Seven Things Spring/ Summer Week 18

The thing I'm finding most curious about being part of The Seven Things Spring/ Summer challenge is that, when I started, I thought it would be all about clearing stuff out of the house. What seems to have happened in reality is it's become more about not letting so much stuff into the house. For example, I recently saw some funky Avanti cards, picked them up, looked at them, decided I couldn't be bothered finding two things to get rid of to make them worth taking home, and put them back.

Similarly I've not been op shopping since the week before Christmas even though this is usually prime op shopping season (with everyone having a clean-out over the Christmas break). Firstly because my finances are still recovering from the beating they took through November and December but also because I really don't need anything. (I suppose it helps that I have my spies out there who will let me know if they see anything particularly juicy!)

I realised there had been a significant change in my attitude last Friday morning when I had a couple of spare hours in Sydney before I had to catch the bus home. I'd just been to the buttons shop so was in Newtown - home of rather a lot of very nice shops to explore, and also handy train-wise to a few places with half decent op shops, large malls containing delights such as Smiggle, kikki K and T2 or cultural institutions with excellent shops. So what did I decide to do? I found a nice cafe, ordered a coffee, pulled my book out of my bag and passed the time in a very pleasant way before I headed back to Central Station and my bus. Very scary.

The other thing I've noticed is some things just aren't ready to leave my life yet. A couple of weeks ago I decided I'd clear my back issues of Elle Decoration. The last issue I bought was August 2005 and thus, according to my Collection Development Policy*, I shouldn't be keeping the back issues. So I pulled them out, sorted them into years and decided to start with the oldest issues - ripping out the bits I wanted to file and getting rid of the actual magazines. I picked up the April 1999 issue, started flicking through it, started feeling exceedingly grumpy and thus decided the time just wasn't right to let them go. Rats!

In:

* 2 magazines (newsagents)
* 1 CD (I have a tradition whenever I take the bus to Sydney of popping into Cash 'em in CDs at the bus interchange and perusing their bargain racks for something new to listen to on the trip. This week, for $2.50, I picked up Electricity: 2 CD compilation of capital beats & bleats: electronica club acid house trance drum & bass power-noise ambient techno at a limited edition low promotional price. Before I decided to buy it I took it to the counter and asked the chap "Is this in the bargain bin because it's utter crap?" He convinced me they'd just had it for a while and I decided for less than a cost of a cup of coffee it was worth the gamble. Well worth it, as it turns out since I like at least 80 % of it. Yay for local music! Yay for cheap CD roulette that works out! Boo for websites (http://www.blatantpropoganda.com/) that no longer exist so I can't link to them)* 1 giant safety pin bought from All buttons great and small in Newtown. I really wanted one of their giant buttons but this was heaps cheaper and easier to carry home. It goes rather well with the giant bulldog clip I picked up in Smiggle last time I was in Sydney. I have a thing about scale - be it very undersized or very oversized.)

Total In this week: 4 (I'm well impressed)

Out:

* 1 journal, 1 set of coloured pencils, 1 washcloth, 1 groovy green bag: gifts
* 1 dead sheet: bin
* 2 bookmarks (I have far too many. This is probably only the first rationalisation...), 1 milk bottle holder which never really found a use around here, 1 Mickey Mouse tin case, 1 Mickey Mouse plastic pencil case and 1 free souvenir Merlion dangly thing from my trip: The Smith Family

Total Out this week: 11

Shake-it-all-about:

* 1 groovy green bag
* Princess B's stole

Net items out so far during Seven Things Spring: 249

(* You can take the Librarian out of the Library but you can't take the Library out of the Librarian!)