draco @draco@wandering.shop

Wife is back safe and sound. Yay!

TIL: Bob Ross painted a huge number of paintings, but they're not for sale. https://youtu.be/rDs3o1uLEdU

#art #bobross

I'm done. Two household-size garbage bags full of stuff for disposal. I'm shocked that I felt compelled to hold onto garbage for so long.

Another big pile of stuff for the second hand store/school flea market.

And my sock/underwear drawers are reorganized neatly now.

I think I'm going to give away that pinstripe pantsuit that I never wear. It's the epitome of "not-me" business clothing and I hate the boxy cut of the blazer on me.

It's one of the things that are the hardest to part with even though I hate it because my family convinced me that I need something like this for business occasions.

I am doing this and it's very satisfying. I am amazed at how much stuff I never use and how quickly both the "this is unfit for further use by anyone" and the "wearable, but not by me/neither sparks joy nor an indispensable basic" piles are growing.

Also I think I might be past my brightly patterned flowy hippie summer skirts phase.

So far, there's only one item I'm really on the fence about.

I wonder if any of you want to see the "still usable but not for me" items?

And again, I want to write a blog post exploring the roots of my hangups.

I think I will go through the rest of my closet today and toss out a bunch of clothes that are worn out beyond redemption and/or stinky in a wash-resistant way.

Also, a lot of "I haven't worn this in ages" things are going to be donated for this year's school flea market. That way, they can spark joy for someone else.

I had a kind of block around that for the longest time - strange how I kept telling myself I'd wear stuff that makes me feel so meh.

Trying to write a large-ish bill and boooy, asking for money is hard.

I have to practice believing: I deserve this, my work is worth it, I am entitled to good pay for good work.

Spent about 10 minutes on birbsite today (with my music-related account) and it made me so sad and angry. Note to self: Stay away from that.

I did some major adulting today and now I feel like I deserve to do something fun.

On the other hand: that thing about not overvaluing the impact of individual choices applies.

Living without a car in the cities I've lived in so far? Easy. In the countryside? Cumbersome, time-consuming and sometimes physically taxing, because there's a lot of walking involved. (Our region is not very bicycle-friendly.)

And for trips to the US, a driver's license will make things so much easier.

So the wife and I were talking about me learning to drive at some point - probably I will start later this year.

It may come in very handy in this rural spot, and I won't even need a car of my own; there are people who said they'd be happy to lend us theirs, and one neighbor family is doing a lot with carsharing.

But I don't want to get used to that convenience, given the ecological impact.