Free Stuff! (if you don't mind dumpster diving.)

I just finished moving out of my apartment, and in dramatic fashion. I spent Saturday, Sunday, and Monday throwing all my stuff in the middle of the living room and then separating the 5% I needed/wanted/was-willing-to-ship from the other 95% that I had to say goodbye forever to. This was difficult! I kept thinking about how expensive overseas shipping is, and how badly I wanted to hang on to each item. When it was all said and done, I was on a first name basis with the guy at Savers Thrift Store, and 2.5 dumpsters in my apartment complex were filled with decades of memory-inspiring items that ultimately held no monetary value.

This wanton disposal of personal effects kind of made me feel like a cold-hearted bastard. So-and-so gave me this item!, I'd think to myself. What would they say if they knew I was throwing their gift away? Even worse was the items which conjured up instant memories--my dead grandfather's La-Z-Boy, my Japanese Matrix Poster, my WWI-era bayonet, and on and on. I worry that tossing all that in some sense means that the memories and meanings are, in essence, being erased (ala Kaufman's Eternal Sunshine) and I find this somewhat upsetting.

But that's enough of that. I am in slight danger of violating the dread "No Sentimentality" rule, but the fact is that this stuff is gone, so, in the end, the forces of sentimentality lost. This should please the rulemaker.

Some good news and some bad news:

The good news is that I am now currently able to fit all of my possesions in my Oldsmobile.

The bad news is that my Oldsmobile stopped working today. The key will no longer turn (no matter how much forceful jiggling is applied to the steering wheel), so I had to have it towed to a mechanic.

The good news is that I don't have to sleep in my Oldsmobile (which currently resides in the mechanic's noisy and crowded garage). My friend is letting me stay in her basement.

The bad news is that her basement futon isn't nearly as comfortable as my dearly departed mattress + boxsprings.

The good news is that I didn't have to donate or throw away the aforementioned matress + boxsprings. The same friend who is letting me stay in her basement is allowing my mattress to stay indefinitely in her attic.

The bad news is that I can't sleep in the attic on my beloved mattress + boxsprings. Not enough room; too much uncovered insulation and dust.

Other good news: the lady at the leasing office of my old apartment was quite pleased with the cleaning job I'd done on my old apartment. She'll give me my entire security deposit back.

Other bad news: I won't receive the security deposit for 45 days, when I'll be in Japan and no longer in need of the security deposit.

Anyway, that's the lowdown on the progress I've been making in my move to Japan. Things are shaky and nervewracking and just a little scary. But exciting at the same time! Kind of reminds me of this picture I saw recently. It's by a French (I think) 2D CG artist named Cyril Rolando. I've recently become a big fan of his artwork, which is often thematically-related and of highly symbolic nature (I think). This piece in particular has beautiful clouds--which I've always been a sucker for. Thanks for reading my post, and I hope you enjoy this picture.