Well, I didn't think it was ever going to happen, but it did. I ran out of space. After reshuffling and realigning my collection over and over again, every spot is filled up. I've reached 45 meters plus. There are plenty of options, but at the end I decided to go for the radical one:
a) I could move to a bigger place
Yep, it's something I have thought about many times over, but I am already in a big place of 140 square meters plus, all for myself, and if I want to keep my friends happy in a country in which living expenses are peaking and rent space is at an all-time low (and all-time high in regards to cost per sqm), I don't think that's such a great idea.
b) I could shrink my collection
As regular readers of this site know, I have been thinking about it and have actually done a whole bunch of research into losing the jewelcases and going the CD-sleeves way (which would essentially allow me to quadruple my collection). After trying some sleeves out, that whole shtick is just not aesthetically pleasing. This option permanently reduces the haptic experience and makes a blind fish like myself crawl around aimlessly in front of my shelves trying to decipher what's in those sleeves. As you basically have to pull out each sleeve to see what's contained therein, I would have to invest into some drawer elements to make that work. I'd rather golf, to be perfectly honest.
c) I could sell some items
OK, I'll admit it right here: I just can't bring myself to do that. I'm a collector, and we collectors are a weird bunch. We don't like to part with stuff (that's why I have 140 sqm stuffed to the brim with things, not only music). Yes, I have some awful CDs, but once upon a time there was a reason why I bought them and maybe even listened to them, so there. Jeez, I mean I have some Mariah Carey CDs I could easily sell, but is it really worth going through the motions? Is there anyone out there who might possibly be interested in this stuff? I think it might just go the 99 cents route via eBay and all I get is the running around, trying to wrap the CDs in packaging material I don't have, running to the post office several times a week to cash in on a buck or two? Nah. Thanks, but no thanks.
d) I could make music even more central in my life
I have a kitchen, but I rarely ever cook. I'm just too lazy and lose my appetite watching things sizzle for longer than two minutes. Salad? Man, that stuff takes virtually hours to wash, slice and dice, and to wrap in a decent dressing. So, in all seriousness, I could lose the kitchen which would tie me over for another couple of years. I'm just shying away from the embarrassment that might cause. I need a kitchen to uphold the lie that is "I cook, therefore I am, err, German." So, not an option.
e) I could leave my doors unlocked for a while
The ideas one gets. If I let my doors stay unlocked, chances are - at least according to statistics - that some drug-crazed skeleton will invade my place and steal a part of my collection. I've got some serious insurance coverage, and this might work, but unfortunately I live in an area which doesn't have a single drug-crazed skeleton. All I have are Germans looking for food and booze, and I'd rather keep that to myself. Besides, I don't want anyone to steal my horror collection, my Danish china or rare furniture - not that anyone knows I have any of that stuff in my home.
f) I could lend out CDs
You all know how it goes. You have some "friends" over, one or more of them like what you have and ask if they can borrow this CD or that ... and you never, ever get back what you lent to them in a moment of booze-induced friendliness and compassion. It's happened to me and I've cut those anti-social and negligent people from my life as a result. You can't find my stuff anymore? Take a leap!
g) I could organize my very own yard or garage sale
Germans don't do yard or garage sales. And that was that for this particular option.
h) I could do the double-row thing
My shelves are deep enough to hold two rows of CDs, although I would have to remove the wood holding the current one-row setup in place. You know, move the crummy stuff to the back and keep the good stuff up front. Right. I don't know how often the "crummy" stuff has become "good" stuff these past years - and vice versa - and after a short period of time I would find myself trying to reshuffle, regroup and realign. Wasn't it Danny Glover who kept on saying "I'm too old for this sh*t?"
i) I could trade
An enticing option, but who in his right mind would really take 30 Barbra Streisand CDs for one good Miles Davis CD? How many stupid people are there on this planet? Who's gullible enough to go for a trade like that? And do I want to pay postage to the Galapagos Islands? I think not.
j) I could do a "Bill Gates"
Charity. Give half or all of it to charity. You're kidding, right? I'm a civil servant. We are not charitable. We have barely enough to eat. We complain all day long. Life sucks, and then you die. If you live in Germany, you know the complaining group I'm a member of. Besides, what is Bill Gates going to do with a trillion dollars anyways? Is he going to give it to the Red Cross which then immediately squanders half of it on "administrative costs"? Drop it over Africa? I bet you a trillion dollars that not one single child is going to live longer because of Bill Gates. Philanthropy takes more than money. Prove me wrong, please.
k) I could stop buying stuff
On a more serious note, I think it is about time to stop buying stuff (and to stop asking people to support this site by buying half a kilometer off my amazon.co.uk wish list, which several have done ... thank you!).
Cold turkey.
That's what I've decided to do.
Of course, I will definitely not let some of the good sales at my usual haunts pass by, but these past weeks I've effectively stopped reading the review sites and tried to ignore the recommendations. I'm still keeping a list, but as of now, I'm not buying any music. None. Zilch. Not for a few months. This will give me ample time to go through all 45 plus meters of my collection, actually listening to things I haven't heard in ages. Maybe I'll even be able to part with stuff once I'm done. Who knows? But no matter what, I've got tons of good recommendations in there to keep this site running for another 10 years, so there's no need to worry. Besides, there will be plenty of changes around here before January 1st, but that will have to wait until another post ... coming soon to a browser near you.
Sooner than you think.
12 Responses to “Moratorium” Leave a reply ›
I can vouch that the “sleeves” solution isn’t really a solution. It creates more problems than it solves. Not only that, but after I switched to sleeves I put my jewel cases in storage. Only now that I want to go back to jewel cases I’m finding that I can’t find some. sigh.
Ben, absolutely right.
Usually, I’m prone to rash decisions, but this time I was careful. I bought a bunch of these and gave them the trial run. They failed in every respect. Mind you, they might work fine for many people, and I don’t want to trash them, but for a positively huge collection, they only (maybe) work if you get rock solid drawer elements along ... most of which cost an arm and a leg.
Besides, I don’t want to feel like a DJ flipping through my collection.
Again, I need that haptic experience, and jewelcases still offer that. Flip open, pull out booklet and remove CD ... all in a second of carefully practiced artistry. ;)
Haha, you make it sound like an addiction or some kind of a clingy girlfriend that simply won’t go away. I think maybe you should move to a bigger place in my opinion - or just one of those remote storage boxes that you can just store stuff from the bottom of your list in.
Heh, I had to look up “haptic.” Thanks for a new word ;). I agree though, about wanting keep that haptic experience. Also, jewel cases just look prettier on display.
@ Ahmed: Addiction? Certainly! What do you think this site is all about? ;)
@ Ben: Glad to have been of service. Haptic is where it’s at. And yes, jewelcases just look cooler. Nice, neat, orderly. Very German.
I’ll give you one month. Not even.
Thanks for the encouraging words. ;) What do I get if I make it past that? 2 days and I’ve made it through the first month. :)
go find some Seigen Ono already, will you!
Made it! :)
One month and counting ...
Well, if you ever decide to go the Bill Gates route, I will incorporate as a 503 non-profit and you could donate lots to me!
Seriously, I’m just trying to help
:)
Are you still abstaining from buying more stuff?
Yep, pretty much. ;)
I only invested into a continuing series I buy ("Les Tr