It’s New Year’s Eve 2011 and instead of spending it rockin’ I spent it moving, collecting up the second load of possessions from my olde basement suite on East 19th Avenue and trucking them with the assistance of Jeff and Jason to the condo in New Westminster. After more than 10 years I am finally, officially moving on. The third and last load will be picked up two days hence when the civilized world re-opens after the debauchery and drunkenness that is already underway tonight. That load is destined for recycling or the trash so all of my important stuff (re: junk) is already here, some of it even unpacked. Most of the unpacked stuff is still unpacked from when I lived in Vancouver. I’ll have to go through that stuff some day.
As it was I still tossed a good six bags of garbage out, dispensing with plenty of non-recyclable items. I was strangely unmoved by sentimentality into keeping many things I’d had since moving off the island 25 years ago. Most of it was just clutter I never looked at and will not miss*.
Meanwhile, as the clock ticks down the final hours of 2011 (it’s already 2012 a.k.a. The End Times If You’re An Ancient Mayan in other parts of the world), I reflect on how transit is free this evening from 5 p.m. on. Think about it: so many people will be getting drunk that to avoid total carnage on the road, the transit authorities are sparing party-goers the sum of $2.50 in exchange for not murdering people from behind the wheels of their cars. It’s nice but what kind of person would say, “I may be hammered but there’s no way I’m paying $2.50 to ride on a bus full of drunks!” Maybe the kind of person who spent all his money on booze, perhaps.
Anyway, Happy New Year. 2011 was a pretty good year for some but it was mostly down for me. 2012 doesn’t have to achieve much to be better.
* I reserve the right to be horribly wrong about this
