Step 1 (we can have lots of fun!)

How retro is it that I can't write "Step 1" without thinking of the New Kids on the Block?  JORDAN KNIGHT 4-EVA.

So I went through my CDs as I promised in this post, and less than five minutes into it, I discovered two things:

1.  There are quite a few more than 75 CD's here.
2.  There's no way I can whittle down to 25 in my first attempt.

As I figured, minimizing my things is going to be a process, and I'm not going to get there overnight.  Just like I didn't accumulate all these CD's in one day, it's not likely I'll get down to bare bones after one try.

One problem is that I have sentimental attachments to things.  I believe this is something you need to learn to numb/avoid if you want to start leading a simpler life and I truly think this will be one of the hardest things for me.  I know "things" aren't important, memories/experiences are, but I have a pretty bad memory and sometimes items can help me remember something fun/exciting.

For instance, I (at this point) cannot bear to part with Sheryl Crow's first CD, because I played it nonstop when it came out.  I remember sitting in high school accounting class and getting teased by one or more (definitely more) of my classmates because I really liked "All I Wanna Do" and Sheryl Crow in general.  They thought it was an annoying, pointless song, but I argued that the CD was pretty brilliant (considering it's listed as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, I WIN).  Then "Stronger" came out and they were all "Wow...this is really good...I love Sheryl Crow" and of course ignored the fact that I HAD BEEN TRYING TO GET THEM TO LOVE HER ALL ALONG.

I also cannot part with Wyclef's first solo CD, Hip Hop Hits, this Blondie CD, or this one by Rusted Root, because they all remind me of various times in college.  I was first introduced to Rusted Root by a friend in my freshman dormitory, I spent practically every Thursday (and sometimes Friday and Saturday nights) at 80's night at a bar named Gargoyle's (BG, OH was really innovative with bar names) where Blondie was ALWAYS played, and we used to listen to Wyclef and Hip Hop Hits endlessly in the sorority house (for real.)

I did put about twenty CD's in the entryway of my apartment building with a sign that said "Help yourself...really random selection!" and they were all gone in less than 24 hours, and gave four to a friend.  I listed about ten on swaptree.com, and plan to try to sell/exchange about ten more.

Progress.  I'm all about small victories.