up

Packing is always a challenge for me. I never know what to bring and what not to bring. I always bring too much. I’m always worried that my suitcase(s) will be over the 50 lb limit when I fly home. I never plan ahead and leave some space, despite the fact that I always have more stuff going back due to shopping, gifts, etc.

The long breaks are harder, obviously because I pack a lot more. I want to have everything with me when I’m home, so I always over-do it. The first thing I do when I get home is UNpack, because there’s nothing I hate more than living out of a suitcase. Even if I’m only here for a few days, everything is out of the suitcase and into the closet right away! Then I put my suitcases where I can’t see them. Then, I can relax.

Today, I have load it all up again. Between Christmas, traveling, shopping and more shopping….I have accumulated a lot of things. All of it has to fit back into the two big suitcases I brought with me, that were full to begin with. Ehhhhh.

Then there’s the question of what will be my “carry-on”, and what to pack in that. As a frequent flier and victim of the new regulations on what is allowed/not allowed in your carry-on bag, these are what I consider essentials:

• Ipod
• Wallet (don’t forget that ID!!!)
• Gum
• Magazine(s)
• Lotion (that now has to be under 3 oz, and in a plastic bag. Because clearly plastic bags will protect us from the terrorists)
• A good book

I used to always bring a bottle of water to avoid having to buy one for $3, but that’s not allowed anymore. No liquid over 3 oz, and like I mentioned above, all liquids have to be in a small plastic bag. I have yet to figure out how this is protecting us from anything. Any insight into this?? I always wonder….

I do have some buddies around here that like to “help” me pack. We have 3 cats that all love to climb into a bag or box of any form, whether they fit or not. Then they peek their cute little heads out and purr. They are always so proud of themselves for finding a way into this new contraption. When I pull out empty suitcases to start the packing process, they have a new playground. They immediately climb in, lay down, and look up at me like “Hey can I come too??” Personally, I would love to bring them back to school with me. But they definitely would not fit, or be any help towards meeting that 50 lb mark (they are a little large, in LB’s words “WHOA! big ass cats”. haha)

Alright, back to the disaster that is currently my room. This is an all day task, not fun. Only to unpack it all tomorrow. Which is actually really fun around our apartment, because we all run around showing off our New stuff and trying on each other’s clothes/shoes. That is the only thing that makes this process exciting.