Taking Stock

Sitting down to write I'm noticing dust on my keyboard.  My bills, unopened mail, and tax documents are piled untidily under my monitor.  I'd say I've let a few things get messy in the last few months.  Which is okay.  Sometimes internally you're a mess, so you make everything around you as tidy as possible.  Eventually you'll come to the other side of that spiral, where you're more comfortable with some disorganization and chaos.  But I have reached a point where I feel I need to take stock.

Let's revisit Nothing New, shall we?  Okay.  I have to make a confession.  Some confessions.  I bought some shit that was new.  Let me hang my head in shame.  Okay, I bought a cheapass black wool coat at Crossroads, but it was a blue tag item, which means it was not used.  In my defense, the thing really looked used-it was covered in lint and some of the buttons were in its pockets, torn off.  Also, it's really hard to find coats that fit my gorilla arms.

Happy Birthday Bra!

I also got Eric at tee-shirt at the Echo Park Time Travel Mart.  I'll let you judge for yourself, but in my opinion he absolutely needed that shirt for his birthday.  And furthermore, EPTTM is a front for a literacy organization that self-publishes kids writings.  If I've got to buy something, let it be from a store like that.


I also bought some frames from Aaron Brothers (which store does not warrant a link, obvi).  Job gave me a series of prints from his first video piece, and suggested I go there to take advantage of the "buy one frame, get the second for a penny" deal.  I admit, I went straight out to buy the frames he suggested.  Although part of me thinks it would've been really cool to painstakingly find seven 11''x14'' frames, the other part just wanted instant gratification.  Whatever, I struggle with patience.

With Job at the Canadian Tuxedo party.

Beyond that my confessions are pitiful.  I bought some bobby pins, and a new loofah.  I bought new fabric to make Christmas gifts for my niece and nephews.  I can justify all that.  So this leads me to think about the whole not buying new thing.  In general, it hasn't had a huge obvious impact.  Truthfully, I'm not sure how much longer I have to go.  I think I'm almost done; I started mid-August.  This hasn't changed my habits or my daily patterns in a major way.  In subtle ways, though,  I've started thinking differently.  Or rather, I've stopped thinking some things.  Things like, "I could just go check out the sale rack," or "I need that right away."  Maybe the biggest impact has been one I can't see.  Maybe it's been on anyone who knows me or reads my blog.  I'd like to think so.

I can't quite decide if I should continue Nothing New for another 6 months: really recommit to the idea, or if I'm already living the paradigm, and it doesn't have to be a Formal Challenge to Myself.  I will keep you updated.

Okay, I admit, there's one thing I've been tempted to go get...