Monday, July 23, 2012

Hoarder House

Since I haven't been working this summer I've had more free time (kinda) and have developed a very unhealthy addiction to craigslisting (just made it a verb). First of all if you're thinking "ohhh must be nice to be a teacher and have summer off" you're right, it is. If teachers didn't have summers off your child as well as others would be dead. Every teacher I know LOVES their job and yet also really loves their days off! I am no different. Anyways, I check craigslist for freebies, cheap furniture, future friends, etc. I'm just kidding about the last part, and the second to last part actually. I pretty much just want the freebies (I def don't want the friends). This morning I was wide awake at 7:30 and I decided to check the "free" section. Jackpot! The owner of this old historic house that I have seen with junk outside of it (like seriously you can't see the grass there's so much junk) said come and get it. Weirdly I had met him before and he told me his mom owned the house and had passed and there was just so much stuff to get rid of but the city was coming down on him really hard for all of the junk in the yard. Of course, I immediately hopped up and drove all the way out there (about .0005 miles).

As soon as I got there I saw neon green signs ALL over the door. This precious historic home was in threat of being condemed and there were arrest warrants and citations all over the door for not bringing the front yard up to code. I had to cut my reading short because some guy walked up, and I had to focus on making polite conversation to distract him while I scanned everything to make sure I got first pick of the good stuff. What can I say, I'm super generous. I spent some time digging around their front back and side yards and saw through every window piles and piles and piles of stuff. If I hadn't ever seen Hoarders: Buried Alive I wouldn't believe that someone could live there. I don't think anyone currently does, but his mother used to.

Fast forward to me shoving as much stuff as possible into the back of my car (that little equinox has learned to fit a lot of junk in there). I got some old sewing machine tables, a beat up wood ladder I'll turn into something (maybe) and a new awesome razor scooter. The razor scooter is a rando and I think I'm just gonna give it to one of my students from last year but I mean I couldn't NOT take it. As I was hoarding my car full of stuff I realized that this is actually a super sad event. Not for me of course because I'm getting free stuff I'm gonna paint and use (ps lady who got there way after me/random guy and took the desk from us...we hate you), but sad for this family. This woman obviously was OBSESSED with material possessions and filled her wonderfully cute home with so many of them that it ruined the house and is now a MAJOR problem for her son to deal with. It's so true that you absolutely can't take it with you when you go. Instead, your son posts on craigslist for strangers to come rifle through your crap and take it away so he can avoid jail.  I think it's a pretty good lesson against obsessing over possesions.

That being said-who needs a razor scooter?

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