De-cluttering, Stage 2 complete!

So I went through all my books this afternoon, and threw out probably about half of them...

Books are the one thing that I've always found hard to throw away in the past. But looking through my collection today - I realised that a lot of them are about obscure (and often outdated) stuff that I'll never want to revisit again. And much of it is too obscure to be of much general interest.

On that note: I threw them all into the paper recycling bin, instead of trying to donate them to some charity or give them away.

I kinda doubt that book charities have much use for outdated technical manuals - or books about philosophical musings on Computer Science topics. Much of the rest were recent history and current affairs type pieces, which are really your standard library material, not something to hoard.

All that remains now are books that were gifts, books that I'll possibly want to revisit again, and books that I think other people might want to borrow at some point!

De-cluttering, Stage 1 complete!

I'm going to be moving soon. My lease expires in a couple of months, and I'm going to take this chance to move to a more convenient location - closer to work and to the city.

Many years ago, basically just after first moving out of home, I got it into my head how it would be cool to have as little Stuff as possible. At the time, this thinking wasn't particularly abstract or philosophical - it just seemed like it would be good to not be tied down with too much Stuff that needs to be moved - since I was planning to have a bit of a mobile lifestyle through my 20s.

Now - there's still that (purely practical) aspect of course - but there's also the whole (more abstract and philosophical) nonattachment and "mental clutter" element.

Basically, the older I get the more I find that having "Stuff" just creates stress. There's practical stuff you need of course, but then there's Stuff that's just there. You don't use it for years, you pack it and unpack it when you move from place to place, but ultimately you never use it. It just collects dust and adds to the pain of moving.

Stage One Complete

The first lot of Stuff I got rid of was a bunch of odds and ends that I had on a shelf in my living room.

It was mostly a pile of dusty random crap that didn't really have any value anymore - except for perhaps a kind of vague sentimental attachment. For example: the whole set of World Of Warcraft DVDs (and expansions) that I'd collected over the years. Also some random bric-a-brac that I would probably never use again.

The entire value of this Stuff was based on some notion that this Stuff is somehow part of my life, and that getting rid of it would somehow impact on who I am. As if throwing away random objects that have no practical use can possibly have a real impact on who you are.

This is not to say I'm going to be entirely heartless and unsentimental about all this of course! I'll be keeping some old books and most things that are cherished and thoughtful gifts from special people in my life. But other than that - much of what has collected dust over the past two years of living here and hasn't seen practical use is going to get purged before my move.

Lighter move, lighter head, less Stuff, less clutter...

Relationship Anarchy Revisited Again

It's been a while since I've blogged about this topic - which is a bit odd perhaps - considering that I've actually been involved in my first RA-based relationship in real life for the past few months! It started in October 2013 with a woman I met on OkCupid (let's call her "T"), and has been going awesomely well from day one and ever since!

I suppose the reason why I've had nothing particular to say is exactly this - the fact that it's been going very well! Theory and practice coming together in such a seamless way that there's been nothing much to say except - "Yes! This is working great! Just as expected based on theoretical RA precepts, and experience with Internet-based long distance relationships."

This relationship is totally stress-free and drama-free, and I think the main reason for that is that there are no expectations of it being anything "more" than it actually is. I'm convinced that this is where almost all relationship drama ultimately comes from - people having mismatched expectations of some sort - and then hanging obligations and demands on each other which are aimed at fulfilling those expectations. But when you keep these to a minimum and just go with the flow of what's actually working well between the two of you - it works well with minimal "work".

That said, it certainly helps that both T and myself are extremely independent people. Neither of us is keen on typical relationship "progression", in traditional relationship escalator type terms. Or finding a traditional "life partner" and "settling down".

Oddly enough, certain details of what's been happening lately actually mimic some of that relationship progression behaviour (eg. Staying over and cooking together, having our first weekend away together last weekend, etc) - but there's still no stress. And again, it all comes down to having no particular expectations. These things don't "mean" anything that measures up against some external notion of where the relationship is "going". It just is what it is. Everything is measured relative only to itself.

You can probably see now why I've had nothing particular to say about all this ever since it started. It's just been exactly what it's been, and it's been great! I suppose the only generalised lesson is that Relationship Anarchy WORKS! And it works very well.

First Summer Sunday of 2014

Today was the first Sunday I've had off work since early November. I've nominally put myself on a new work schedule now - Monday to Thursday. Working Sunday to Thursday was doing my head in a little bit. The combination of long night hours and starting on a Sunday made it feel like it's really just one day off - as well as a very "broken" weekend. A four day week feels just right though.

Anyway, the day was beautiful so I decided to go for a little walk. Towards the end of it, a pretty violent cool change came through, with some very cool gusts and a bit of rain. But it was a nice afternoon regardless - classic Melbourne summer really.

Here are a few pics:

Crown Reflections

Shiny Crown Towers

CBD Reflections In Southbank

Sandridge Bridge Art

Seagull

View Of Southbank From CBD

Cool Change Incoming

Walls And Canopies In South Yarra

Cool Change In South Yarra

Cool Change In South Yarra II