Stuff

While packing for an upcoming vacation I was reminded of George Carlin's classic routine about stuff.  Do you remember it?  You can easily find it on YouTube (be forewarned, it's George Carlin so there's some language).  It's hilarious and so true. What to bring on the journey and what to leave behind?

The last vacation I took I planned for sunny skies and little rain and packed accordingly.  When it rained the WHOLE TIME I ended up wearing the same clothes for 4 days in a row.  Why on earth did I worry about packing a different outfit for every day?  I am keeping this in mind as I pack my suitcase. Who cares if I wear the same thing for days?  I'm never going to see these people again, or even be in the same city for more than 2 days.

Anyone moving into student housing or a first apartment has to figure out what stuff to bring and what stuff to leave, too.  Sometimes Mom and Dad give you the stuff they were saving for you, but maybe you don't like that stuff.  Or maybe your roommates don't like your stuff.  They have their own stuff.  Stuff gets to be a problem.

We all know Americans are the largest consumers on the planet.  According to internationalbusinessguide.org,  the American consumer market is 29% of the world market, followed distantly by Japan with 8.51%.  There are 300,000 items in the average American home (LA Times), and 25% of people with a two car garage can't fit two cars inside of it! (US Department of Energy).  The average American woman owns 30 outfits (that sounds about right for me, and I got rid of a lot of clothes this summer).  In 1930, she owned 9 (Forbes). I found these fun facts on http://www.becomingminimalist.com/clutter-stats/ and I must say I was astounded by some of them. 300,000?  Surely not I.

But then I figured all my silverware (2 sets at least), dishes (ditto), pens, cooking utensils, shoes, books (of course!), the kids' stuff that I'm "saving" for them, inherited pieces that I feel too guilty to give away but never use or even like, and what exactly is stored in my two cedar chests? 300,000 is totally possible.

One thing I have noticed is that a lot of librarians like to keep stuff.  I look around the library and I see we all have a lot of stuff.  Perhaps it's just that people who like to keep stuff tend to go into the Library Science field, which after all involves cataloging and organizing stuff- mostly books, but other stuff too.

                          Librarian Stuff

Anyway, sometimes we can feel overwhelmed with stuff. If you need help paring down or organizing your stuff we can help.  Whether you want to build some shelves, organize a closet, or pare down,  the library has materials to help you get started.  And when you are done you will feel a new lightness.  And have room for more stuff.

The Great American Road Trip

The romance of the open road is mythic in America. Just get in the car and drive.  Pack a cooler, stop at the wayside for lunch, and let the road take you wherever. North, South, East, West-the destination is not as important as the road to it.

Growing up, the Road Trip was eagerly looked forward to in my family.  At first they were short trips-camping in the Black Hills of South Dakota or Glacier National Park in Montana.  Then my older sister moved to the West Coast, and our Road Trips became much longer. Planning was almost as fun as going.  We would haul out the Rand McNally road atlas and plan our route. The drive itself was enforced down time, at least for us kids-no cell phones then, no CD or DVD players, no Sirius XM radio. Only the view out the window, whatever was on the local AM station, and some books.  Lots of napping. The afternoon ritual of finding a motel that my mother approved of.  Later on I made the same trips with my own kids.  A little more stressful than I remembered, what with having to be in charge of packing, but I had a great time.  And still, no entertainment other than the talking robot 2XL that my son had, and lots of books and napping. The Great American Road Trip is quantity time, but it somehow morphs into being quality time, too.

The Lewis and Clarke Expedition has to be the first Great American Road Trip.  They set off with the purpose of finding and easy water route to the Pacific and came upon many unforeseen obstacles and fortuitous meetings. 'Undaunted Courage' by Stephen Ambrose is a riveting account of their journey, and the inspiration for many a road trip following in their steps.

'Travels with Charley in Search of America' by John Steinbeck is another great Road Trip book.  Steinbeck took his dog Charley and drove across the US in a camper in 1960.  For a different take on roughly the same time period, try the classic 'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac.

The Road Trip has been used as the basis for lots of movies.  Here's just a few:

• Little Miss Sunshine
• Paper Moon
• It Happened One Night
• The Road movies of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope

If you want to plan your own Road Trip, I recommend 'Let's Go Roadtripping USA.' It covers every region of the country and parts of Canada, too.  Reader's Digest's 'Off the Beaten Path' will guide you to our country's hidden gems. And I still use the Rand McNally Road Atlas.  The Internet is great for researching specifics, but an atlas is full of possibilities.

 And as usual, your library has everything you need to plan and carry out your own Road Trip.  But I wouldn't recommend planning too much. Let the road be your guide.  Drive Safely!