A Place For My Stuff

Sunday 27 July 2008
1730

I spent today packing up my room. I can’t pack completely since I still have at least a week to go, but I could pack up most of my stuff.

It’s kind of amazing how much stuff I accumulated in two years here. Even more amazing when you consider that my room is only about 7 ½ x 11 feet. But I’m sort of a packrat, I tend to overpack when traveling, and I like books and movies. So it’s no wonder I could barely turn around in here!

Part of what took so long was sorting through files and papers, throwing away what wasn’t needed and filing other things properly. Lots of things just got stuck in convenient nooks and crannies over time, but really needed to be filed. I actually have six years’ worth of tax records over here with me, since I had to document that situation to get my security clearance approved. Once that is settled (and the IRS accepts my 1040X for 2006), I’ll be able to send about a linear foot of files home for storage.

It looks kind of bare with no pictures on the walls and bulletin board (and no more bulletin board!). It will look even emptier when I actually mail the boxes. Some of them are going home, but most are going to Qatar.

The title of this blog post is in honor of George Carlin. I didn’t write a post when he died, but I was sad to see him go. He was certainly one of my favorite comedians. What made him especially funny to me was not only that he was completely irreverent, but that he looked at everyday life and saw the humor in it. He once said “That’s my job…reminding you of things you already knew, but forgot to laugh at the first time.”

So here is George Carlin, talking about “A Place for My Stuff”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLoge6QzcGY&feature=related

Mood: Happy
Music: George Carlin