I wouldn’t describe myself as a hoarder, or even a packrat, but none the less, it’s amazing how much ‘stuff’ one accumulates over the course of his or her life.

Yesterday, I was faced with the unpleasant reality…and inconvenience of another major appliance breaking down; this time, my dryer. Last July, in the middle of a heat wave in the middle of this pandemic, it was my fridge, which resulted in me having to buy a brand new one, after unsuccessfully trying to get the old one repaired. As it’s been said, we now live in a throwaway society, and they sure don’t make ‘em like they used to.

I have the manufacturer’s booklet, having a plastic bag where I keep all such items of importance. I also have a small list of places that I will have to call to see if they can repair it. Before doing so, I thought it would be wise to know when exactly I purchased it (and for how much), in case a potential repair depot asked. I know I didn’t buy it online, and so the next step was to go into a special envelope where I keep all my receipts…to no avail. This led me to start looking through my “Important Papers” files, stretching back to the mid-2000s, again to no avail. It was a good exercise though, as I did come across some receipts, which were promptly moved to the receipts’ envelope, but sill nothing for the dryer. As I went through the files, I created two piles, one to keep, and the other for garbage...or shredding, if a document contained personal information of any kind.

This reminded me that I’m not getting any younger, and although I don’t want or expect to die in the near future, the last thing I would want to do is burden my son, brother or sister with this task.

My basement is a pigsty, and so I’ve slowly been going through all the stuff down there as well. I managed to sell Dawn’s amp (again), but to my musician neighbour for $50. Jason’s pretty good at navigating and wording ads on Kijiji, so the next item will be her drafting table. I priced them online at Staples, and a new one goes for around $200., so I should be able to get rid of the one in the basement for $50 - $100.

I’ve also been going through and disposing of all my VHS tapes, numbering in the hundreds, many dating back to the 1980s and 90s when I was in my 20s, 30s and 40s. Back then, turning 50/60 and retirement seemed so far away; it’s scary how quickly the time has gone by. Some are pre-recorded, while many I made myself off TV, including everything from documentaries to movies. For me, it was a hobby in and of itself, much of it associated with my love of music, nature, comedy, horror/sci-fi films or my scale model building. The scale modelling, I had to abandon in 1998 due to limited time and energy, choosing poetry over the latter.

The last machine I bought was a VHS/DVD player, and few of the homemade tapes play on it. Again, they don’t build ‘em like they used to. Back in the 1990s, before CDs and DVDs became all the rage, I could buy a ‘Cadillac’ VCR for between a hundred and two hundred dollars. The stuff on the market now is junk as far as I’m concerned. Now, I have a PVR built in to my TV cable system, with an adequate amount of storage space. Who knew back 30-40 years ago where technology would take us; kinda sad in a way.

On the bright side, Jason got his second vaccination this morning; one less thing for this parent to worry about. Ontario, as with most of the country is instituting a vaccination passport system, which means officially as of yesterday, no indoor dining in a restaurant or entering movie theatres without one.

This, in the wake of continuing horror stories from around the world. The latest out of California. A young couple, mother and father, who for whatever reason didn’t get vaccinated, then became infected and died, leaving five small children, including a newborn baby, orphaned. The mother’s last words before they put the ICU respirator hose down her throat, “Please vaccinate me.” By then of course, too late.

Canada had its federal election this past Monday, and the result, although disappointing for some, including me, was as many predicted, with Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party in control with a minority government. Not such a bad thing really, as more seems to get done for the benefit of everyone with this kind of arrangement.

Meanwhile, my eyesight continues to deteriorate, forcing me to pace myself in terms of reading and writing, while my date for cataract surgery in February moves steadily closer.

As for the dryer, like the fridge, I'm afraid my only recourse will be having to buy a new one.


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09/23/2021

Posted on 09/23/2021
Copyright © 2024 Chris Sorrenti