Pack Rat vs. Minimalist

I’ve used the three day weekend to clean out a lot of stuff.  I got rid of 20 lbs of computer cables, two computers, one sold, one for free and have started shedding books. I’ve accumulated about 80 pounds of RPG books with about 30 pounds of D&D, 35 pounds of Mage: the Ascension and 5 pounds of miscellaneous stuff.  I’ve only ever run one long-running campaign in each despite spending hundreds of dollars and dozens of hours crafting stories of such imaginative caliber that experiencing one would guarantee one a place in the afterlife (at least in my head).

I know some of these tomes are worth at least some money but the time involved to recoup pennies for dollars was constantly fighting my urge to simply reduce.  I started writing Craigslist posts but they sounded like I was giving away kittens or a child I couldn’t care for;  “free to a good home”, “condition: used but loved” and so on.  I didn’t have this difficulty with my textbooks when I simply ripped off the covers and threw the remains in Southampton’s Paper Retriever bin at 2 AM in the rain.

If I’m torn over this, there’s a much more painful choice in the future: Magic cards.  Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to have them stolen or possibly an electrical fire will wipe them out so I can collect on the Homeowner’s Insurance Policy rider before I ever have to decide how to get rid of them.