I’m helping a friend pack his house and move out these days. He’s moving back to Spain, owing to family circumstances of an unfortunate nature. Moving house is always a pain in the ass, but when it’s accompanied by the ending of a job, friendship, tenure in a country it takes on a sad color.

Every time I move, and I’m packing my life into little boxes, I think that I could probably toss 90% of my crap into a bin and never miss it. Every stupid little trinket that came out of a Happy Meal, or useless gadget that I got for Christmas, just taking up place in my boxes and making weight that I have to carry up and down stairs. Nonetheless, there are things that I’ve been carrying around for 30 years, across 2 continents, each time unpacking it and wondering, ‘why the fuck do I still have this?’ A few years later, there I am packing it back into a box.

The non-functional Akai amplifier on my desk is a fine example of this. I will probably have it until I die, but it hasn’t worked properly for at least 5 years now. Then there’s the FX-7000G Owner’s Manual, which I have not opened since my freshman year at Georgia Tech. I still have the calculator, and it works just fine, but the do I really need Owner’s Manual? But the longer I have them, the harder it is to throw them away; and isn’t that just the nature of things.

So, my friend is sorting out the things that will go to Spain, and the things that will stay here in England. I’m sure that all of these useless items will be carried on, if not out of need then at least to postpone the final decision. Maybe it’s all worth that one moment, 5 years down the road, when you finally open that box and say, ‘Why, O why am I still dragging this thing around’, and then smile when you remember.