infinite clutter

believe it or not, i am still clearing clutter! melissa came over saturday night to have dinner and knit. while she added length to her scarf, i rummaged through shoeboxes and purged stuff i haven't thought about in years. the oldest momento is the cast from my broken arm, it's 20 years old. i've decided i'm going to photograph it and toss it. more recent things included my first driver's license and first speeding ticket, my eyebrow ring, photos and letters, lots of letters. i'm going to photograph those too and finally put them into a collage, or just send them to the recycling bin. i have lots of work ahead of me. this morning, going through more stuff i found more shoeboxes under a table in my closet! geez.

last week i did have an exciting find. in an old american express travel bag my dad used to carry his camera and lenses, there along with an unbelievable telephoto lens were two books of matches. (my dad has collected matchbooks since before i was born.) one book was from pizzeria due on wabash in chicago. (it still exists!) and the other is from brick church pipe shop in ridgewood where my dad used to buy his tobacco when he smoked pipes. as far as i can tell, it is no longer there. richard nixon used to go there as well. both books are full, never been used. i can't throw them away. but i will use them in photos.

in that book of birthdays, i remember it gives you a thought to consider, mine says something like, "imagine having to carry everything you own." i'd be totally screwed.

i'm off to tackle the remaining shoeboxes.