Day 88: True Religion Jeans

I got these jeans for a serious bargain when I was working at Penthouse...in 2005. Like every pair of pants I own, they needed about six inches hemmed off the bottom. I was too lazy to get it done. Then I found a pair of Paper Denim jeans that didn't need to be hemmed, and wore them until they fell apart. Then I got pregnant, and then I got pregnant again. Then I looked in my closet last week and thought, "Holy crap, the tags are still on these jeans?" I'm living in a pair of Rock and Republics right now (jeans are my weakness...I love them) so it was easy to part with these, especially since I'm building an eBay fund to buy new camera goodies. It's really motivating me to slash-and-burn.

DESTINATION: Cali, by way of eBay. Goodbye jeans! I was really psyched about buying you. Sorry it didn't work out. Hope your new owner is really psyched too.

Day 87: Yet Another Candle

Same story: Love candles. Hate fire. Need fewer unused candles cluttering up the place.

DESTINATION: Goodwill.

Day 86: Busted Ugly Lights

These super sweet fluorescent lights were mounted under our kitchen cabinets when we moved in. They've been replaced with dimming halogen lights. Not sure why I didn't huck them earlier. I thought I would hang them over my work bench, but I'll buy what I want for that spot when the time comes.


DESTINATION: Trash.

* Hi, it's Kara. George made me chop his head off in this picture!

Day 85: Mitre Box

I got this at the landfill where I used to work. In college.

Number of years stored: 14.
Number of uses: 0
Reason: Power mitre saws rule.


DESTINATION: Trash. I looked it up on eBay, and a mitre box in its original packaging sold for a whopping five bucks. Really?

Day 84: Pile of Wires

I've played with a ton of stereo stuff over the years, and this pile was just a small portion of the random junk I've been holding onto. It includes things like a face case for the stereo in a Ford Escort that we sold three years ago; several coaxial connection cables; every RCA splitter combination available; several lengths and styles of RCA cables; plain wire; automotive antenna parts; and a few power cords. Plenty more where that came from -- maybe I'll dump more later in the year.

What's funny is, if I needed to buy all of that stuff tomorrow, it would cost me over $100. But the truth is, I don't need any of it -- so this pile is worth about $0.00.


DESTINATION: Trash.

Day 83: Box of Junk

I started cleaning up the basement in preparation for a remodel, and I pulled this stuff off of the top of the workbench. For example, there was a fence that never properly fit the table saw I sold on craigslist a few months ago, or an empty glasses case from two pairs ago. I also added some random ceiling fan parts that I was keeping for no good reason.


DESTINATION: Trash.

Day 82: Unforgettable You

I like nonfiction books about writing and business and travel and world domination and shoes. But I don't like to read feel-good self-help books. Eat Pray Love? No no no.

I actually read this for an interview with Daisy Fuentes, and have been holding onto it ever since, in case I needed a 330-page ego boost. But I'd rather pass it on to someone who does love feel-good self-help books.

DESTINATION: Goodwill.

Day 81: Candle Tray

I've mentioned this before: Obsession with candles, fear of fire.

This one actually got used more than average. We kept it in our old shower in Piscataway, and I didn't mind lighting it because the base was (non-flammable) glass and we used it in close proximity to an endless water supply. It's the perfect candle! But now that our bath has been taken over by one toddler and one cruising infant, it's not a candlelit sort of place anymore.

DESTINATION: Goodwill.

Days 79-80: Vases

You might be wondering what kind of plant would fit in such a tiny vase. The answer is bamboo, the only plant we ever successfully kept alive for any extended period of time. (We've overwatered, underwatered, overgrown, overpruned, and had one traumatic experience with a plumeria tree that got infested with tiny bugs.)

But eventually, we did something wrong with the bamboo too. If I remember right, we kept it in a closed room while painting. Green thumb tip of the day: Plants don't thrive on paint fumes. We haven't found a bamboo source (our original source was the Hightstown Shop-Rite, but we've moved twice since then) so the vases are no longer needed.

By the way, George and I had very different "visions" for the photo for this post. I suggested this:

George wanted to go with this:

Not sure who wins. Maybe everyone. Maybe no one.

DESTINATION: Goodwill.

Day 78: My First TV

Old Faithful. This 13" TV was my first TV that I bought somewhere around...1992? It had an internal alarm that I used for years to wake me up for school. It was tuned in to MTV so that I could be up to date on the latest in Alt Rock. In high school, I made a entertainment center to hold it and all of my components. (I had a BIG stereo, thanks to my parents who bought me a new component every Christmas until it was complete) The TV still works great, and it will live on. My sister is going to add it to her travel trailer when she visits. At this point, you can barely give away a tube TV, let alone one that has a whopping 13" viewable area! We're still HDTV holdouts. Is anyone else?


DESTINATION: Krissy's trailer. Goin' mobile!

Excuses, excuses.

I am SWAMPED with work this week. We've thrown things out, taken the photos...it's just a matter of loading the images off the memory card and writing a blog post with a bit more substance than "goodbye, subwoofer."

Standby! :)

Day 77: Candle Tray

One day, I was feeling domestic, so I went to Target to prettify our coffee table. I bought a candle tray, a few candles, some potpourri, and a table runner. I think it goes without saying that this was before we had kids.

I set up my beautiful decorations, and the potpourri instantly began attracting every available dust particle in the room. Occasionally, hubby would try to light the candles and I'd yell at him. Then we had kids, and the notion of keeping anything on the coffee table -- except for Matchbox cars and Goldfish cracker crumbs -- pretty much went out the door.

DESTINATION: Goodwill.

Day 76: Broken Letter Opener

My mom gave me this pretty butterfly letter opener for Christmas a few years ago, because I'm obsessed with butterflies. I never really used it, because God gave me the perfect letter opener, conveniently attached to my hand -- my index finger. But I kept the letter opener in my desk drawer, because I really liked the carved wooden butterfly. Despite never using it, I somehow managed to break it -- but I still held onto it, because I really really liked the carved wooden butterfly.

The other day I was sorting through my desk drawer and it occurred to me: "Hey, I'm keeping a makeshift spear in my desk with two toddlers wandering around. Perhaps this is not the best idea." So, off it goes. Luckily, if I ever need a butterfly fix, I have the pushpins, the paper clips, the papier mache, the notecards, and the tattoo. No butterfly shortage over here.

DESTINATION: Trash. Wouldn't want this thing falling into the wrong hands!

Trash Revisited: The Blue Canvas

You may or may not remember us giving this painted canvas to my sister back in February:

She just sent me a photo of the finished product. Here's how she "awesometized" it:

How cool is that? I expected her to paint over it, but she actually incorporated the original artwork -- damn she's good.

Day 75: Brush Guy

We almost felt bad throwing this guy away. He just looks so eager to brush our food with butter. But we're not the most serious chefs, and we've never brushed...well, anything with anything.

DESTINATION: Goodwill. Seriously -- he's practically brand new.

Day 74: Ed Hardy Shot Glasses

We do like skulls and crossbones. But at the same time, we own a lot of shot glasses. We used to buy a pint glass on every vacation we took, and when we started running out of room, we switched to shot glasses. (Rationale: They're smaller.) But now we have too many of those, too -- especially considering one of us won't even do shots. (It's me.)

Besides, who am I -- Jon Gosselin?!

DESTINATION: Goodwill.

Day 73: Pleasure Island Souvenir Cup

Pour one out for Pleasure Island. We hardly knew ye. By the time we were old enough to enjoy it, we only got to go one time, and then it closed down. Downtown Disney is nice, but I'll miss the cheesy bars, neon ice cubes, and fake New Year's Eve. <-- Yes, even though I only went once. I get insta-nostalgia for good dance clubs!

DESTINATION: Goodwill.

Day 72: Disney Coke Bottle

True story, I'm a Disney freak. I have Disney pajamas, Disney jewelry, Disney scarves, Disney t-shirts, Disney gym clothes, Disney post-it notes, and Disney stickers. I even steal the Disney paint swatches from Lowe's because I like the cute mouse ears (I just discovered that my niece does the same thing). I've been to Disney World 17 times.

So, when I got this Disney 100 Years of Magic Coca-Cola bottle, I was like, "Yesssss! Add it to the Disney collection!" But I haven't taken it out of the hutch because it's a breakable thing filled with sticky liquid. And I don't actually remember where or how we acquired it -- we wouldn't have smuggled it back from Disney for the reasons mentioned above. (I once had a shampoo bottle explode in my luggage. I'm scarred for life regarding the transport of liquids.) We've been cleaning out the drinkware cabinet this week, so off it goes!

DESTINATION: Recycling. Definitely the cutest thing in the recycling bin this week.

Day 71: Rockettini Glasses

A few years ago, G and I went to see Bjork at Radio City Music Hall. It was pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a Bjork show, or Bjork herself: amazing and a little crazy. (Oh, and I don't know how to make the dots over the O in her name -- and I'm not looking it up! I'm tired!)

We're not usually the "souvenir glass" kind of people, but in the spirit of seeing one of our favorite performers at an awesome venue, we got ourselves some beverages in these extremely classy "Rockettini" glasses. Although I actually think mine was something rum-based.

We held on to them for years just in case we ever had an occasion that called for stemware with disembodied legs.

DESTINATION: Goodwill. Rescued from the Goodwill pile by G's brother!

Day 70: Old Office Chair

The perks of being married to an engineer who designs high-end office furniture: You get to inherit the cast-offs. And I can say with conviction that a slightly imperfect bazillion-dollar office chair is much, much better than the chair pictured below. I believe G originally plucked this chair from someone else's trash. We used it for a solid 10 years, until pretty much everything on it broke except the seat itself. Our kids liked it too, so if we were ever trapped in our house, we could probably have survived off the embedded crumbs and milk particles for a few days. But, in light of our sleek new robo-chairs, we had to let it go.

DESTINATION: Somewhere south of here, via the Craigslist free section.

Day 69: Album Sample

I received a free album sample from a photography expo and...well, I didn't like it. The ordering system was a pain in the ass, and there wasn't anything exceptional about the album itself.

Normally, I would have handed this over to the bride and groom in case one of their relatives wanted it, or something like that. But here's the fun part: The album company printed fake names on one of the spreads. They decided this couple looked like a "Kelly & Mike." Good guess, but no.

DESTINATION: Trash. What a waste -- this could have been used if it weren't for the randomly assigned aliases.

Day 68: Black and White Film

Remember three days ago, when I got rid of all that color film? Well, just go reread that, because it's the same exact story.

This was a lazy post. Sorry. I'm tired.

DESTINATION: Dallas, by way of eBay.

Day 67: More Music

I got these CD's for free and never really got into them. I kinda mean that literally -- I didn't even unwrap all of them. But I did listen to the previews on iTunes to make sure I wasn't missing out on the most amazingly underrated albums of 2010. (Or maybe 2009. It all blends.)

DESTINATION: Tunes. I traded these in for the new Avril Lavigne CD (yes, I'm 31, why do you ask?).

Day 66: Lightsphere

If you're not a photo nerd, this probably looks like a hunk of plastic. If you are a photo nerd, you know it's a hunk of plastic that makes your camera really heavy -- the Gary Fong Lightsphere 2 Flash Diffuser, better known by its uber-professional nickname, "the Fong bong."

I sold it on eBay because it makes my camera too heavy. And there's no room for it in my camera bag. And if I sell a few little camera toys, maybe I can afford one big camera toy. Okay, so maybe I'd have to sell a few hundred little camera toys. You never know -- there are still 299 days left!

DESTINATION: Minnesota, by way of eBay.

Day 65: 35mm Color Film

A few months ago, I sold my old 35mm Rebel (my first SLR!) on eBay, along with what I thought were my last few rolls of film. But while cleaning out my closet this weekend, I found 26 more rolls. Either they're multiplying, or I need to go through the boxes in my closet more often. I'm sure it's the latter, because most of the rolls had expired in 2006.

It's actually kind of crazy how long I'll let a box sit in my closet without wondering what's inside. Out of sight, out of mind! And while going through, I rediscovered my Holga toy camera, which I actually love. That's one of my favorite parts of this project -- the more stuff we throw away, the easier it is to see the things we have that I actually love. Before, they just blended in with the noise.

DESTINATION: San Francisco, via eBay. It's crazy, but there's a market for film, even if it's expired -- it's hard to find!

Day 64: Free Bag

This bag came in the mail on Thursday -- I didn't recognize the return address, and there was no receipt or note inside. But I finally realized there was a "Parenting" tag in the bottom, so I guess it was a free gift with my subscription. The funny thing is, I already got a free gift subscription with my subscription -- how many free things do they really need to give me? I only spent ten bucks.

Anyway. This may be the fastest trip to the Trashed blog of any item we've ever owned. G didn't feel like it should even count, but I think it totally does -- because before this whole project started, I would have just stashed it in my closet and figured it might eventually be useful for something.

DESTINATION: Goodwill.

Day 63: These Things

Every time I see these things in the basement I'm like, "G, what are these things again?" In fact, I just asked him again two minutes ago. So while it's fresh in my mind -- they're accessories for a cooler. I'm not sure why a cooler needs accessories. One of them holds paper cups -- really? Isn't a cooler usually filled with bottles? Why would we drink out of wet paper instead?

So, off they go.

DESTINATION: Trash.

Day 62: Shadowbox Shelves

When we bought these shelves about five years ago, we thought they were the coolest. Then we brought them home and realized...we don't have knick-knacks. So we put a couple candles on them, but you can't really light a candle inside a six-inch box. (Especially when you were scarred for life by Fire Safety Week in elementary school.) So the candles had to go, and then we just had empty boxes. Needless to say, we never bothered to hang them in our new house.

Note the fine layer of dust on them. We got our basement waterproofed and everything down there looks like this. G says I should have dusted them off for the picture but...nah.

DESTINATION: Goodwill.

Day 61: Exploding Car Book

George was really psyched about this book of racing wreck photos. In fact, for several years, he wanted (a.k.a. threatened) to frame some of the pages and hang them on our basement walls. So, I'm glad he decided to toss this book, because basement rehab is the next thing on our "to-do" list and I just don't think I could relax under an 18x24 framed print of a car engulfed in flames. No matter how reassuring the book title is. It got water damaged in a basement leak (oh darn!)and its heading to the trash.

DESTINATION: Trash!

Day 60: More Grimy Jewelry

Seriously, how did I own so much jewelry? If any of it were worth more than $7, I'd be rich!

DESTINATION: Goodwill.

Day 59: Old Car Stereo

This was from the Sonoma we sold a few weeks ago. When G bought the truck, he took the Kenwood out of my old Ford Escort and gave me a better stereo -- I think it was the brand that starts with A, although the only words I'm coming up with are Aida and Audi. Aiwa?

Anyway, we're getting rid of the stereo, so if we ever get the urge to listen to Aerosmith's "Big Ones" on cassette*, we're S.O.L.

DESTINATION: You know, I'm not sure. G got rid of it. Outdated electronics are on Goodwill's "do not donate" list, so maybe he'll comment with its fate.

* Might seem like a random example, but I really played this tape a lot. And yes, I still own it, though I have a feeling some tapes will make an appearance on here in a couple hundred days.

Day 58: Double Stroller

I think the hardest part of having two kids is finding a double stroller that will fit in your trunk. Other people might say "sibling rivalry" or "sleep deprivation" or "a diaper budget that requires a home equity loan" -- but those people obviously do not drive a Mazda Protege5, which has the world's narrowest trunk. It's like the opposite of a clown car -- looks big, but then nothing fits in it.

We managed to find two strollers that fit in there -- the Baby Trend Sit n Stand, and the Baby Jogger City Mini Double. The City Mini folded width-wise and fit easily, but was twice the price. So we bought the Sit n Stand, even though it folded lengthwise and maneuvering it into my trunk was like a game of Tetris (except the bricks are real, and they weigh 27 pounds, and you haven't been to the gym in nine months).

After a few months of cursing and pinched fingers, I gave in and bought the City Mini, which fits in the trunk without any strategizing.*

So...

DESTINATION: A rad mom-to-be from Marlton, via craigslist. I was happy to see it go to a good home. And she owns an SUV, so no Trunk Tetris necessary!


*I wrote, then deleted, a "too big for my trunk joke."