Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Year of the Purge

"Boy #1 at Storage with Back of Car Seat", Jersey City, NJ, 7/2011. Juliana Beasley. He was moving out with his older brother. Him and his brother had stored the back car seat in a storage room.



I would love to spend several hours working on an intricate blog post about how horrible my move out of storage was yesterday. Blow by Blow how the day unfolded. Unfortunately, as some bloggers know, time does not permit me. I will say one thing on this passage to freedom: getting lost on the Jersey Turnpike during rush hour will make even the most peaceful of devotees boil over into a fit of road rage.

This is the year of the purge. Now, instead of two storage spaces, I am a proud owner of one very organized storage space far out in Hudson County. Chances are I won't visit my storage space for another 10 years. However, all the stuff... photographs, books, clothes, kitchen ware and the boxes assigned as miscellaneous are no longer in some vague and esoteric holding space. All is now packed sky high in my parlor level apartment. As a friend said to me upon seeing the piles of banker boxes and Hefty Heavy Duty bags, "thank God you have a large apartment.




"Storage Spaces #1", Hudson County, NJ, 7/2011. Juliana Beasley


  

"Storage Belongings #1",,Jersey City, NJ, 7/2011. Juliana Beasley.  Bag of recyclable bottles, Rocking Horse, and filled garbage bag were some of the few random items stored for one owner. These were the belongings being removed from one storage space yesterday.




"Storage Space Elevators", Jersey City, NJ, 7/2011. Juliana Beasley



Now, comes the worst part or the selling, haggling and then finally disposing the remnants of whatever doesn't exchange hands from me as seller to buyer. The point is to get rid of it as quickly as possible. The point is to ignore subconscious infantile feelings of loss, pain and suffering that can come with the emotional attachment of material items or the disdain of an object that once held so much love and promise. Soldier onward! Ruthless I must be!




"Phil in U-Haul", Hudson County, NJ, 7/2011. Juliana Beasley



I am downsizing and downgrading. "More is less"is a cliche fits but fits here. All those Buddhist and self-help books on tackling procrastination, ADD, and organizational tactics for the right brained challenges that plague me have planted a seed of freedom and sunshine that I hope will greet me on the other side of the chaos.

Pictures of chaos to come soon. I was waiting for the morning light to take the photos.




"My Mom's Film Projector", Hudson County, NJ, 7/2011. Juliana Beasley. Keep! This stayed in storage.




"My Gum Ball Machine", Hudson County, NJ, 7/2011. Juliana Beasley. Keep! This stayed in storage.



Thanks to dear friends who lift heavy boxes, drive U-hauls, and are left brained and no how to pack a storage space for best access. Without you guys, I would be sitting in a pile of shit. Literally!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Sisters

"Lisa", Rockaways, NYC. Spring, 2011. Juliana Beasley.



I met Lisa and Sandra four or five years ago out in the Rockaways. They are sisters.

I took these photos one day at the church where their foster father Pastor Gary presides in the Rockaways. I wish I had more time to spend with them, but they were rushing off with their family to lunch after services. 



"Sandra",  Rockaways, NYC. Spring, 2011. Juliana Beasley.