Packrat, keeper, collector, hoarder (Not whore-der)

Call me what you will. But if there is one thing you all should know about me, it's that I keep things.

FOREVER

I really do. It's something I have always done and always will do. It drives my husband completely insane but I'll never change.

Receipts from movies that I saw 20 years ago, flyers for clubs, beer mats, pictures, newspaper cut-outs, you name it, if it happened to me or someone I know it's a keeper.

So, it should come as no suprise to you then when I tell you that while sorting through my garage for some instructions to a CD player I had installed in my van over 3 years ago (which funnily enough I didn't keep), I came upon a sealed box marked "ANDI'S STUFF". I hauled the box into the living room and OH MY GOD!

It was like a time capsule! The first thing I see is this:

A leak proof bag containing boatloads of papers etc., So, I opened this and thus spent an enjoyable afternoon rehashing my old life. The first thing that jumped to my attention was an old diary from 1994. Now, this would make me *cough* -ty four.

Now I know some of you are like "You were how old and STILL had a diary????????".

Yes.

For shame. But this diary helped me through a very difficult period in my life - a boyfriend-less time, a dry spell, a cold front - call it what you will. I needed someone to vent to and my diary was my confidante.

Here, for your viewing pleasure is the aforementioned friend front and back:



As you can see, not just some plain old diary. You can also see at a glance what was important in my life. Friends, Brad Pitt, some dodgy guy from East 17 and I apparently liked goats too!! *shakes head*

As I said at the start of this post, I keep everything, and here you can see an example of when I went to Dublin for a quick trip one weekend:

Now, I didn't just keep little notes in this diary or just stick the odd thing in to fill it. No. I wrote voraciously as you can clearly see in this next picture!

I filled in every space possible, my writing getting smaller and smaller as the day progressed! (When I originally took this picture, I didn't think to have it blurry and when I uploaded it to Flickr, if you had it at original size you could clearly read what kind of day I had had!!!!! - that was quickly rectified! You DON'T need to know what a harlot I was, just imagine!)

I sat and read all about my life from over 10 years ago and was astonished! From reading, I gathered this much:

• Back then, I thought I knew what I was doing in life.
• Clearly thought I knew it all.
• Obviously was unsatisfied with where my life was heading.
• But apparently thought I couldn't do much about it.

Luckily I had friends to get me through the traumas of my life such as "Don't Forget Your Toothbrush finishing, and will the guy who lives next door introduce me to his gorgeous (not so much now) friend?. I thought my life was just IT. How little I knew about how much my life would change. There were letters from my old sailor boyfriend (who cheated on me left right and center) letters in which he promised me he wouldn't do it again, and that he loved me for giving him a second chance......... same old same old *sighs*

Then, I came across a piece of paper that showed the start of my second life.

I call it my second life, because that is how I feel. It's almost as though everything I had lived for so far came together in one moment. I had gone through hard times, funny times, loving times, heartbreak and now I was about to reap the rewards.

This :

was the final phone bill from talking to George. My final English bill. You will see that it is a rather large bill (and that is in UK pounds!!!). In US $$$$$$ that amounts to $1028. For one month! Bear in mind that this is just MY bill. George's were almost as large. (Bills not balls!!!) Oh the price of love!

I was first in contact with George (someday you'll all get the true story) in October 1998, and by the end of February 1999 I was flying out to live with him. 7 years later we are still together!

This next item, (again - blurry) is one of many letters that my friend Sarah had sent me. She was on a travel-around-the-world thingy, and this was from Australia. What stands out about this letter, is that it isn't until about page three (half way down) that she oh, mentions that her boyfriend had proposed. In fact, to quote Ser, she said "Bloody Hell, forgot to mention........"

Oh, I laugh now......................

Finally (as I could go on for hours.......), this last piece of gold for you.



I was working at a recruitment company, and one day, someone sent me a rather funny e-mail. It was a cartoon of a guy, sitting on a loo constipated. He was er...... squeezing so much his head exploded. It was rather funny at the time. It wasn't funny when I inadvertently forwarded it to THE ENTIRE COMPANY. Apparently, when you hit "forward all" it means ALL. EVERYONE. CEO'S, COO'S,EXEC'S etc.,

That was my apologetic e-mail. (Unreservedly spelt wrong in nervousness and yes, the English spell apologise like that!!!!) And I really WAS leaving the company the following week anyway........... Honestly!

So there you have it folks. Remember. If you send me something. I'm gonna keep it.