Going Crazy Before a Home Exchange--Tossing "Stuff"
AlteCocker pleads guilty here. She does not recommend that you go crazy, but she does.
This is what happens every time. No AlteCocker doesn't dump out the crumbs from drawers in her kitchen. Shellie Miller, who calls herself "home exchange expert" would kill her for that. She does huge clean up projects. In fact, one hidden advantage of home exchange is that it does encourage you to do that. You just can't do your entire house all at once. You pick a project and go nuts--if you are nutty like AlteCocker.
It has begun again as AlteCocker begins to prepare to leave for 4 deals in Europe, because she had a flood of epic proportions in the basement. That is the sort of problem that you do not want to just leave because there would be nothing worse than have to deal with Noah and the flood from overseas. You deal with it before. As soon as it happened, AlteCocker called her usual contractor and he, who more or less has been supporting him single handed recently, came right over. There was no denying that this would be an expensive fix--and it was. Two existing sump pumps were replaced (one was broken and the other was 35 years old); drains were dug in the foundation of the house where the flood occurred so water will funnel into the pumps. It is not yet known if this all will work, but it should. It was expensive, but, if AlteCocker wants to take long overseas home exchange trips, it would be totally inconsiderate to just ignore a problem like this and stick it to her home exchangers.
AlteCocker's back has been annoying her for almost nine months and there have been a lot of doctor visits, an MRI and a bunch of injections to sort of control the problem. Being retired means you have lots of time for trips, but not always 100% of your health; you do have to get your medical needs taken care of, however, while you are at home. AlteCocker travels with sacks of baggies full of medicines--both prescription and over the counter--for all eventualities (Never leave home without immodium and suppositiories to cover both problems!). Adventurous whitewater rafting, which AlteCocker loves, is out--and maybe permanently. It will have to be a float trip instead due to the ravages of AlteCockerdom.
In addition to the backitis, AlteCocker has been dealing with cleaning up after the flood contruction project. When they jackhammer into the foundation, the dust flies--and contruction crews are not known for thoroughly cleaning up their messes. You think they have and, as soon as they leave, you find 19 things they did not clean up.
Suitcases in AlteCocker's house have gotten to the point where they are all over the place. In an effort to find the perfect bag, AlteCocker has a collection of suitcases that has reached a threatening level--and never mind all those backpacks that seem to have babies at night (and souvenir bags from conferences, stores and lord knows where else). AlteCocker has spent years looking for the perfect suitcase. She has never found it, but AlteCocker did clean out the worst of the bag overage so the exchangers do not trip over them.
With all this work there is still too much, well, just "stuff". When AlteCocker returns from her upcoming home exchange there is another currently being planned hopefully in Australia. It will be time for another house clean up project. The selection of the project is determined by general fed-up-ness. Maybe she will attack all the wrapping paper in the attic that needs to go to the second hand store as well--or toss the old unneeded bits of wallpaper that is unneeded because the house has been redecorated with other wallpaper or paint. Hey, maybe she should do that tomorrow. The old kitchen wallpaper with the geese: out you go!
We all have too much crap and no matter how you try and rationalize the house for a home exchange--or just so you can live there in comfort--you can never do it all.
AlteCocker will calm down from her nuttiness and then go through a lot of angst deciding which suitcase to bring to Europe. She will inevitably take the same one--the 26 inch one. The 28 inch one is just too much to manage and she really doesn't need one that large; the others are too small. Why did she even buy the 28 inch one? Well, it gets used when she goes somewhere in the car and she has the luxury of packing a lot of shoes--or when she had to travel for work and needs dress clothes. AlteCocker did not buy a new suitcase because she already did that last summer--and it is already beat up from the trip to France & Spain during summer 2013. Maybe it will last for the 2014 haj. Fingers crossed.
After the clean up, AlteCocker will really need a vacation to recover from last minute home exchange craziness--and it happens every time. She does not recommend that all home exchangers go crazy before exchanges, but homes are all a work in progress and the time does come to toss things and clean up. If you haven't used an item in 10 years, odds on you will never use it. Toss it!
This is what happens every time. No AlteCocker doesn't dump out the crumbs from drawers in her kitchen. Shellie Miller, who calls herself "home exchange expert" would kill her for that. She does huge clean up projects. In fact, one hidden advantage of home exchange is that it does encourage you to do that. You just can't do your entire house all at once. You pick a project and go nuts--if you are nutty like AlteCocker.
It has begun again as AlteCocker begins to prepare to leave for 4 deals in Europe, because she had a flood of epic proportions in the basement. That is the sort of problem that you do not want to just leave because there would be nothing worse than have to deal with Noah and the flood from overseas. You deal with it before. As soon as it happened, AlteCocker called her usual contractor and he, who more or less has been supporting him single handed recently, came right over. There was no denying that this would be an expensive fix--and it was. Two existing sump pumps were replaced (one was broken and the other was 35 years old); drains were dug in the foundation of the house where the flood occurred so water will funnel into the pumps. It is not yet known if this all will work, but it should. It was expensive, but, if AlteCocker wants to take long overseas home exchange trips, it would be totally inconsiderate to just ignore a problem like this and stick it to her home exchangers.
AlteCocker's back has been annoying her for almost nine months and there have been a lot of doctor visits, an MRI and a bunch of injections to sort of control the problem. Being retired means you have lots of time for trips, but not always 100% of your health; you do have to get your medical needs taken care of, however, while you are at home. AlteCocker travels with sacks of baggies full of medicines--both prescription and over the counter--for all eventualities (Never leave home without immodium and suppositiories to cover both problems!). Adventurous whitewater rafting, which AlteCocker loves, is out--and maybe permanently. It will have to be a float trip instead due to the ravages of AlteCockerdom.
In addition to the backitis, AlteCocker has been dealing with cleaning up after the flood contruction project. When they jackhammer into the foundation, the dust flies--and contruction crews are not known for thoroughly cleaning up their messes. You think they have and, as soon as they leave, you find 19 things they did not clean up.
Suitcases in AlteCocker's house have gotten to the point where they are all over the place. In an effort to find the perfect bag, AlteCocker has a collection of suitcases that has reached a threatening level--and never mind all those backpacks that seem to have babies at night (and souvenir bags from conferences, stores and lord knows where else). AlteCocker has spent years looking for the perfect suitcase. She has never found it, but AlteCocker did clean out the worst of the bag overage so the exchangers do not trip over them.
With all this work there is still too much, well, just "stuff". When AlteCocker returns from her upcoming home exchange there is another currently being planned hopefully in Australia. It will be time for another house clean up project. The selection of the project is determined by general fed-up-ness. Maybe she will attack all the wrapping paper in the attic that needs to go to the second hand store as well--or toss the old unneeded bits of wallpaper that is unneeded because the house has been redecorated with other wallpaper or paint. Hey, maybe she should do that tomorrow. The old kitchen wallpaper with the geese: out you go!
We all have too much crap and no matter how you try and rationalize the house for a home exchange--or just so you can live there in comfort--you can never do it all.
AlteCocker will calm down from her nuttiness and then go through a lot of angst deciding which suitcase to bring to Europe. She will inevitably take the same one--the 26 inch one. The 28 inch one is just too much to manage and she really doesn't need one that large; the others are too small. Why did she even buy the 28 inch one? Well, it gets used when she goes somewhere in the car and she has the luxury of packing a lot of shoes--or when she had to travel for work and needs dress clothes. AlteCocker did not buy a new suitcase because she already did that last summer--and it is already beat up from the trip to France & Spain during summer 2013. Maybe it will last for the 2014 haj. Fingers crossed.
After the clean up, AlteCocker will really need a vacation to recover from last minute home exchange craziness--and it happens every time. She does not recommend that all home exchangers go crazy before exchanges, but homes are all a work in progress and the time does come to toss things and clean up. If you haven't used an item in 10 years, odds on you will never use it. Toss it!