Paper Storm

[puppetmaker]

It amazed me how fast paper piles up around here. Between the mail, manuscripts, Caroline's drawing, Ariel's stuff, magazines and books, it makes its presence known.

Every two weeks I have a chance to push out the paper monster that threatens to take over my house and recycle the cardboard and paper that we no longer need. The local sanitation team is so use to this that they tend to clear the hopper as they get to our house to pick up what we have left out this time.

But there is always the second guessing on some items. Things that I am working on or Peter is working on that we might need down the road. There are times I think I should get a scanner so we can scan in these items because they wouldn't take up much room on my hard drive and we would have them when or if we need them.

I have learned to let go of Caroline's copious amounts of artwork. If there is a piece I really like or I see some serious progress in her drawing, I date it and file it away. If there is a story that goes with the picture, I make a note of it on the back so I can reference it later.

Costume reference or doll reference is probably a problem for me. I think I keep too many things related to projects I want to do or should do later. But it seems that every time I dump a bunch of things, I find myself needed that piece of info. Again may be a scanner is the answer. And patterns, I keep patterns including the ones I make for one off dolls because recreating the pattern can be such a pain. I don't think a scanner is going to help that one.

I have been getting better about getting rid of mail we don't need quicker. I also used a service to cut down on the number of catalogues and offers we got in the mailbox so there is less to recycle there.

So that is going to be most of my day today. Paper sorting but it needs to be done since it either goes out tomorrow or in two weeks.

I am grateful that I have curbside recycling rather than having to haul all this somewhere to recycle.

Comments

[norda.livejournal.com]

Oh, how I can relate to this.

[readinggeek451]

Scanners are pretty cheap now. I have an all-in-one (printer/scanner/copier) from HP that's a godsend. It doesn't take up any more room than just a printer, either.

My big problem right now is a huge pile of papers that I need to shred first. I have a shredder, but it's slow going. There's an industrial shredding company just up the road; I'm toying with the idea of asking how much they'd charge to do it for me.

[sushimustwrite.livejournal.com]

After having just recycled all my high school notes (and still have yet to recycle five years of teen magazines from those days), I can definitely relate.