The Minimalist Game, Part 2

I said I wanted to keep you updated on The Minimalist Game, so here's what we've been getting rid of:

December 3rd

1. I got rid of another clear glass vase that was just sitting out on a bookshelf...
2. ...and a tiny white candleholder that was sitting next to it, for which I have never found a candle small enough to fit. Birthday candles are TOO small, chime candles are too big.
3. Boyfriend got rid of a dead microphone that's probably been dead for at least 30 years.

This is easy now. I'm actually really excited for when it starts to get hard.

December 4th

1. I had bought this organize-y thing at a thrift shop to hold my eyeshadow palettes, but the sections are too thin or my palettes are too thick, so it's just been sitting around. We do not have counterspace to waste, so I threw that in the box.
2. We put on a vinyl of Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain this morning, and it was unfortunately in terrible condition. The crackles were louder than the music, so that's gone. We tend to listen to the same favorite records over and over, so we've been going through our thrifted record pile and listening to the ones we bought for a dollar but have never listened to to see if they're any good, so a few more records may show up in the giveaway pile.
3. I'm getting rid of a Santa necktie. I know what you're thinking--you can't get rid of one of Boyfriend's neckties and call it one of your things!--it's my necktie. My tie collection might be bigger than his. One of the reasons we moved in together was so that he could have access to my tie collection. There are ties I won't be getting rid of--my Linux tie, my Beatles Birthday tie, my Tabasco tie... and then there are the ties that I will be getting rid of. I went through all the ties today (his and mine) and picked out the ones that we don't like/never wear/only have because Boyfriend ended up with ALL of his dad's old ties from the '80s. Lots of geometric stuff. We'll draw from that pile throughout the Minimalist Game, but I chose to get rid of the Santa one first because I figure this is the time of year someone might actually want it. Boyfriend is supposed to be asking coworkers about it today. It's in great condition, but as neither Boyfriend nor I are Christian/particularly buy in to the whole Santa thing, I decided it was time to say goodbye. Goodbye, Santa tie.
4. We threw out our bathroom trash can. Trash can in the trash. This is because Boyfriend never wants to put a trash bag in it and I'm never motivated enough to do it myself so a) it's gross and b) it's easier to just use a stand-up paper bag like we do for all our other trash cans. 

Boyfriend's brother has requested that he get first pick of the things we're getting rid of, but I don't think he'll want any of the early things. The pickings may start to get good later on in the month.

I did the math in my head last night, and we're getting rid of (32*15)+16=496 things. At least, if we make it the whole month. Looking at that number, I'm not sure we will make it that long, but we'll see. I happen to know that we have about 450 books, so I can kind of visualize that number in things... but we'll just have to see where the game takes us.

Our friend who's playing with us texted me last night to ask, if she got rid of a pack of blank CDs, did each individual CD count as an item. I said no, Boyfriend said yes. Since doing the math, I am inclined to say yes as well, at least for her. She's already a minimalist, so I'm not even sure why she's playing this game. She'll probably win before we do because a) she's only one person and b) she's one very minimalist person. Seriously, she's selling her computer and cancelling her internet for this game. That's the sort of thing I admire at a level that I cannot comprehend. She also moved here a year ago on a one-way trip in a sedan, and only just bought her first pieces of furniture. I think she's kind of convinced an economic apocalypse is coming, and is preparing accordingly.

I've long wanted to do a book-interview project where I record and transcribe interesting stories from the mouths and lives of apparently ordinary people who've had extraordinary experiences. Minimalist Girl is not an ordinary person--but if you worked with her you might never know she's a naturally lucid-dreaming, mildly psychic synesthete. You'd just know that she's brilliant, and perhaps that she's an extreme individual. I hope to include her in this future project.

TO BE CONTINUED...